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The number of people signing up for healthcare through Covered California drops in the Tri-Counties

Ashkan Forouzani
/
Unsplash

Statewide numbers are also down. The lower numbers are thought to be the result of the end of federal tax credits, which made the insurance more affordable.

The expiration of federal tax credits may have put a dent in the number of people signing up for health insurance plans through Covered California.

Just released numbers show 1.92 million people signed up for coverage during open enrollment, down about 50,000 people from 2025.

It’s the first time in five years statewide enrollment is down.

In the Tri-Counties, nearly 83,000 people signed up for insurance plans through Covered California in 2026—a 5% drop from 2025.

About 74,000 people were renewals, with around 9,000 first-time Covered California clients.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.