Sharp Price Increases Coming for Delaware and New Mexico ACA Market Users

Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans in Delaware and New Mexico will be much more expensive starting Jan. 1, 2026. This change follows recent rate-increase approvals by each state’s health insurance regulators.

The Delaware Department of Insurance approved rate increases for 40 different plans. Increases spanned between 25% and 35%. Rate increases will apply to plans bought through the ACA in Delaware. They won’t affect Medicare or Medicaid customers or those who bought plans outside Healthcare.gov.

In New Mexico, the average approved increase for plans available through BeWell, the state’s health insurance marketplace, is nearly 36%. An estimated 75,000 people buy their health insurance through BeWell, and 88% of those enrollees qualify for some level of state or federal assistance.

Rising costs and federal activity blamed for price increases

Insurance commissioners from both states cited a combination of rising medical costs and federal actions as spurring the rate increase approvals. The commissioners cite alterations to marketplace rules, the expiration of enhanced advanced premium tax credits, and changes to the federal budget as all having an effect on rate increases.

Trinidad Navarro, Delaware’s insurance commissioner, forecasted that “recent federal turmoil” will likely shrink enrollment in the state’s ACA plan in 2026.

“We continue to encourage Congress to protect health insurance affordability by extending or making permanent the credits Delaware consumers rely on to save more than $6,400 on premiums each year,” said Navarro in a press release. “While carriers’ proposed rates reflect costs if expanded credits do not continue, we will make every effort to ensure insurers can lower rates if Congress does act.”

New Mexico, meanwhile, is hoping its foreplanning can shield residents from the loss of federal support.

“State insurance regulators across the country are grappling with rising health insurance costs,” said Alice Kane, the New Mexico superintendent of insurance, in a press release. “The [Office of Superintendent of Insurance] team rigorously reviewed rate requests to ensure they were fair and actuarially justified. These rate increases are consistent with the national trends of increased medical and prescription drug costs, as well as high use of healthcare services. Fortunately, New Mexico had the foresight to prepare for the loss of federal premium support by providing state funds to shield most consumers.”

Kane added that the state’s rate increases aren’t only due to the loss of federal support but also to increased usage of services by New Mexico citizens and rising healthcare and pharmaceutical costs.

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