WRJC WebMaster

Gov. Evers, together with Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) Commissioner Nathan Houdek, today announced that, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), 313,579 Wisconsinites signed up for health insurance on the individual marketplace through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during the 2025 Open Enrollment Period, marking a nearly 18 percent increase from the previous period and the highest enrollment Wisconsin has ever reached. This year’s record surpasses last year’s record-breaking enrollment by more than47,250 enrollees, underscoring the continued importance of affordable healthcare coverage options through the ACA.

“This is great news. Whether it’s ensuring coverage through the Affordable Care Act or lowering the costs of prescriptions and medication, making sure every Wisconsinite has access to affordable healthcare will always be a top priority for me,” said Gov. Evers. “Healthcare should not be a privilege only afforded to the healthy and the wealthy, and the Affordable Care Act has been transformational for millions, including Wisconsinites who have pre-existing conditions. This record enrollment proves just how important it is that we continue to defend and protect access to healthcare, close our uninsured gap, and support programs that help make a real difference in the lives of folks and families across our state.”

This announcement comes as last week, Gov. Evers, as part of his 2025 State of the State address, also announced new efforts in his upcoming 2025-27 Executive Budget to ensure Wisconsinites have access to affordable, quality healthcare, including increasing access to necessary prescription medicine and improving consumer protections. Additional details about Gov. Evers’ forthcoming budget proposals to lower the cost of prescription drug prices, improve oversight on drug companies, and protect consumers from medication price gouging, among other efforts to help Wisconsinites save on everyday, out-of-pocket costs, is available here. 

Gov. Evers has long been committed to ensuring every Wisconsinite has access to quality, affordable healthcare. In 2019, the governor delivered on his promise to withdraw the state of Wisconsin from a Republican-led lawsuit that would have gutted the ACA, kicked thousands of Wisconsinites off their healthcare, and put 2.4 million Wisconsinites who have a pre-existing condition at risk. Gov. Evers also launched the DHS OCI Health Care Coverage Partnership in 2019 to improve coordination around outreach and education, increase enrollment and health insurance literacy, and improve enrollment retention. In 2020, this partnership launched WisCovered.com as an accessible resource for consumers looking for information about health coverage. Services are available in English, Spanish, and Hmong. During the 2025 period, nearly 25,000 people in Wisconsin visited the site.  

“We are glad to be able to provide a resource like WisCovered.com to share accurate, unbiased information about health insurance enrollment,” said OCI Commissioner Houdek. “Gov. Evers’ Health Care Coverage Partnership has made a measurable impact on enrollment and helped improve health insurance literacy.”  

Since it was signed into law by former President Barack Obama in 2010, the ACA has been transformational for folks and families across the state and country, providing healthcare coverage to millions of Wisconsin families and ensuring folks can access health insurance without lifetime limits and protecting the coverage of more than 100 million Americans—including 2.4 million Wisconsinites—who have pre-existing conditions. The ACA and its related regulations were also groundbreaking in ensuring access to birth control and contraception care, as most plans are required to cover these services with no out-of-pocket costs for consumers. Another key provision of the ACA, authored by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), allows young people to stay on their parents’ insurance until the age of 26.  

Thanks to the efforts of the Biden-Harris Administration and Sen. Baldwin, healthcare coverage today is more affordable than ever. Premium subsidies extended by the Biden-Harris Administration have helped 88 percent of Wisconsin consumers afford their health insurance premiums. Bolstered by the American Rescue Plan Act and extended by the Inflation Reduction Act, in 2023, the majority of Wisconsinites who enrolled in health insurance on HealthCare.gov qualified for cost savings, with the average person saving $573.11 on their monthly insurance premiums.  

The successful Wisconsin Healthcare Stability Plan (WIHSP) has also held down rates on the individual marketplace. WIHSP was created by 2017 Wisconsin Act 138, a bipartisan bill signed into law in 2018 and implemented under Gov. Evers. WIHSP has helped keep health insurance rates low while increasing choices for consumers every year it has been in operation.  Thanks to support from Gov. Evers and the Wisconsin State Legislature, WIHSP has been fully funded in each of the last three state biennial budgets. This program was most recently extended through Dec. 31, 2028.  

In 2022, health insurance rates were 14.5 percent lower, and in 2023, rates were 13.7 percent lower than they would have been without WIHSP. Rates on HealthCare.gov would have increased by 19.5 percent for the 2025 plan year, based on a weighted average. Thanks to WIHSP, rates on the individual health insurance market in Wisconsin will instead increase by a weighted average of 8.2 percent for the 2025 plan year.  

Although the Open Enrollment Period has closed, some individuals may still qualify for special enrollment periods throughout the year due to their personal circumstances. Individuals who have recently lost health coverage, gotten married, or had a baby may qualify. Additionally, Tribal members and their families may enroll in coverage on the marketplace at any time. Wisconsinites can find out if they qualify for a special enrollment period by contacting a licensed health insurance agent or finding free local help through Covering Wisconsin.