A decline in the number of consumers purchasing health insurance through government-run exchanges underscores the importance for a deal extending enhanced subsidies, some lawmakers and health care organizations said.

Preliminary data released Monday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shows 22.7 million new and returning consumers have signed up for individual market plans during the 2026 open enrollment period that began on Nov. 1. That’s a drop of 833,812 compared to 23.6 million who enrolled during the same period last year.

The new data comes as the open enrollment period ends for most of the country on Thursday, and while Congress remains deadlocked to extend subsidies first enacted in 2021 that reduced premiums for millions who purchased insurance through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. The subsidies expired at the end of 2025.

A total of 19.9 million people who have signed up for insurance so far during the 2026 period are returning consumers, while more than 2.8 million are new to the exchange, according to CMS. Those numbers are down from the 20.4 million returning and 3.1 million new consumers from the same time during the 2025 open enrollment period.

Local Congressional Democrats said the decline is a direct result of the expired subsidies and blamed a “crisis” on Republicans.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, called out the “callous actions” of Republicans, who he said “deliberately blocked relief” for millions of Americans.

“Nobody should have to choose between paying for health care and putting food on the table or making rent that month, which is why Senate Republicans must stop their obstruction and vote to extend the ACA premium tax credits,” he said.

The battle has been playing out in Congress for months, leading to a 43-day government shutdown last year. It comes as millions of Americans were already facing increased health care premiums because of rising costs.

An estimated 24 million Americans benefited from the subsidies, which led to a surge in health insurance enrollment rates in recent years.

House Democrats, along with 17 Republicans, passed a bill last week to extend the subsidies by three years, but a similar measure failed to gain the bipartisan support needed to clear the Senate last month.

Senate Republicans, meanwhile, introduced legislation that would provide direct funding to Americans via health savings accounts last month, which also failed to clear the chamber and has failed to gain steam in the House despite support from President Donald Trump.

Trump on Sunday he might veto legislation to extend the subsidies, according to a Reuters report.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, blamed Republicans for “hundreds of thousands of American families” dropping their insurance due to the rising cost, and again called for a three-year extension of the premium subsidies.

“Sadly, we expect more families to lose coverage in the next several months as they cannot afford these Republican-caused premium spikes,” she said. “This is unacceptable and Americans are paying the price. Senate Republicans and the president must join Democrats in passing the 3-year extension that House Democrats passed last week.”

In New York, the data shows 206,037 consumers have signed up for insurance or had their plans automatically rolled over during the 2026 open enrollment period, marking a decline of 6,947, or 3% compared to the same period last year, when 212,984 signed up for insurance.

Eric Linzer, the president and CEO of the New York Health Plan Association, said in a statement that the new data “underscores the importance” for Congress to extend the expired subsidies.

“The loss of this funding makes it harder for individuals and families to maintain coverage,” he said in a statement urging Congress to act.

It’s unclear if the decline in New Yorkers signing up for insurance through the exchange is due to increased premiums or because they obtained insurance through other means.

CMS did not return a request seeking comment.

But Danielle DeSouza, a spokesperson for the state’s Health Department, said there has been a decline in returning and new consumers purchasing health insurance through the marketplace which “reflects concerns New Yorkers have about rising costs due........

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