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Reminder, BeWell is no longer taking payments. Please contact your insurance carrier to make a payment →
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BeWell enrollment grew 15.4 percent for 2026 while the rest of the nation lost more than a fifth of its enrollees, and state assistance kept the average monthly cost among the lowest in the country.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., June 8, 2026 — BeWell, New Mexico’s Health Insurance Marketplace, enrolled 82,407 New Mexicans in health and dental coverage during the 2026 Open Enrollment Period. The total is a 15.4 percent increase over the year before, representing the strongest marketplace growth in the nation. New Mexico posted these gains even as enhanced advance premium tax credits (APTC) expired and enrollment fell across most of the country, a result that reflects the state’s investment in affordability as well as BeWell’s outreach and enrollment efforts.
Nationally, plan selections across all exchanges fell 21.5 percent for 2026, while the state-based exchanges as a group stayed nearly flat at 1.4 percent growth. New Mexico moved against both trends, adding nearly 11,000 plan selections and growing 15.4 percent over 2025. BeWell also welcomed 12,790 first-time consumers, a 14.2 percent increase, while new-consumer enrollment dropped 12.8 percent nationally and 15.4 percent across the other state-based exchanges.
The national picture comes from a May 19 report published by KFF, an independent, nonpartisan source for health policy research, polling and journalism. In their analysis of the 2026 Open Enrollment period, KFF found that the expiration of enhanced APTC drove a steep national decline in Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace enrollment, as well as a sharp rise in both monthly premiums and average deductibles. By contrast, KFF found that state-specific policy decisions had a positive impact on enrollment in some cases, noting that New Mexico’s rate of enrollment growth was “likely due in part to the state’s supplemental financial assistance program, which temporarily backfills the entirety of the lost federal premium assistance.”
Metric | National (HealthCare.gov + state exchanges) | State exchanges only | New Mexico (BeWell) |
|---|---|---|---|
Plan selections | 22.3M to 17.5M (down 21.5 percent) | 7.2M to 7.3M (up 1.4 percent) | 71,418 to 82,407 (up 15.4 percent) |
New customers | 4.13M to 3.60M (down 12.8 percent) | 1.3M to 1.1M (down 15.4 percent) | 11,197 to 12,790 (up 14.2 percent) |
Gold-tier plan share | 13 to 17 percent | 14 to 15 percent | 68.5 to 60.4 percent |
Avg. net premium after federal tax credits | $113 to $178 (up 57.5 percent) | $179 to $266 (up 48.6 percent) | $152 to $299 (up 96.7 percent) |
Avg. net premium after all assistance | $113 to $178 (up 57.5 percent) | $179 to $266 (up 48.6 percent | $132 to $141 (up 6.8 percent) |
As rising costs pushed consumers elsewhere toward lower-tier plans, Bronze-level enrollment reached 40 percent nationally, a record high level since the exchange system was implemented in 2013. By contrast, more than 60 percent of New Mexicans chose a Gold-level plan for 2026, the highest level of coverage available on our state exchange; meanwhile, Bronze enrollment stayed nearly flat at 3.1 percent. This success is credited to New Mexico’s State Out-of-Pocket Assistance (SOPA) program, commonly known as Turquoise Plans, which lowers cost-sharing and monthly premiums for eligible enrollees.
Gross premiums in New Mexico rose 33.2 percent for 2026, faster than the national average, and the average payment after federal tax credits alone nearly doubled. Expanded state premium assistance offset most of that increase; the average New Mexican’s net premium rose just 6.8 percent to $141 a month, roughly $37 below the national average and among the lowest in the country, after all advance premium tax credits and state-provided supplemental assistance.
“We grew enrollment more than any other state in the country, welcomed thousands of first-time consumers, and kept the average monthly cost among the lowest available nationwide. That is what happens when a state’s commitment to health care insurance affordability meets a marketplace that reaches each of New Mexico’s diverse communities effectively.”
— Bruce Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer, BeWell
New Mexicans can compare plans, check eligibility for federal and state financial help, and enroll at BeWellnm.com or by calling 1-833-ToBeWell (1-833-862-3935), TTY 711. BeWell is the only place where New Mexicans can qualify for the state and federal assistance that keeps coverage affordable.
BeWell is New Mexico’s Health Insurance Marketplace. Created by state law in 2013 as a nonprofit public corporation and governed by a board appointed by the Legislature and the Governor, BeWell became a full state-based exchange in 2021 when it moved off HealthCare.gov. It is the only marketplace where New Mexicans can access federal premium tax credits alongside state-funded help, including New Mexico Premium Assistance and the State Out-of-Pocket Assistance program. BeWell’s mission is to educate and enroll New Mexicans in affordable health coverage that supports timely, high-quality health care. Learn more at BeWellnm.com.
