Join us for our virtual event: A Conversation About The Persistent Obamacare Enrollment Fraud
When: June 23, 2026 @ 1:30–2:30 PM EDT
Where: Virtual Event
Join the Paragon Health Institute for a discussion of the continuing problems of improper enrollment in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges and its implications for taxpayers, consumers, insurers, and policymakers. The discussion will be based on findings from Paragon’s new paper, The Persistent Obamacare Enrollment Fraud. The virtual event will feature Paragon President Brian C. Blase, PhD; Paragon’s Gabrielle Minarik who co-authored the study; and Allysia Finley of The Wall Street Journal editorial board, which recently highlighted the paper in its editorial “An ObamaCare Fraud Update.”
The Persistent Obamacare Enrollment Fraud builds on Paragon’s earlier studies, The Great Obamacare Enrollment Fraud and The Greater Obamacare Enrollment Fraud. Using publicly available enrollment and Census Bureau data, the paper estimates the extent of improper enrollment in the exchanges and examines why it remains widespread even after the expiration of the enhanced pandemic-era subsidies. The new study estimates that 6.2 million exchange sign-ups in 2026 were improper, down only slightly from 2025, while the improper enrollment rate remained roughly 27 percent of all exchange enrollment. The study also estimates that taxpayers will spend up to $25 billion on subsidy payments associated with improper enrollment in 2026—nearly one-quarter of expected ACA subsidy spending. A recent Washington Post editorial reviewing the study concluded that “the scale of the fraud might seem implausible, but the evidence supporting it is compelling.”
This virtual event will examine how excessive subsidies, weak verification systems, automatic re-enrollment, and enrollment intermediaries contributed to millions of improper exchange sign-ups and tens of billions of dollars in unnecessary taxpayer spending.
Key additional issues to be discussed:
- Nearly half of exchange sign-ups—and 56 percent of sign-ups in HealthCare.gov states—claimed income between 100 percent and 150 percent of the federal poverty line (FPL), the income category that qualifies for the largest subsidies.
- New 2026 data show that many low-income enrollees shifted from silver plans into bronze and gold plans that remained available at zero premium—a pattern inconsistent with normal consumer behavior and suggestive of continued improper or intermediary-driven enrollment.
- Phantom enrollees—people who are unaware of their coverage, are fictitious, or are enrolled in other coverage—and the unusually high share of exchange enrollees with no medical claims.
- The strong positive relationship between improper enrollment and the share of applications handled by brokers, providing additional evidence that enrollment intermediaries are driving much of the problem.
We will also discuss the real-world consequences of improper enrollment, recent policy changes aimed at reducing fraud and abuse, and additional reforms that could strengthen the integrity of ACA subsidies and enrollment.
Participants:
Allysia Finley is a member of the editorial board at The Wall Street Journal, writes for the Journal’s Life Science column, and is a contributor to the editorial page’s Potomac Watch podcast. Ms. Finley joined The Wall Street Journal in 2009 after graduating from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies. During college, she edited the opinions section for The Stanford Review and wrote columns for The Orange County Register.
Brian C. Blase, PhD, is the president of Paragon Health Institute. Blase was formerly a special assistant to the president for economic policy at the White House’s National Economic Council (NEC) from 2017 to 2019 and worked as a congressional committee staffer from 2011 to 2015.
Gabrielle Minarik is the program manager at Paragon Health Institute, where she has authored extensive research on the inner workings and mechanics of ACA enrollment fraud. Gabrielle Minarik has worked in federal health policy for more than eight years, advancing free-market principles and partnerships.
We encourage you to share this invitation with anyone who may be interested.
