• Thousands of Rhode Islanders dropped their health insurance plans after federal subsidies expired.
• Enrollment in HealthSource RI, the state’s marketplace, fell by 20% in early 2024.
• The average premium for enrollees more than doubled as federal funding ended.

Thousands of Rhode Islanders dropped health insurance coverage through Rhode Island’s public insurance marketplace instead of maintaining plans with rising premiums and lower subsidies, HealthSource RI said.

Enrollment through HealthSource, Rhode Island’s “Obamacare” exchange, plunged 20% between the end of last year and the close of the annual enrollment period a month later, as federal funding for premium tax credits expired, according to a HealthSource new release.

There were 48,060 individual and family enrollments on Dec. 31 of last year, the day the premium subsidies from the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act ended.

On Feb. 1, there were 38,557 enrollments.

Before this drop, HealthSource has posted enrollment increases almost every year since Affordable Care Act exchanges launched in 2013.

How did we get here?

Last year, the Republican-controlled federal government declined to extend premium tax credits after a protracted budget battle with congressional Democrats, who are now negotiating to restore the health insurance subsidies.

The lapse in subsidies coincided with an increase in premiums, driven by a combination of factors, which sent the total cost of coverage climbing.

The average premium across HealthSource enrollees more than doubled (101%,) the exchange said, or $111 per person, per month.

Many enrollees opted for cheaper insurance plans despite their higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs.

Others dropped coverage altogether.

“The increase in premiums, combined with the decrease in federal supports, makes this an incredibly challenging year for folks depending on HealthSource RI for health coverage,” HealthSource Director Lindsay Lang said in the release. “Having health coverage helps protect against one bad turn of luck becoming years of financial burden. We will work with every customer to find options that are best for their needs and budget, and continue to work with state leaders and our federal delegation to find long-term solutions.”

A portion of a Vermont highway has been shut down following a rock slide on Tuesday.

Vermont State Police said in an email around 1:22 p.m. that they had received a report of a rock slide on Route 5 in Fairlee, just south of the Bradford town line.

“Initial reports are of a substantial amount of rock & trees in the roadway, making travel through the area difficult or impassable,” they said. “Motorists should seek alternate routes or expect delays in the area.”

Route 5 is a nearly 200-mile, mostly two-lane highway running from the Massachusetts border to Canada.

In an update shortly after 2 p.m., state police said Route 5 in Fairlee between Mountain Road and Sawyer Mountain Drive will remain closed while the Vermont Agency of Transportation assesses the stability of the roadway.

No further details were released.

FIRST ON FOX: An illegal immigrant from Africa who has allegedly voted in every federal election since 2008 has been arrested, Fox News Digital has learned, as congressional lawmakers fiercely debate a proposal to strengthen election integrity laws. 

Mahady Sacko, a Mauritanian citizen, has been charged with voter fraud in Philadelphia, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Monday. 

“This criminal illegal alien committed a felony by voting in federal elections dating back to 2008. Illegal aliens should NOT be electing American leaders,” DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. “Our elections belong to American citizens, not foreign citizens. Congress must pass the SAVE America Act immediately to secure our elections. The Senate must pass the SAVE America Act.” 

HOUSE REPUBLICANS PUSH JOHNSON TO GO TO WAR WITH SENATE OVER SAVE ACT

Sacko, 50, entered the U.S. in March 1998 in Miami, and was ordered to be removed from the country by an immigration judge in 2000, according to a federal criminal complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital. 

He appealed this decision, but the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed his appeal and affirmed the removal order on Nov. 14, 2002. Despite this order, Sacko did not depart the U.S., authorities said. 

He was arrested by ICE in 2007, but was not deported because he didn’t have a passport from Mauritania and the agency was unable to obtain one for him, federal prosecutors said. As a result, he was placed on supervision and required to regularly report to ICE offices, which he complied with. 

GOP REACHES KEY 50-VOTE THRESHOLD FOR TRUMP-BACKED VOTER ID BILL AS SENATE FIGHT LOOMS

In May 2025, investigators obtained voting records for Philadelphia County from the Philadelphia City Commissioners (PCCO) and the Pennsylvania Department of State (DOS) via a subpoena.

Sacko registered to vote in 2005, and falsely stated on several occasions that he was a U.S. citizen, authorities allege. 

The voting records showed that he cast ballots in several federal elections, including during the general elections in 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. In addition, he voted in the 2016 and 2020 primary elections, prosecutors said. 

He voted in person for every election, except for the 2020 primary, in which he voted by mail, the complaint states. 

The court documents feature several paper voter registration documents that Sacko allegedly filled out in which he provided his name, address, social security number, address, date of birth and affirmed that he was a U.S. citizen, prosecutors said. 

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The Trump administration and Republicans have pushed for lawmakers to pass the SAVE America Act, which would tighten voter registration and identification requirements to cast ballots in elections, namely proof of American citizenship to vote. 

Many Democrats contend the law would disenfranchise vulnerable populations from voting, citing the burden of getting documents needed for an ID, while supporters of the bill note that the vast majority of people use photo ID for everyday tasks.