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Open Enrollment for 2027 Health Plans: Dates, Deadlines and a Checklist

HealthCare.gov open enrollment for 2027 runs Nov. 1, 2026 to Jan. 15, 2027. Coverage start dates, auto re-enrollment, what changed and a checklist.

By All Blog Article Editorial Team · Published · 9 min read

On HealthCare.gov, open enrollment for 2027 health plans runs from November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027. Pick a plan by December 15, 2026 and your coverage starts January 1, 2027; pick one between December 16, 2026 and January 15, 2027 and it starts February 1, 2027. In both cases the plan starts only after you pay the first premium.

The Health Insurance Marketplace is the government-run exchange that sells individual health plans and the savings that come with them. Each year it opens for a fixed period, and during that period you can sign up, renew or move to a different plan without giving a reason. Outside it you generally need a special enrollment period, which opens only after certain life events. Some states run their own exchange with later deadlines, so the first job is knowing which site serves your state.

Key takeaways

  • On HealthCare.gov, open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. December 15, 2026 is the last day to pick a plan that starts January 1, 2027.
  • State-run exchanges can stay open longer. Covered California, for example, runs to January 31, 2027.
  • If you already have a Marketplace plan and do nothing, you will usually be re-enrolled automatically, but your price, and sometimes your plan, can change.
  • The enhanced premium tax credits covered 2021 through 2025 only. For 2027 coverage, help is generally limited to household incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level.
  • For tax years after 2025 there is no cap on paying back extra advance credit, so an accurate 2027 income estimate matters more than it used to.

Key dates for 2027 coverage on HealthCare.gov

The HealthCare.gov calendar for the 2027 plan year:

DateWhat happens
November 1, 2026Open enrollment starts. You can compare 2027 plans and enroll or switch.
December 15, 2026Last day to enroll or change plans for coverage that starts January 1, 2027.
January 1, 2027Coverage starts for people who enrolled by December 15 and paid their first premium.
January 15, 2027Open enrollment ends.
February 1, 2027Coverage starts for people who enrolled December 16 through January 15 and paid their first premium.
January 16 to October 31, 2027You can enroll or change plans only if you qualify for a special enrollment period.

Both start dates carry the same condition: coverage begins only once you pay the first month's premium. Choosing a plan is not enough on its own.

Why the window did not get shorter

A 2025 federal regulation, the Marketplace Integrity and Affordability rule, would have shortened open enrollment starting with 2027 coverage. Every exchange would have had to close by December 31, and HealthCare.gov would have closed on December 15. On June 12, 2026, a federal district court in Maryland vacated that change in City of Columbus v. Kennedy. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which runs HealthCare.gov, said on July 27, 2026 that it had not changed the open enrollment dates and that the window runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. The government has appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which agreed to hear the case quickly, with argument set for its October 2026 term. The outcome could change the rules for later years.

States that run their own exchange

Federal rules let a state-run exchange keep open enrollment open past January 15, and CMS has said those state options are unchanged. Covered California runs from November 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027, but you must finish enrolling by December 31, 2026 to be covered for all of 2027. Each state sets its own dates and its own deadline for January 1 coverage, so check your exchange's site rather than assuming the HealthCare.gov calendar applies.

What happens if you do nothing

If you have Marketplace coverage in December and take no action by December 15, HealthCare.gov will automatically re-enroll you for 2027, with coverage starting January 1. Automatic re-enrollment is a safety net, not a review of your options:

  • Your plan may change. You may be kept in the same plan or moved to a different plan from the same insurer. If your insurer offers no similar plan for 2027, you are matched with a comparable plan from another company.
  • Your price can change. HealthCare.gov warns that plan costs can change even if you are re-enrolled, and plans and prices change every year.
  • Your savings can be wrong. Savings are based on the income you expect for the coverage year. If you do not update your application, you could get more or less help than you should and settle the difference on your tax return.
  • A later switch starts in February. If your re-enrollment coverage has already started on January 1, you can still switch until January 15, 2027, but the new plan starts February 1, 2027. You stay in the re-enrolled plan for January.

You should get two letters by November 1, one from the Marketplace and one from your insurer, saying whether your plan continues and which plan you would be matched with. A $5 monthly charge that the 2025 rule set for some people re-enrolled in $0-premium plans on HealthCare.gov was vacated by the same June 12, 2026 court order. The rule had limited that charge to the 2026 plan year in any case.

What changed for 2027 coverage

Premium tax credits are back to the 400% limit

The premium tax credit is a federal tax credit that lowers your monthly premium. You can take it in advance, paid straight to your insurer, and square it up on your tax return, or claim it all when you file. The IRS says Congress lifted the upper income limit only for tax years 2021 through 2025, and its table for 2027, published in July 2026, stops at 400% of the federal poverty level, a yearly income measure set by the government.

For 2027 coverage, the Marketplace uses the 2026 poverty guidelines: $15,960 for one person and $33,000 for a family of four in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. Alaska and Hawaii use higher figures. At 400%, that is $63,840 for a single person and $132,000 for a family of four. Above that line there is generally no credit for 2027 unless Congress changes the law.

Below it, the credit generally equals the premium for your area's second-lowest-cost silver plan, called the benchmark plan, minus a share of your income that you are expected to pay. It cannot be more than the premium for the plan you choose. For 2027 that share runs from 2.15% of income at the lowest incomes up to 10.22% for incomes between 300% and 400% of the poverty level. Our guide to how premium tax credits work in 2026 and 2027 walks through the full calculation.

No cap on paying back extra credit

If you take advance credit based on an income estimate and your actual income turns out higher, you repay the excess when you file. For tax years after 2025 there is no repayment cap: the IRS says you must repay the full amount by which your advance payments exceed the credit you qualify for. That rule covers 2027, so an estimate that is too low can cost thousands of dollars at tax time.

Example: The person and the premium here are illustrative; the poverty guideline and percentages are the real 2027 figures. Sam is single, lives in one of the 48 contiguous states and expects to earn $62,000 in 2027, about 388% of the $15,960 guideline. Sam's expected contribution is 10.22% of income, or $6,336.40 for the year ($528.03 a month). If the benchmark silver plan costs $780 a month ($9,360 a year), Sam's credit is $9,360 − $6,336.40 = $3,023.60 for the year, about $251.97 a month. Now suppose a bonus pushes Sam's 2027 income to $65,000, about 407% of the guideline. Sam no longer qualifies for any credit for 2027. If Sam took the full advance credit all year, all $3,023.60 would be owed back at tax time, because there is no repayment cap. Reporting the raise when it happens lets the Marketplace stop the advance payments for the rest of the year, which shrinks the amount owed but does not erase what was already paid.

Other changes worth knowing

  • Higher out-of-pocket limits. The most a Marketplace plan can make you pay for covered in-network care in 2027 is $12,000 for one person and $24,000 for a family, up from $10,600 and $21,200 in 2026. Premiums do not count toward these limits.
  • Who can get savings. Starting January 1, 2027, savings are limited to U.S. citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents, Cuban or Haitian entrants and Compact of Free Association migrants. People with other lawful immigration statuses may still be able to enroll, but without savings.

A checklist before you pick a 2027 plan

  1. Confirm your exchange and its deadlines. Use HealthCare.gov or your state's own site, and put December 15, or your state's deadline for January 1 coverage, in your calendar.
  2. Read both renewal letters. Note whether your plan continues, which plan you would be matched with, and any documents you are asked to send.
  3. Update your 2027 income estimate. Use the income you expect for all of 2027 for everyone in your tax household, not last year's figure. Near 400% of the poverty level, also test a higher figure.
  4. List your doctors, hospitals and prescriptions. Check each plan's provider directory and drug list, called a formulary, for every one, because networks and drug lists can change from year to year. Our guide to checking prescription drug coverage explains drug tiers and exceptions.
  5. Compare total yearly cost, not just the premium. Add twelve months of premiums to what you would pay in a light year and in a bad year, up to the plan's out-of-pocket limit. The method is set out in how to compare health plans by total yearly cost.
  6. Check silver plans if your income is lower. If your household income is between 100% and 250% of the poverty level, cost-sharing reductions, which lower your deductible and out-of-pocket costs, generally come only with silver plans. For 2027, they cap out-of-pocket costs for one person at $4,000 with income up to 200% of the poverty level, and at $9,600 between 200% and 250%. Our guide to cost-sharing reductions explains who qualifies.
  7. Check any job-based offer. If you or a family member is offered job-based coverage that is affordable and meets a minimum standard of value, that person generally cannot get premium tax credits. For 2027, coverage counts as affordable for the employee if the employee's own self-only premium is no more than 10.22% of household income. For family members, the test uses the premium to cover everyone in the household.
  8. Pay the first premium. Your coverage does not start until that payment is made.

Frequently asked questions

Can you still get a 2027 plan after January 15, 2027?

On HealthCare.gov, only if you qualify for a special enrollment period, for example after losing other coverage, moving, marrying or having a baby. Those windows usually last 60 days from the event; see our guide to special enrollment periods. Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) accept applications all year.

If you are re-enrolled automatically, will your savings be right?

Not necessarily. HealthCare.gov says to update your application with your expected 2027 income and household even if you are re-enrolled, so you get the right amount of savings. Any difference between the advance credit and the credit you qualify for is settled on your 2027 tax return.

Does the January 15 deadline apply in states with their own exchange?

Not necessarily. State-run exchanges can stay open longer and set their own deadline for January 1 coverage, so check your exchange's own calendar.

What if your income changes during 2027?

Report it to the Marketplace as soon as it happens. The IRS says reporting changes promptly lets the Marketplace adjust your advance credit and lowers the chance of a large gap at tax time, which matters more now that there is no repayment cap for tax years after 2025.

Could open enrollment be shortened before January 15, 2027?

CMS has published the HealthCare.gov dates as November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027, after a court vacated the shortened window on June 12, 2026, and no change to those dates had been announced as of October 13, 2026. The government's appeal is pending in the Fourth Circuit, and its outcome could change the rules for later years, so check HealthCare.gov for updates.

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