HealthCare.gov’s 2027 Enrollment Opened Nov. 1 and Runs Through Jan. 15, as Insurers Propose a Median 15% Premium Increase

A household that logs in to its HealthCare.gov account today, Sunday, Nov. 1, can see next year’s plans and prices before the automatic re-enrollment that otherwise carries its coverage into 2027. Open enrollment for plan year 2027 runs from Nov. 1 through Jan. 15, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the premiums insurers have proposed are higher again.

Peterson-KFF found a median proposed increase of 15% across 276 insurers, and at least seven insurers are leaving the marketplace. The enhanced federal tax credits that held down costs expired at the end of 2025. Those numbers are why a few minutes of comparison now can matter more than usual.

Nov. 1 Opening Day and the Jan. 15 Close

The CMS plan year 2027 fact sheet, dated Oct. 30, gives the HealthCare.gov window as Nov. 1, 2026 through Jan. 15, 2027. It says more than 75% of HealthCare.gov buyers will have access to plans at or below $50 per month, and that shoppers will see about 100 plans on average from five to six insurers.

The same fact sheet says tax-credit-eligible enrollees will have access to a plan where the federal government pays nearly 90% of the lowest-cost premium, and that the lowest-cost catastrophic plan averages nearly 10% cheaper than the next lowest-cost option. Those figures are CMS’s own description of the market. CMS did not put an average benchmark premium change in the fact sheet, so the rise in the reference silver plan that sets subsidies is not yet stated by the agency.

Some states differ. Health Care Insider’s deadline FAQ lists Idaho closing on Dec. 15, Rhode Island on Dec. 31, Massachusetts on Jan. 23, Virginia on Jan. 29, and California, D.C., New Jersey and New York on Jan. 31. The same page says a 2025 federal rule that would have standardized the window was vacated by a federal court in Maryland in June 2026, and that CMS then confirmed HealthCare.gov’s dates. The case is still being appealed.

$316, $477 and a Proposed $546 a Month in Indianapolis

The 15% figure comes from the Peterson-KFF analysis of 276 insurers across all 50 states and D.C. with publicly available filings. The range runs from a 1% decrease to a 54% increase, with 63% of insurers between 10% and 25%. One insurer proposed a decrease, and 51 proposed increases above 25%.

These are proposals. Peterson-KFF cautions that the filings are preliminary and may change as states review them, and that the 15% is an enrollment-weighted average across metal levels, so it differs from the change in the benchmark silver plan that drives federal subsidies. The 2026 median was 18% proposed and 20% finalized, according to the same brief.

One example in the analysis is a 40-year-old in Indianapolis earning $65,000, whose monthly premium rose from $316 in 2025 to $477 in 2026 and is proposed at $546 for 2027. By calculation from those figures, $546 minus $316 is $230 more per month, or $2,760 more per year, than in 2025.

Peterson-KFF says insurers attribute roughly 4 percentage points of the 2027 increase to a sicker, smaller risk pool after the enhanced credits expired, on top of about 4 points already added for 2026. It reports median underlying medical cost growth of 10%, and 87% of 2026 enrollees received subsidies.

$63,840 for One Person, $132,000 for a Family of Four

With the enhanced credits gone, premium help stops at an income line again. MedicalDaily’s enrollment guide reports that individuals earning over $63,840 a year, and families of four earning $132,000 or more, receive no premium help. It gives the example of a 40-year-old above that line whose premium could go from $445 to $719 a month. By calculation, that is $274 more per month, or $3,288 over a year.

Income estimates still matter, because premium tax credits are set by expected household income. According to HealthCare.gov’s own page on automatic re-enrollment, a household should log in and update its application with the expected income and household information for the plan year, then compare the matched plan with the others available.

The same guide cautions that bronze plans with lower premiums carry higher deductibles and can cost more over a year for people with chronic conditions or regular prescriptions. It recommends comparing plans by total yearly cost, meaning premium plus deductible plus out-of-pocket maximum, and checking that doctors and medications are covered on the specific plan. Background on the credit rules is in the site’s report on the proposed premium tax credit limits.

Seven Insurers Leaving, and a Matched Plan Before Dec. 15

MedicalDaily lists at least seven insurers that will stop selling marketplace plans in 2027: Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, CareSource, Cigna, Medica, Mending, PacificSource and Providence Health Plan. Citing the Commonwealth Fund, it says enrollees in 20 states will need to pick new plans.

HealthCare.gov explains what happens in that case. A customer who is automatically re-enrolled may be placed in a plan from the same insurer or, if the insurer has no similar plan, a comparable plan from a different insurer. A letter says whether the plan is the same or different, and plan costs can change even with re-enrollment. An insurer cannot move someone to a different plan based on health or how much care is used.

MedicalDaily warns that a discontinued plan can be replaced with one that does not cover a person’s doctors or prescriptions, and suggests watching for a notice from an insurer that is leaving. Households with a plan from one of the seven named insurers have the most reason to compare before the matched plan is simply accepted.

Dec. 15 for a Jan. 1 Start, Dec. 31 to Opt Out

HealthCare.gov’s re-enrollment page sets the December cutoff. It says a household must enroll in a different plan or update its information by Dec. 15 for coverage to start Jan. 1, which also helps it get the savings it qualifies for. Health Care Insider adds that enrolling after that date starts coverage Feb. 1.

Anyone who does not want coverage for next year and was already auto-enrolled has until Dec. 31 to log in and stop coverage from starting, according to HealthCare.gov. The page also says that if re-enrollment coverage has already started, a plan can still be changed by Jan. 15 for coverage starting Feb. 1.

The Peterson-KFF figures are proposals, so the 15% median is not what every household will pay. The comparison is still worth doing early, and the Indianapolis example shows why: a proposed $230 monthly rise over 2025 is a number worth seeing before Dec. 15 rather than after the first January bill. Related coverage looks at what workers already pay for family health insurance.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Gugalcrom123 – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons