Open enrollment for 2027 coverage

Open enrollment for 2027 coverage on HealthCare.gov runs from November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Choose a plan by December 15 and it starts January 1; choose between December 16 and January 15 and it starts February 1. States that run their own exchange set their own dates, and the state table lists each one.

Those dates nearly didn’t happen. A 2025 federal rule would have ended HealthCare.gov’s 2027 enrollment on December 15 and every state’s by December 31. A federal court in Maryland vacated that part of the rule on June 16, 2026, and the government has appealed. Unless an appeals court acts, the ruling stands, and HealthCare.gov’s own dates page shows the January 15 close. Even so, December 15 is the date that gets you covered on January 1.

Seven changes that affect your 2027 bill

No credit above 400% of the poverty line

The extra help from 2021 to 2025 expired. For 2027 the limit is $63,840 for one person, $86,560 for two and $132,000 for four. For a couple aged 62 and 60 in Miami-Dade County, the difference between $86,000 and $87,000 of income is about $27,000 a year of credit at 2026 prices. Run the calculator to see where you land.

You pay more of your own income below that line

The share of income you’re expected to put toward the benchmark plan runs from 2.15% to 10.22% in 2027, up from 2.10% to 9.96% in 2026. Under the 2021 to 2025 rules it was 0% to 8.5%.

No cap on paying back excess credit

Starting with 2026 tax returns, if your income comes in higher than you estimated, you repay all of the extra advance credit. Report raises and new jobs to the marketplace when they happen. A single filer in Florida who estimated $40,000 for 2026 and earned $58,000 repays about $2,330, where the old cap would have limited it. The repayment calculator shows what you’d owe.

Out-of-pocket limits rise

The most a plan can make one person pay in a year goes to $12,000 in 2027, from $10,600 in 2026. For a family it’s $24,000.

The low-income monthly sign-up is gone

People under 150% of the poverty line used to be able to enroll any month. That special enrollment period is gone. Outside open enrollment you now need a qualifying event, like losing coverage or moving.

Fewer immigrants qualify

From 2027 the credit is limited to citizens, green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants and citizens of the Compact of Free Association countries. Lawfully present immigrants under 100% of the poverty line lost eligibility in 2026. DACA recipients are no longer eligible for marketplace plans.

Bronze plans are HSA-eligible

Since January 2026, any bronze or catastrophic plan from the marketplace works with a health savings account, and contributions lower the income the marketplace counts.

Before you renew

• Update your expected 2027 income. Your credit is based on it, and a stale figure from last year is how surprise tax bills start.
• Check the cheapest gold plan’s price too. In more than half of HealthCare.gov counties it cost less than the benchmark silver in 2026.
• Bronze plans are now HSA-eligible, so a bronze plan plus HSA contributions can lower both your premium and the income the marketplace counts.
• If your income is under 250% of the poverty line, compare silver, which comes with lower deductibles at that income.
• Check that your doctors and prescriptions are still in the plan’s network for 2027.

You can enroll free on HealthCare.gov or your state’s exchange (find yours). Free one-on-one help from trained Navigators is listed at localhelp.healthcare.gov.

Sources: HealthCare.gov dates and deadlines page; order of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, City of Columbus v. Kennedy, June 16, 2026; IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-26 and 2025-25; 26 U.S.C. 36B; Pub. L. 119-21, sections 71301, 71302, 71304, 71305 and 71307; CMS 2027 premium adjustment percentage guidance; 2027 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters; 45 CFR 155.20.