ACA Open Enrollment 2027: Dates and Deadlines by State
Open enrollment for 2027 marketplace coverage ends on January 15, 2027 in the states that use HealthCare.gov. The December 15 end date that a 2025 federal rule had scheduled for this season is not in effect. That is the good news. The catch is that December 15 still decides whether your plan starts on January 1 or leaves you uninsured for a month, and several state-run exchanges are on a different calendar entirely: three open in October and two close in December.
HealthCare.gov dates for 2027 coverage: opens November 1, 2026. Enroll by December 15, 2026 for coverage that starts January 1, 2027. Last day to enroll is January 15, 2027, for coverage that starts February 1. If your state runs its own exchange, check the table below, because its dates may be earlier or later.
The HealthCare.gov calendar
The federal calendar has two deadlines, and they do different jobs. December 15 controls when coverage starts; January 15 controls whether you can enroll at all. In both cases the plan only takes effect once you pay the first premium. Source: HealthCare.gov, dates and deadlines.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| November 1, 2026 | Open enrollment starts. First day to enroll in, renew, or change a plan for 2027. |
| December 15, 2026 | Last day to enroll or change plans for coverage that starts January 1. |
| January 1, 2027 | Coverage starts for people who enrolled by December 15 and paid the first premium. |
| January 15, 2027 | Open enrollment ends. Last day to enroll in or change a plan for the year. |
| February 1, 2027 | Coverage starts for people who enrolled December 16 through January 15 and paid the first premium. |
Why you may have heard December 15 is the end
The shorter window was real policy, and plenty of articles written last year still describe it as settled. The Marketplace Integrity and Affordability rule, finalized in June 2025, said that for exchanges on the federal platform open enrollment would run November 1 through December 15, beginning with the enrollment period for plan year 2027. It also told state exchanges to finish by December 31 and to keep the window to nine weeks or less. Source: CMS fact sheet on the 2025 final rule.
That schedule is not what applies this fall. On June 12, 2026, a federal district court in Maryland struck parts of that rule in City of Columbus v. Kennedy. In a statement dated July 27, 2026, CMS said the open enrollment dates in the regulation have not been altered and that open enrollment on the federal marketplace "will begin on November 1, 2026 and end on January 15, 2027." CMS repeated those dates in statements on July 31 and August 4. Source: CMS statement, July 27, 2026 (PDF).
Treat January 15 as the published date and keep an eye on the source. Litigation over the federal marketplace rules is still pending, and HealthCare.gov's dates page is the place any change would show up first. It listed January 15 when we checked it on October 4, 2026.
December 15 is still the deadline to plan around
A person who enrolls on December 16 has not missed open enrollment, but has missed January. On HealthCare.gov, anyone who signs up from December 16 through January 15 starts coverage on February 1. If your current plan ends on December 31, or you are uninsured now, that is a month with no coverage and no cap on what an emergency could cost you.
Waiting also leaves no room to fix problems. An application that gets held up over income or identity documents in the second week of January may not be resolved by the last day, and after January 15 the only ways in are a Special Enrollment Period or Medicaid. Enrolling in November gives you time to respond to a document request and still start on January 1.
State-run exchanges set their own dates
Where you live changes your deadline by as much as six weeks. Idaho's window closes on December 15 and Vermont's on December 28, while Virginia's runs to January 29 and Massachusetts's to January 23. We checked each state exchange's own website on October 4, 2026. The nine below had published dates specifically for 2027 coverage.
| State exchange | Open enrollment for 2027 coverage | Enroll by, for a January 1 start |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut (Access Health CT) | October 23, 2026 to January 15, 2027 | December 15 |
| Georgia (Georgia Access) | November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027 | December 15 |
| Idaho (Your Health Idaho) | October 15 to December 15, 2026 | Not stated; the window itself ends December 15 |
| Maine (CoverME.gov) | November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027 | December 15 |
| Massachusetts (Health Connector) | October 23, 2026 to January 23, 2027 | December 23 |
| Nevada (Nevada Health Link) | November 1 to January 15 | Not stated on the page we checked |
| Vermont (Vermont Health Connect) | November 1 to December 28, 2026 | December 15 |
| Virginia (Virginia's Insurance Marketplace) | November 1, 2026 to January 29, 2027 | Not stated in the announcement |
| Washington (Washington Healthplanfinder) | November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027 | December 31 |
Three of those states changed their dates this year. Vermont describes its window as shorter for 2027, and Massachusetts and Connecticut both moved their opening day up to October 23. Idaho lets you preview 2027 plans from October 1 to 14, before its window opens, and Virginia opened plan previews on October 1. Sources: Access Health CT; Vermont Health Connect; Massachusetts Health Connector; Virginia State Corporation Commission.
Five more exchanges publish standing dates without a year attached. None of those pages named the season, so confirm on the exchange's site before you count on the later dates.
| State exchange | Standing dates on the exchange's site | Enroll by, for a January 1 start |
|---|---|---|
| California (Covered California) | November 1 to January 31 | December 31 |
| Maryland (Maryland Health Connection) | November 1 to January 15 | Not stated on the page we checked |
| New Jersey (Get Covered New Jersey) | November 1 to January 31 | Not stated on the page we checked |
| New Mexico (BeWell) | November 1 to January 15 | Not stated on the page we checked |
| Pennsylvania (Pennie) | November 1 to January 15 | Not stated on the page we checked |
For the rest, we could confirm a start date or nothing at all, so we are not going to guess. Connect for Health Colorado and NY State of Health both say enrollment begins November 1, 2026, without giving an end date on the pages we read. Oregon is new this year: HealthCare.gov says Oregon residents will use ExploreHealthOR.gov to enroll in 2027 coverage starting November 1, and the state's site had not posted an end date. Source: HealthCare.gov, the Marketplace in your state. We could not confirm this season's dates for DC Health Link, Get Covered Illinois, Kentucky's kynect, MNsure in Minnesota, or HealthSource RI, whose site still showed last season's window. Dates in those states vary, so go to the exchange directly.
If your state is not named anywhere in this section, you almost certainly enroll through HealthCare.gov and the federal calendar above is yours. HealthCare.gov's state picker will send you to the right site either way.
What to do before November 1
The work that decides what you pay happens before the window opens, because your subsidy is set by the income you estimate for 2027. HealthCare.gov is already telling people to update their application with any changes they expect for the year ahead. Run your expected 2027 income and household size through our subsidy calculator first, so the number the marketplace shows you is not a surprise.
Income matters more than it did two years ago. The enhanced premium tax credits that had been in place since 2021 expired on December 31, 2025, and Congress did not extend them, which brought back the income cutoff for subsidies. Source: Pennie, Pennsylvania's exchange. If your household is anywhere near that line, read how the subsidy cliff works before you enter an income estimate, and remember that advance credits are reconciled on your tax return. Our repayment estimator shows what a wrong guess costs.
Do not let last year's plan renew without looking at it. The most a marketplace plan can make you pay out of pocket rises from $10,600 for an individual and $21,200 for a family in 2026 to $12,000 and $24,000 in 2027, so the same plan name can carry more risk next year. Source: HealthCare.gov, out-of-pocket maximum. Insurers also leave. Georgia's exchange, for one, tells customers that if their 2026 insurer is not offering plans in their area for 2027, they will have to choose a new one. Our guide to deductibles, copays and out-of-pocket maximums explains how to compare total yearly cost instead of the premium alone.
If you miss the window
After the last day, enrollment is closed unless something specific opens it. On HealthCare.gov, from January 16 through October 31 you can get a marketplace plan only if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, which follows a life event such as losing other coverage, moving, getting married, or having a baby. Our guide to getting ACA coverage after open enrollment ends covers which events count and what proof you need.
Medicaid and CHIP have no enrollment window. You can apply for either at any time of year, and if your income has dropped that may be the faster route. Source: HealthCare.gov. Check your state's Medicaid income limits before assuming you have to wait until next November.
Frequently asked questions
Is open enrollment for 2027 ending on December 15?
Not on HealthCare.gov. A 2025 federal rule scheduled a December 15 end date starting with this enrollment period, but CMS said in July 2026 that federal marketplace open enrollment will run from November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. December 15 is the deadline for coverage that starts January 1. Idaho's state exchange does close on December 15.
If I enroll on December 20, when does my coverage start?
On HealthCare.gov, February 1, 2027, once you pay the first premium. Some state exchanges give you longer: California and Washington list December 31 as the cutoff for a January 1 start, and Massachusetts lists December 23.
My state opens before November 1. Can I enroll early?
Yes, if you live there. Idaho opens October 15, and Connecticut and Massachusetts open October 23. Enrolling early does not change when coverage begins; 2027 plans start January 1 at the earliest.
I already have a marketplace plan. Do I need to do anything?
Log in and update your income and household details, then compare plans. Prices, insurers, and out-of-pocket limits change every year, and your subsidy is recalculated from the income you report for 2027.
Know your number before November 1
Estimate your 2027 premium tax credit and see whether your household lands in Medicaid, subsidy, or full-price territory.
Run the subsidy calculator →Dates in this article were checked against HealthCare.gov, CMS, and each state exchange's own website on October 4, 2026. Exchanges can change or extend their deadlines, and the federal rules are the subject of ongoing litigation, so confirm your dates with your exchange before relying on them. This is general information, not personalized insurance, legal, or tax advice.