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CMS Canceled 760,000 ACA Plans This Week

CMS Canceled 760,000 ACA Plans This Week

On September 22, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services terminated 315,000 marketplace enrollments covering more than 760,000 individuals — retroactive to August 31. The cancellations followed a sweeping crackdown on agents and brokers who had been enrolling consumers without their knowledge or manipulating income and household data to generate commissions. If you or anyone in your household signed up for a marketplace plan through a broker in 2025 or 2026 — or received a notice of eligibility you didn't initiate — your coverage may already be gone.

The SERP for consumer-facing answers to this question is, as of this writing, empty. Industry news outlets have the policy angle; consumers who need to know whether their plan is still active have nothing. This post fills that gap: what CMS did, how to check your account status, what to do if coverage was canceled, and how to find the coverage you actually qualify for before open enrollment opens November 1.

What CMS Did — and Why

The legal instrument is an Interim Final Rule with comment period, titled "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Temporary Moratoria on Certain Agent and Broker Registration To Participate in the Exchanges" (Federal Register, 86 FR 2026-19493). The rule did three things simultaneously:

  1. Canceled roughly 315,000 marketplace enrollments, terminating coverage for over 760,000 people retroactive to August 31, 2026 — meaning for purposes of premiums and claims, these plans legally never existed past that date.
  2. Imposed a temporary moratorium on new agent and broker registrations for the federally facilitated exchanges through February 1, 2027. Agents and brokers without an active 2026 Exchange Agreement cannot currently register for 2027 participation.
  3. Required Social Security Number (SSN) or immigration document number verification for all non-newborn applicants on any broker-assisted application going forward — a check that was absent in prior years.

The root cause was a wave of broker fraud. CMS surveillance found agents signing consumers up for plans the consumers had never requested, then collecting commissions on the enrollments. In other cases, brokers falsified income or household-size data to maximize subsidy amounts. The fraud came at real cost to the federal government — and, more directly, to consumers whose legitimate coverage information was changed without their consent.

Retroactive to August 31: these cancellations are not prospective. CMS voided these enrollments backward to August 31, 2026. If affected, any claims submitted under these plans after August 31 are legally unresolved. The 90-day appeal window applies from the date of your written eligibility notice, not from September 22.

How to Check If Your Coverage Was Canceled

The immediate question for any marketplace enrollee is: is my plan still active? The only definitive answer is in your HealthCare.gov account. Here is exactly what to do.

  1. Log directly into HealthCare.gov — go to healthcare.gov, sign in to your account, and navigate to "My Plans & Programs." Do not call a broker first; your account is the authoritative record.
  2. Check the Notices section. CMS sends written eligibility determinations when it takes action on an enrollment. Look for a notice dated on or after September 22, 2026. Any notice describing a change in enrollment status, an eligibility redetermination, or a termination is the document that starts your 90-day appeal clock.
  3. Verify your enrollment details. Confirm that the income you see on your application matches what you actually reported. Check household members, dependents, and income figures. If any of these are different from what you submitted — particularly if income was set lower than your actual earnings or additional household members appear — unauthorized changes likely occurred.
  4. Check the agent or broker listed on your application. Navigate to your Application details and look for the "Agent or Broker" section. If a name appears that you do not recognize, your application was modified by someone you did not authorize. Screenshot this before taking any further action.
  5. If you see no changes and your plan is active with the correct information, you are likely not affected — but monitor your insurer's member portal for claim denials or coverage terminations in the next few weeks as the rule settles.

Not sure if you enrolled through a broker? Many consumers don't realize a broker was involved. When someone calls a "marketplace enrollment hotline" or uses a third-party enrollment website, the agent completing the application is typically a licensed broker who earns a commission — even if they called themselves a "navigator" or "enrollment assistant." If you used anyone other than HealthCare.gov directly, check for an agent name on your application.

What to Do If Your Coverage Was Canceled

A canceled enrollment is not necessarily final. CMS preserves consumer appeal rights, and several remedies are available depending on your specific situation.

File an appeal within 90 days of your notice date. The Marketplace processes appeals for enrollments that were terminated, changed, or denied. Your eligibility notice (the written document from CMS) starts the clock. To file: log into HealthCare.gov → select your Application → choose "Appeal." You can also call the Marketplace at 1-800-318-2596. Submit any documentation showing what income and household information you actually reported versus what appears on the application.

Report unauthorized broker activity. If the agent listed on your application made changes without your consent, that is reportable fraud. CMS operates a fraud reporting line at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) and an online fraud reporting form. Reporting is not mandatory to pursue an appeal, but it creates a formal record that may support your case.

Check whether a Special Enrollment Period applies. If your coverage was terminated due to circumstances outside your control — including a wrongful cancellation — you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period to re-enroll in a new plan before November 1. Coverage loss is an SEP-triggering life event. Call the Marketplace directly rather than relying on an agent to request this: getting ACA coverage after the standard enrollment window requires documentation, and your eligibility notice from CMS can serve as that documentation.

Re-examine your Medicaid eligibility now. If your plan was canceled and your actual income is at or below 138% of the federal poverty level (about $22,025 for a single adult in 2026), you may qualify for Medicaid rather than marketplace coverage. Medicaid does not have enrollment windows — you can apply year-round through your state's Medicaid agency. Check your state's Medicaid eligibility page or see Medicaid income limits by state to understand your income position.

Find Your True Eligibility in 60 Seconds

Enter your income, household size, and state to see exactly whether you qualify for ACA subsidies or Medicaid — and what your true monthly cost would be. No broker. No commission. No data entry that someone else can modify.

Run the Calculator

What Changes When Open Enrollment Opens November 1

Open enrollment for 2027 coverage starts November 1, 2026. Several of the broker fraud rules that CMS announced take effect for this enrollment period, and they will change how broker-assisted enrollments work.

For consumers enrolling directly through HealthCare.gov — without a broker — nothing changes procedurally. The calculator and application process are the same as in prior years.

For consumers who prefer to use an agent or broker:

The income estimate you enter during 2027 enrollment matters significantly. Rogue brokers frequently lowered reported income to maximize subsidy advance payments — and the resulting discrepancy between the claimed income and your actual 2027 earnings will show up as a repayment obligation on your 2027 tax return. Enter your honest projected income. If you're uncertain how the subsidy calculation works at your income level, the subsidy cliff post explains the cliff mechanics for 2026 and what to expect in 2027.

What to Do Next

The sequence matters. Do not wait until November 1 to start this process.

  1. Check your HealthCare.gov account today. Confirm your plan status, agent listing, and income information. This takes five minutes and tells you definitively whether you're affected.
  2. File an appeal now if you received a notice. Your 90-day window started from the date of the notice, not from today. If the notice is dated September 22, your appeal deadline is approximately December 20, 2026.
  3. Run your true eligibility through SubsidyCalc. Whether your plan was canceled or not, verifying what you actually qualify for — ACA subsidy, Medicaid, or CHIP for children — is the foundation for November enrollment. Use the calculator at the top of this page or check your Medicaid vs. marketplace options directly.
  4. Enroll directly during OEP (November 1–January 15). Use HealthCare.gov rather than a third-party site. You can still work with a vetted in-person navigator — just verify their registration.

Common Questions

Was I enrolled without knowing it?

Many affected consumers had no idea they were enrolled in a marketplace plan — the broker completed the application in their name without telling them. Signs include: a 1095-A tax form you didn't expect, an email from a marketplace insurer you don't recognize, or a notice on HealthCare.gov listing coverage dates without a corresponding enrollment you initiated.

If my plan was canceled, am I uninsured back to August 31?

Technically, yes — the cancelation is retroactive. Whether your insurer processes that as retroactive termination (including any pending claims) depends on how quickly the insurance company processes the cancellation notice from CMS. If you have pending claims from September, contact your insurer directly and document the claim dates. The appeal process can restore coverage retroactively if the cancellation is found to be erroneous.

Can I still use a broker to enroll for 2027?

Yes, but only through agents who already hold a 2026 Exchange Agreement. New broker registrations are paused through February 1, 2027. To verify an agent's status, use the Find Local Help tool at healthcare.gov/find-assistance/ and confirm you see their name listed as an active assister or agent for your state.

What if my income was changed on the application without my consent?

This is the most common fraud pattern. If the income on your application is lower than what you actually earn, the advance premium tax credit you received may be larger than what you were legally entitled to. At tax time, you would owe back the difference. Document the discrepancy now (screenshot the application income vs. your actual income), include it in your appeal, and consider filing with CMS's fraud reporting line. The appeal can correct both the enrollment status and the income figure used to calculate your subsidy.

The CMS action this week is the most significant enforcement step against marketplace broker fraud in years. For the 760,000 people whose coverage was terminated, the path forward is: check your account, file an appeal if warranted, and use the November 1 open enrollment window to get on legitimate coverage you've verified yourself. The calculator on this page and the 52-state Medicaid eligibility guide give you the raw numbers without a broker in the middle.