ACA open enrollment 2027 is open now, and the deadline that actually matters is December 15 — not January 15. Sign up by December 15 and your coverage starts January 1. Enroll any later and you spend the whole of January uninsured, even though the window stays open until January 15.
That is the trap this year. The window looks generous at two and a half months, but only the first six weeks buy you coverage from day one. And this is the most expensive open enrollment in years: benchmark premiums are up 13% on average, and the extra pandemic-era subsidies that softened the last few years are gone.
The two deadlines that do different jobs
HealthCare.gov open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs November 1, 2026, through January 15, 2027, in the 29 states that use the federal marketplace. The other 21 states and Washington, D.C., run their own exchanges with their own dates.
The calendar works like this. Enroll between November 1 and December 15 and your plan starts January 1, 2027, once you have paid the first premium. Enroll between December 16 and January 15 and coverage starts February 1 instead. After January 15, you can only enroll with a qualifying life event, such as losing other coverage, moving, getting married or having a baby.
A few state-run marketplaces run longer. California, Washington, D.C., New York and Rhode Island stay open until January 31. Idaho is the exception in the other direction: it closes December 15. If your state runs its own exchange, check its own dates rather than assuming the federal ones apply.
Premiums are up 13% — the second straight double-digit jump
KFF’s analysis of finalized 2027 rates, published October 30, 2026, puts the average benchmark silver premium up 13% for 2027. That follows a 26% jump for 2026, which means benchmark premiums have risen about 42% in two years — the second-biggest single-year rise since 2018.
In dollars, the average benchmark plan for a 40-year-old costs about $704 a month in 2027, up from $624 in 2026 and around $497 in 2025. The increase is steeper in state-run marketplaces (16%) than in HealthCare.gov states (11%), and it varies widely by county, insurer and plan. The benchmark is the second-lowest-cost silver plan in your area, and it matters because it is the plan subsidies are calculated from.
One number doing the rounds needs a warning. CMS says more than 75% of shoppers have access to a plan for $50 a month or less. That figure is after tax credits, not the price most people see before help. If you earn too much to qualify for a credit, you pay the full price.
The subsidy cliff is back — and it is a hard line
The enhanced premium tax credits expired on December 31, 2025, and nothing has replaced them. For 2027, help stops dead at 400% of the federal poverty line: $63,840 for a single person, $86,560 for a couple, $109,280 for a family of three and $132,000 for a family of four, in the 48 contiguous states and D.C.
Below that line, the credit caps what you pay for the benchmark silver plan at between 2.15% and 10.22% of your income, under the IRS rules for 2027. One dollar over the line and the credit disappears entirely. Take a single 40-year-old earning $63,000: the most they would pay for the benchmark plan is roughly $540 a month. Earn $64,000 instead and the same plan costs the full $704 a month — about $1,900 more over the year, for $1,000 more income.
That is the cliff, and it is why the income figure you enter matters more than ever this year. If your 2027 income is close to the line, check the estimate carefully before you pick a plan, and remember that a subsidy you claim in advance gets reconciled on your tax return.
The other side of the same coin: because subsidies are tied to the benchmark plan, they grow when the benchmark rises. People below the cliff are partly shielded from the 13% increase. People above it absorb every dollar of it.
Why January 15 is not final yet
The January 15 end date itself is under appeal. A federal rule finalized in June 2025 would have cut the 2027 window to December 15. On June 12, 2026, a federal district court in Maryland vacated that part of the rule in City of Columbus v. Kennedy. CMS confirmed on July 27, 2026, that open enrollment would run November 1 to January 15, and a CMS fact sheet on October 30 repeated those dates. But the government appealed to the 4th Circuit in July, and a decision has been requested by December 31, 2026.
So treat January 15 as the published date, not a settled one. If it ever moves, HealthCare.gov and your state exchange will say so first — and the December 15 date for January 1 coverage is the one to act on now, because an appeal cannot take that deadline away from you once you have enrolled.
The same June ruling also vacated a $5 monthly charge for people who were automatically re-enrolled. That fee is not in effect, so do not let any guide quoting it put you off auto-renewal.
What the election does — and does not — change
The November 3 midterm elections saw Democrats projected to win both chambers of Congress, according to the Associated Press, and their leaders have named restoring the enhanced tax credits a priority. None of that changes your 2027 coverage today. An election does not change a tax credit; only a law does, and that law would still need to pass Congress and be signed by the President. The new Congress does not start until January 3, 2027.
The House did pass a three-year extension of the enhanced credits on January 8, 2026, by 230 votes to 196, but the Senate has not approved it, and as of November 5, 2026, no extension law exists. Congress returns on November 9 for a lame-duck session focused mainly on spending — the funding law keeping the government open expires December 11.
There is one real possibility worth knowing about. KFF’s Larry Levitt told NBC News that if a deal is reached, the relief could be backdated to the start of 2027, as happened in 2021 when the American Rescue Plan was signed in March and the bigger credits reached people from April, with earlier months claimed on the tax return. That is a possibility, not a promise — and it is no reason to skip enrolling now. If help is restored later, it would come to people who already have a plan.
What to do this week
First, log in to HealthCare.gov or your state exchange and check whether your current plan is still offered in 2027 and what it will cost. Insurers have left some markets, and auto-renewal can land you in a different plan or a much higher premium.
Second, update your income estimate. A raise, a new job or a Social Security cost-of-living increase can move you across the subsidy cliff, and the 3.6% COLA alone will push some retirees closer to the line.
Third, compare metal tiers, not just premiums. The maximum you can be asked to pay out of pocket in 2027 is $12,000 for an individual plan and $24,000 for a family plan. A cheaper bronze plan can cost far more if you actually need care.
Enrollment for 2026 coverage drew 23.1 million people, down from 24.3 million the year before, and the number actually covered in February 2026 fell 12%. With prices up again and help cut back, the people most likely to skip coverage this year are the ones who can least afford to be uninsured. December 15 is six weeks away. Use it.
FAQ: ACA open enrollment 2027
When does ACA open enrollment 2027 end?
On HealthCare.gov, open enrollment runs November 1, 2026, through January 15, 2027. Enroll by December 15, 2026, for coverage starting January 1, 2027. State-run marketplaces have their own dates — California, D.C., New York and Rhode Island run to January 31, while Idaho ends December 15.
How much are ACA premiums going up in 2027?
Benchmark silver premiums rise 13% on average for 2027, according to KFF’s October 30, 2026, analysis of finalized rates. A 40-year-old’s benchmark plan averages about $704 a month, up from $624 in 2026 and around $497 in 2025. It follows a 26% increase for 2026.
What is the subsidy cliff for 2027?
Premium tax credits stop at 400% of the federal poverty line: $63,840 for one person, $86,560 for a couple, $109,280 for a family of three and $132,000 for a family of four. Above that income there is no subsidy at all in 2027, because the enhanced credits expired on December 31, 2025.
Will the enhanced ACA subsidies come back?
Not under current law. The House passed a three-year extension in January 2026, but the Senate has not approved it, and as of November 5, 2026, no extension law exists. A new Congress starts January 3, 2027, and any restoration would need a bill passed by Congress and signed by the President. KFF has noted relief could be backdated if a deal is reached.
Is the January 15, 2027, deadline final?
It is the published date, confirmed by CMS in July and October 2026, but it is under appeal. A court vacated the rule that would have cut the window to December 15, and the government appealed to the 4th Circuit, with a decision requested by December 31, 2026. Enroll by December 15 to lock in January 1 coverage either way.
Sources: HealthCare.gov — dates and deadlines for 2027 coverage; CMS statement, July 27, 2026, and CMS fact sheet, October 30, 2026; KFF, “9 Things to Watch for the 2027 ACA Open Enrollment Period,” October 30, 2026; IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-26; City of Columbus v. Kennedy, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, June 12, 2026; Associated Press / NBC News reporting on the November 3, 2026, midterm results and the enhanced tax credits, November 5, 2026.