ACA Open Enrollment for 2027 Starts November 1: What the New Subsidy Math Means
Marketplace open enrollment for 2027 coverage opens November 1. The enhanced credits are gone, the 400 percent cliff is back and there is no longer a cap on repaying excess credits, so your income estimate matters more than ever.
Open enrollment for 2027 Marketplace coverage starts November 1. On HealthCare.gov, enroll by December 15 for coverage that begins January 1. State-run exchanges set their own dates, so check your state's final deadline on its Marketplace site.
Update, September 26: CMS has confirmed that open enrollment on HealthCare.gov runs through January 15, 2027. Our 2027 open enrollment money checklist walks through the deadlines, the 400% cliff and the plan math step by step.
This is the second enrollment season since the enhanced premium tax credits expired on December 31, 2025, and the rules that replaced them are stricter than many returning shoppers remember.
What you'll pay for the benchmark plan
The premium tax credit limits what you pay for the benchmark Silver plan in your area to a share of household income. For 2027, IRS Revenue Procedure 2026-26 sets that share from 2.15 percent at the lowest incomes to 10.22 percent between 300 and 400 percent of the federal poverty line, a little higher at every level than 2026's range of 2.10 to 9.96 percent.
Coverage for 2027 is measured against the 2026 poverty guidelines: $15,960 for one person, plus $5,680 for each additional person. A single person earning $30,000 (188 percent of the poverty line) is expected to pay about $155 a month for the benchmark plan in 2027, and at $40,000 (251 percent) about $289. Those are within a few dollars of 2026, because the higher poverty line offsets the higher percentages.
The cliff and the repayment rule
Above 400 percent of the poverty line there is no credit at all: that's $63,840 for a single person and $132,000 for a family of four on 2027 coverage. And starting with the 2026 tax year, the 2025 budget law removed the caps that used to limit how much excess advance credit you pay back at tax time. If your income comes in higher than you estimated, you repay the full difference; if it crosses 400 percent, you repay every dollar of advance credit you received.
What to do before November 1
Estimate 2027 income carefully, including raises, bonuses, side income and retirement withdrawals, and update your application if it changes during the year. If you're near 400 percent, contributions to a traditional 401(k), traditional IRA or HSA lower the modified adjusted gross income the credit is based on and can keep you under the line.
Once 2027 prices post, compare the total yearly cost, not just the premium; a cheaper Bronze plan can cost more in a bad year. Our guide to health insurance outside an employer walks through plan tiers and cost-sharing reductions, health insurance basics explains deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, and what happens if you don't have health insurance covers the alternatives.
Turning 65 or already on Medicare? Medicare runs its own open enrollment from October 15 to December 7; our Medicare open enrollment money checklist covers the 2027 Part D changes and the income surcharges.