Health Coverage Costs Jump 13% as 2027 Enrollment Opens

Open enrollment for 2027 health coverage opened on Sunday, November 1, and millions of Americans shopping on HealthCare.gov are facing another sharp price increase. According to an analysis by the health policy organization KFF, published October 30, benchmark silver plan premiums will rise 13 percent on average for 2027, the second straight year of double-digit

increases after a 26 percent jump from 2025 to 2026.

The enrollment window on HealthCare.gov runs from November 1, 2026, through January 15, 2027.

Shoppers must enroll or change plans by December 15 for coverage that starts on January 1, 2027, while those who sign up between December 16 and January 15 will see coverage begin on February 1 instead. State-run marketplaces follow their own calendars, but most share the same basic deadlines.

The marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act serve people who buy their own coverage rather than getting it through an employer or a government program such as Medicare or Medicaid. For those households, the next ten weeks are the main chance each year to pick a plan, compare prices, and check whether they qualify for financial help.

What the 13 Percent Figure Really Means

The 13 percent figure refers to the benchmark silver plan, the second-lowest-cost silver plan available in a given area. That plan matters because federal premium tax credits are pegged to it, so its price shapes what millions of people actually pay out of pocket.

It is an average, not a personal bill. What any individual shopper pays depends on where they live, their age, their income, and the plan they choose. KFF's analysis, built from HealthCare.gov data, state rate-review websites, and state plan-finder tools, found the increase is 11 percent in states that use HealthCare.gov and 16 percent in states that run their own enrollment platforms.

Taken together, the last two years add up to a 42 percent increase in average benchmark silver premiums between 2025 and 2027, according to KFF. That cumulative figure explains why the latest rise feels heavier than a single year's number suggests: shoppers are comparing 2027 prices not with a stable baseline, but with prices that already jumped sharply last year.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which runs HealthCare.gov, did not give an average premium change in its own plan year 2027 fact sheet, also released October 30. Instead, it said more than 75 percent of HealthCare.gov shoppers will continue to have access to premiums at or below 50 dollars a month in 2027 after tax credits, a figure that describes availability of low-cost options rather than the price any one person will pay.

Why Prices Are Rising Again

The central reason, according to reports, is the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits. Congress added those credits in 2021, and they lowered marketplace premiums for more than 20 million enrollees. They expired at the end of 2025 and, for 2027, they are not in place either.

The effect was already visible in 2026. Even though the sticker price of the average plan barely moved that year, the average monthly premium enrollees actually paid after tax credits rose 58 percent, from 113 dollars in 2025 to 178 dollars in 2026, according to KFF figures cited in coverage of the new data. In other words, the loss of the extra help showed up in household budgets even before this year's benchmark increase.

Congress has not settled the question. According to reports, the House passed a three-year extension of the enhanced subsidies in January 2026, with support from some Republicans who broke with their party leadership, but the Senate has not taken up or passed the bill. Without renewal, premium tax credits for 2027 revert to the original Affordable Care Act formula, which offers less help, particularly to middle-income households.

Insurers also point to rising medical costs and to uncertainty about who will enroll. When healthier people drop coverage, the remaining pool tends to be sicker and more expensive to insure, which can push premiums higher still. That dynamic is one reason enrollment trends are watched so closely each year.

Fewer Shoppers, Fewer Insurers

Enrollment already slipped last year. Plan selections fell by 1.2 million during the 2026 open enrollment period, and paid-up marketplace enrollment was down 12 percent, or 2.6 million people, to 19.2 million by February 2026, according to KFF. It was the first decline in seven years after a long run of growth.

Choice is also narrowing in parts of the country. Reports say insurers are leaving the marketplace in more than 20 states for 2027, and fewer immigrants will qualify for subsidies under tightened eligibility rules.

Some states are stepping in with their own money. Virginia and Rhode Island are adding state-funded subsidies to offset some of the lost federal aid, according to reports. Michigan, meanwhile, approved an average 14.2 percent increase for individual-market coverage in 2027, according to its Department of Insurance and Financial Services, a reminder that the national average hides wide local variation.

The maximum amount a person can be required to pay for covered care is also rising. For 2027, the out-of-pocket limit rises to 12,000 dollars for an individual, up from 10,600 dollars in 2026, and to 24,000 dollars for a family. That cap matters most to people who need extensive care, and it is one of the numbers experts urge shoppers to check alongside the monthly premium.

What This Means

For households, the practical message is that auto-renewal may no longer be the safe default. A plan that was the cheapest option last year may not be this year, and a plan in a different metal tier, bronze, silver, or gold, may offer a better balance of premium and out-of-pocket costs depending on how much care a family expects to use.

The benchmark change also ripples beyond the marketplaces. Because subsidies are tied to the benchmark, a higher benchmark can mean larger tax credits for people who qualify, partly cushioning the increase. But people above the subsidy cutoff pay the full premium, so the 13 percent average lands on them in full. That split is why two neighbors shopping on the same website can have very different experiences of the same price rise.

The timing adds a political dimension. Open enrollment is running in the final days before the November 3 midterm elections, and affordability has been one of the most visible issues of the campaign. Voters heading to the polls on Tuesday are doing so while many of them are also weighing health plan choices at home, and the cost-of-living debate that has dominated the campaign is, for marketplace shoppers, unusually concrete this week.

Health policy experts also caution against reading too much into any single average. KFF's earlier analysis of proposed rates found a median proposed increase of about 15 percent, with proposed changes ranging widely across insurers. The finalized 13 percent benchmark average smooths over that spread, and local markets can look very different from the national picture.

What Happens Next

The immediate deadline is December 15. Shoppers who want coverage starting January 1 must enroll or change plans by that date on HealthCare.gov. After that, enrollment continues through January 15, but coverage will not begin until February 1.

A federal court decision also shapes this year's calendar. A 2025 federal rule would have ended HealthCare.gov enrollment on December 15, 2026, but a federal court vacated that rule in June 2026, and CMS confirms the window runs through January 15, 2027. The rule remains on appeal, according to reports, so the January date is the operative end date for now.

In Congress, the fate of the enhanced tax credits remains unresolved. If lawmakers revive the extension, it could change what shoppers pay, but any action would come after many people have already chosen plans, and it is not clear how quickly a change would filter through to premiums. For now, shoppers are being urged to compare plans on HealthCare.gov, check their subsidy eligibility, and confirm that their doctors and prescriptions are covered before enrolling.

Enrollment figures in the coming weeks will offer an early read on whether higher prices push more people out of the marketplaces, as happened in 2026, or whether the wider availability of low-cost options after tax credits keeps coverage steady. Either way, the 2027 open enrollment period, which opened Sunday with a 13 percent benchmark increase, will be a test of how much American households are willing, or able, to pay for health coverage on their own.