ACA Open Enrollment Is Underway: Premiums Rise 13 Percent for 2027, and Florida Shoppers Have Until January 15
The Affordable Care Act marketplace sign-up window opened Sunday in most states and runs through Jan. 15. The Associated Press reports higher premiums and fewer coverage options for 2027: KFF's analysis of new federal data puts the average marketplace price increase at 13 percent, and roughly 19.2 million people are actively enrolled.
Anyone in Jacksonville who buys health insurance on their own now has a decision on the calendar. People heading into the Affordable Care Act open enrollment period should expect a variety of changes in 2027, including higher premiums and fewer coverage options, the Associated Press reported in a file opened and read directly by the desk this run. The sign-up window for the marketplace starts Sunday in most states and runs through Jan. 15; Florida shoppers enroll through HealthCare.gov, and the deadline that matters most is Dec. 15 for coverage starting Jan. 1.
The price line is the headline. Across the board, health care experts predict less coverage and higher prices, with the average price of insurance purchased through the marketplaces expected to rise by 13 percent in 2027, according to KFF's analysis of new CMS data, the AP reported. Cynthia Cox, a vice president and director of the ACA program at KFF, said the increase is primarily driven by rising health care costs, hospital market concentration, and potential factors such as the No Surprises Act or the rising availability of GLP-1 drugs, the AP reported. The people most affected will be those who do not qualify for a subsidy: 'They may or may not be able to afford to continue to keep their coverage into next year,' Cox said, adding that 'a lot of them have already moved into bronze plans, which are the cheapest plans.'
The AP's account of why is stated plainly in its file: the price of ACA insurance has risen sharply for many people during President Trump's second term after Republicans opposed extending the COVID-era subsidies that had helped offset costs for most enrollees during President Biden's administration, and that resulted in 1.2 million fewer people signing up for coverage in the exchanges. Big changes to the exchange include expiring financial assistance, rising rates, potential delays in working with a broker, new restrictions on immigrants, and stricter enrollment checks, the AP reported; financial help, including premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions, is now restricted for many groups previously eligible, and new regulations starting in 2027 will limit tax credits for certain lawfully present immigrants, which could result in an additional 1 million uninsured individuals over time.
The scale and the counterpoint close the file. As of February, roughly 19.2 million people in the United States were actively enrolled in ACA marketplace plans, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, the AP reported. A CMS fact sheet distributed Friday says 'Americans using HealthCare.gov will have robust access to low-cost plans,' the AP reported. And the administration's enforcement campaign runs alongside enrollment: in September, Vice President JD Vance and other officials announced plans to remove 760,000 ACA enrollees from the exchanges, alleging fraudulent or nonexistent enrollments, which Vance said would result in $2.2 billion in cost savings, the AP reported. For a Florida shopper, the desk's guidance is only what the sources carry: compare plans before Dec. 15 if Jan. 1 coverage matters, and do not assume last year's price or help is this year's.
