Regulation
ACA Marketplace Opens Nov. 1 With Higher Premiums and Falling Enrollment Forecast
By Insurance Wire Staff, . Insurance Wire.
The 2027 ACA marketplace open enrollment period opens November 1, 2026, and closes January 15, 2027, with premiums rising and enrollment expected to slide from recent highs.
What changed on price
Insurers had proposed a median premium increase of 15%, but finalized benchmark silver premiums, the mid-tier plans used to calculate federal subsidies, came in at an average increase of 13%, according to KFF. That is the second consecutive year of meaningful premium growth after several years of relative stability, and it matters because the benchmark silver premium is the anchor for how much subsidy-eligible enrollees pay out of pocket.
Medical care prices overall rose 1.5% over the year through September 2026, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. A 13% average jump in benchmark premiums is running well ahead of that broader medical inflation figure, though KFF does not specify what is driving the gap.
What the government is emphasizing
The CMS Newsroom fact sheet highlights that more than 75% of HealthCare.gov shoppers will have access to plans priced at or below $50 per month. The administration also states that subsidy-eligible enrollees will have nearly 90% of the lowest-cost premium covered by the federal government, compared with 85% in 2020.
A separate expansion worth flagging for agents: every plan sold through HealthCare.gov in 2027 is now Health Savings Account-eligible, following changes tied to the Working Families Tax Cuts. HSAs let enrollees set aside pre-tax dollars for medical expenses, giving them more direct control over how they spend on healthcare. CMS puts the average number of HSA-eligible plans available per enrollee at 35, which it describes as a more than 1,000% increase over the pre-expansion baseline.
On plan choice, CMS says the average HealthCare.gov shopper will have access to 100 plans across five to six insurers.
The enrollment outlook
KFF flags a significant headwind: the Congressional Budget Office projects marketplace enrollment will fall from a peak of 22.4 million in 2025. The enhanced subsidies that drove that surge are set to expire, and without legislative action to extend them, many current enrollees could face higher net premiums in 2027 and beyond. How the subsidy question plays out legislatively, and whether any extension will be in place before open enrollment closes in January, remains unsettled.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners notes that the marketplace, established under the Affordable Care Act, allows consumers to compare and enroll in plans at HealthCare.gov, with coverage starting January 1 for those who enroll by December 15.
What agents and brokers should watch
The combination of higher premiums and a projected enrollment decline creates real pressure on retention. Clients who enrolled when subsidies were at their most generous may find their net cost has shifted enough to prompt a reassessment. The HSA-eligibility expansion gives agents a new conversation to have with clients who have not previously considered pairing a high-deductible plan with a tax-advantaged savings account.
The subsidy cliff is the practical risk for anyone building a book of ACA business right now, and its legislative outcome is the variable most worth tracking before January 15.
Source: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/plan-year-2027-marketplace-plans-prices-fact-sheet-0
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