Your 2027 Open Enrollment checklist
Nothing to sign up for and no email required. Print it, work down it, and bring whatever you are stuck on to a call.
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01
Put the three dates in your phone now
November 1 is when the Marketplace opens. December 15 is the deadline for coverage that starts January 1. January 15 is the last day, full stop. Miss it and the Marketplace is closed to you until next November.
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02
Estimate next year’s income, not last year’s
Your subsidy is built on what you expect to earn in 2027. A stale figure is the most expensive mistake on this list. Too high and you overpay every month. Too low and you hand it back at tax time.
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03
Do not let yourself be auto-renewed without looking
If you do nothing, you are usually re-enrolled into the closest plan. But your old plan’s price, network and drug list all changed on January 1. Auto-renewal is not the same as the same plan.
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04
Check your doctors against the new plan year
Networks are rebuilt every year. A doctor who was in network in 2026 may not be in 2027. Check before you enroll, not after your first appointment.
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05
Check every prescription against the drug list
Formularies change too, and a drug can move to a higher tier without moving off the list. Look up each one by name and by tier.
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06
Compare the deductible, not just the premium
The premium is what a good year costs. The deductible and the out-of-pocket maximum are what a bad year costs. The average Marketplace deductible rose 37 percent for 2026, to $3,786.
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07
Find out whether you qualify for cost-sharing reductions
This extra help lowers your deductible and your copays, and it only exists on Silver plans. Drop to Bronze to save on the premium and you leave it behind even if you qualified.
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08
Tell the Marketplace about every household change
A birth, a marriage, a divorce, a child turning 26, someone moving in or out. Household size and income drive the whole calculation.
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09
Check Medicaid and CHIP for the children separately
Children often qualify for CHIP even when the parents do not, and neither program has an enrollment window. You can apply any day of the year.
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10
If you are offered coverage at work, price both
An offer of affordable employer coverage generally ends your eligibility for a Marketplace subsidy, even if you turn the employer plan down. Know that before you choose.
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11
Ask whether the Marketplace is even your best market
If you are healthy and earn too much for a subsidy, a medically underwritten private plan can price better. If you are managing a condition, the ACA protections are usually worth more than the premium difference.
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12
Keep your confirmation and pay the first premium
Coverage does not start until the first premium is paid. Every year people enroll, never pay, and find out at a doctor’s office in February.
Where these facts come from
Open Enrollment dates are HealthCare.gov’s. The deductible figure is the 2026 Marketplace average published by KFF. Cost-sharing reductions, the employer-coverage rule and the CHIP rules are HealthCare.gov’s. Your own numbers depend on your state, your household and your plan, and nothing here is a quote.