2027 Open Enrollment Runs November 1 to January 15.
Author
glp winnerDate Published
- Twitter
- Facebook
- LinkedIn
- Instagram
- Copy Link
Open enrollment for 2027 marketplace coverage on HealthCare.gov runs November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027. CMS confirmed those dates in a statement dated July 31, 2026, writing that "Open Enrollment at the Federally-facilitated Exchange will begin on November 1, 2026, and end on January 15, 2027" (CMS). A rule that would have cut the deadline back to December 15 was struck down in court in June. December 15 still matters, because it remains the cutoff for coverage that begins January 1.
Who This Helps
This is for you if you buy your own health insurance through the marketplace, especially if you take a GLP-1 medication or are hoping a plan will cover one. It also helps if you read last year that the deadline was moving to December 15 and want to know where that landed. If you get coverage through an employer or through Medicare, your enrollment period works differently and this does not apply to you.
The Dates You Need
For HealthCare.gov, four dates matter, and they are all on the government's own calendar (HealthCare.gov):
- November 1: open enrollment starts
- December 15: last day to enroll or change plans for coverage starting January 1
- January 15: open enrollment ends
- February 1: coverage starts for anyone who enrolls or switches between December 16 and January 15
That December 15 line is the one people miss. Enrolling on January 10 is allowed, but it leaves you uninsured through all of January.
What this means for you: treat December 15 as your real deadline. The extra month exists but means you’ll spend January 2027 without coverage.
Why the Deadline Was Almost Shorter
You may have seen that this year's window was going to close in mid-December. That was proposed but ultimately is not moving forward in 2027.
CMS finalized a rule in 2025 that shortened the federal enrollment window starting with 2027 coverage. Its fact sheet stated that "For Exchanges on the Federal platform, the OEP will run from November 1 through December 15 preceding the coverage year, beginning with the OEP for plan year 2027" (CMS). The agency repeated it in operational guidance for its own staff in March 2026 (CMS).
A federal court in Maryland then vacated several provisions of that rule, including that one. The list of provisions thrown out includes "The imposition of a shortened open enrollment period beginning in 2027" (Healthcare Finance News). The decision came on June 12, 2026, was amended June 16, and the government filed an appeal on July 16, 2026 in case number 1:25-cv-02114 out of the District of Maryland. The appeal is pending, so this may change in the future.
CMS then confirmed the January 15 date to end open enrollment at the end of July, which means the timeline listed in this article is the one to go forward.
Worth knowing for anyone reading older coverage: the underlying regulation never required December 15 for 2027. The provision governing 2027 and later years only requires that enrollment "must begin no later than November 1 and must end no later than December 31 of the calendar year preceding the benefit year" and that it "must not exceed 9 weeks in duration" (eCFR). December 15 was an operational choice CMS made inside those limits, and it is the choice a court set aside.
State Marketplaces Set Their Own Dates
If your state runs its own marketplace rather than using HealthCare.gov, your dates come from your state, and the spread across states is more than three months. Check your state’s marketplace news source for your specific timeline.
Minnesota's exchange reversed its own announced dates after the court ruling. MNsure now states that "The open enrollment period for 2027 will run Sunday, November 1, 2026, through Friday, January 15, 2027," with "Tuesday, December 15, 2026" as the deadline for coverage beginning January 1, and notes that "Plan selections made from December 16 to January 15 will be for coverage starting February 1, 2027" (MNsure).
Others run on very different calendars. Covered California lists November 1 through January 31 (Covered California). Your Health Idaho runs October 15 through December 15 (Your Health Idaho). Connecticut's exchange opens October 23, 2026 and closes December 23, 2026 (Access Health CT). Other states vary.
So three things are true at once: some states open earlier than November 1, some close well before January 15, and some run later. Look up your own exchange rather than assuming the federal calendar applies to you.
Will a Marketplace Plan Cover a GLP-1?
For weight loss, usually not, and the reason is structural rather than a choice any single insurer made.
Marketplace plans must cover at least the greater of two things: one drug in every category and class recognized by the United States Pharmacopeia, or the same number of drugs per category and class as the state's benchmark plan (eCFR). The catch is what those classification guidelines contain. CMS has stated that "the USP Guidelines do not include categories and classes to classify these excluded drugs; as a result, these drugs are not required to be covered as EHB" under that rule (Federal Register, 87 FR 74097). Coverage then depends on what your state chose for its benchmark plan.
CMS adds one nuance in the same notice: certain weight management drugs may still be covered as an essential health benefit under a different drug category.
What this looks like in practice is stark. A KFF analysis of 2024 formularies on the federal marketplace found that "Wegovy, a drug that is approved for weight loss, is covered by just 1% of Marketplace prescription drug plans, compared to 82% of Marketplace prescription drug plans for Ozempic, which contains the same active ingredient as Wegovy (semaglutide) but is approved only for diabetes" (KFF). Of the few plans that did cover a GLP-1 for obesity, every one required prior authorization.
Two caveats on that finding. It reflects 2024 formularies, and KFF notes it "does not include states that run their own Marketplaces, where coverage patterns may differ." It is the best measurement available and it is two years old - 2027 coverage may look different.
So the features to look out for while shopping for a plan offering a GLP-1 looks like this:
- Same medication, prescribed for type 2 diabetes: commonly on the formulary
- Same medication, prescribed for weight management: rarely on the formulary, and prior authorization when it is
- Whether your state requires coverage: determined by your state's benchmark plan
Read the formulary before you enroll and search for your specific medication by name. Two plans at the same premium can treat that one line completely differently.
Our Wegovy and Ozempic pages include copay estimators and coverage information if you want to work through what a plan would actually leave you paying based on 2026 coverage.
Premiums Are Climbing, and GLP-1s Are Part of Why
Insurers have filed proposed rates for 2027, and they are asking for a lot. Across 276 insurers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia with public filings, the median proposed increase is 15%, with individual proposals ranging from -1% to 54% and 63% falling between 10% and 25% (Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker). These are proposed and still under review, so final numbers will differ.
The filings name these medications directly. One insurer wrote: "EHP is expecting the increasing costs of GLP-1 drugs to be a major impact in 2027. The cost for these drugs is expected to increase by $28.30 PMPM from 2025 to 2027." Another described a pattern that matters if you are shopping: "Despite discontinuing coverage for GLP-1s for weight loss, we continue to see rising utilization for diabetic GLP-1s as these treatments increasingly are being used to treat diabetes and expanded for other conditions." A third, Healthfirst, reported that its gross cost per member per month for these drugs in its marketplace book "has more than tripled over the past two years," from $13 in February 2024 to $49 in February 2026.
Separately, the enhanced premium tax credits that had lowered net premiums expired at the end of 2025, and KFF reports that "premium payments rose sharply" as a result (KFF). Insurers are pricing 2027 assuming they stay expired, which affects what you actually pay rather than just the sticker price.
Extra Paperwork Is Also in Flux
CMS finalized a separate rule for 2027, released May 15, 2026, that adds verification steps. Two of them: additional verification when data sources indicate a household income under 100% of the federal poverty level ($15,960 in annual income for an individual and $$33,000 for a family of 4 in 2026 (Healthcare.gov)), and income verification when the IRS returns no data for a household (CMS).
A different court order, in case number 1:26-cv-02215, stayed several of those provisions on July 16, 2026, including the income verification requirement for people below the poverty level and a policy that would have made some enrollees ineligible for advance subsidies (HFMA). CMS then told marketplaces to stop applying one of those policies and to continue that approach through plan year 2027, and reinstated an automatic 60-day extension for resolving income data mismatches (CMS).
Note that this is a second, separate case from the one about enrollment dates. They were decided by the same court in the same summer, which makes them easy to blend together.
What this means for you: a document request for income verification is possible and does not mean something is wrong. Keep income documentation accessible and respond right away if one arrives.
What to Do Before November
- Put December 15, 2026 on your calendar as the working deadline to pick your plan.
- If your state runs its own marketplace, look up its dates now, since several close in December and one opens in October.
- Pull up the formulary for any plan you are considering and search for your specific medication.
- Check whether your prescription is written for a diabetes indication or a weight-management one, because the coverage answer often differs.
- Keep last year's tax documents and recent income records where you can find them.
If you end up paying cash for a GLP-1 rather than going through insurance, our provider comparison asks a few questions about what you are looking for and points you toward telehealth providers that match.
Final Takeaway
The dates are settled now, and they are November 1 through January 15 on HealthCare.gov. The end of enrollment date almost changing is a useful reminder that enrollment rules can move between one year and the next, so a date you remember from a previous season deserves a second look. December 15 is the one to act on, because waiting past it means going without coverage in January.
While you are comparing plans, read the drug list rather than the premium, since two plans at the same price can treat the same prescription completely differently depending on why it was written. Premiums are rising and insurers are naming these medications in their filings as one reason. If your state runs its own marketplace, your calendar is different from the federal one. Set a reminder for late October and you can stop thinking about it until then.
If you enjoy posts like these, you can subscribe to receive newsletter updates.
When does 2027 open enrollment start and end?
On HealthCare.gov, November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027. CMS confirmed those dates at the end of July 2026, after a court struck down a rule that would have moved the deadline to December 15. If your state runs its own marketplace, your dates may differ by weeks in either direction.
Why do people say the deadline is December 15?
Two reasons. A 2025 rule would have shortened the federal window to close December 15 beginning with 2027 coverage, and that provision was vacated in court in June 2026. Separately, December 15 remains the last day to enroll for coverage that starts January 1. Enrolling between December 16 and January 15 gives you coverage starting February 1 instead.
Do marketplace plans cover Wegovy for weight loss?
Rarely. The federal minimum coverage rules rely on a drug classification system that has no category for weight-loss drugs, so the floor does not reach them, and coverage depends on each state's benchmark plan. A KFF review of 2024 federal marketplace formularies found about 1% of drug plans covered Wegovy compared with 82% covering Ozempic, and every plan that covered a GLP-1 for obesity required prior authorization.
Why are 2027 marketplace premiums going up so much?
Insurers filed a median proposed increase of 15% across 276 companies, and several named GLP-1 costs in their filings as a driver. The enhanced premium tax credits that had reduced what people paid out of pocket also expired at the end of 2025, and insurers are pricing 2027 on the assumption they remain expired.
Will I need to submit extra documents to enroll for 2027?
Possibly. A 2027 rule added verification requirements in certain situations, including when income data appears to fall below the poverty level or when the IRS returns no data for a household. A court stayed several of those provisions in July 2026 and CMS told marketplaces to stop applying one of them, so which requirements will be in force by November is not yet clear. Keeping income documentation accessible is reasonable either way.
Sources
Keep Reading
What Medicare, insurance, and federal policy signals really mean for GLP-1 coverage in 2026, including access rules, costs, and eligibility.
Learn what’s changing in 2026 insurance plans for GLP-1 drugs and how to compare costs, coverage, and plan options to stay protected.
Prescription approved but insurance said no? Learn your next options for Wegovy, Ozempic, or Zepbound coverage and care.
Categories
Curated by
