Medicare enrollment is open now. ACA open enrollment starts in 1 day.
Coverage that fits your family, before the deadlines.
Open enrollment for 2027 is almost here. We help you compare Marketplace plans, health sharing, Medicare and more, in plain English. Free to use.
- Medicare enrollmentOct 15 – Dec 7, 2026
- ACA open enrollmentNov 1, 2026 – Jan 15, 2027
No account needed to look around. We’re a guide, not an insurance company or a government site.
Every path, side by sideMarketplace, health sharing, Medicare, short-term and small business.
Open enrollment 2027
The clock, in plain sight.
Counts below are as of Sat, Oct 31, 2026. With JavaScript on, they update for today.
Oct 15Nov 1Dec 1Jan 1
Medicare · to Dec 7
ACA open enrollment · Nov 1 – Jan 15
Dec 15 · for Jan 1TodayState dates can differ. Some states run their own exchange. Idaho ends Dec 15; Massachusetts, Virginia, California, District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Islandrun later. These state dates come from a secondary source, so confirm with your state’s exchange. Check your state.
Medicare help. OLYRON HealthMatch does not sell Medicare plans. For every option in your area, visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (the official line). Our sister site is OLYRON Medicare.
Dates checked Oct 15, 2026.
Choose your path
Start where your life is today.
Pick the one that sounds most like you, or answer three quick questions. Either way you see the next step and the trade-offs.
Marketplace plan (ACA)Start here in open enrollmentReal insurance. Covers pre-existing conditions. You may get help paying.
Health sharingNot insuranceA membership, not insurance. Compare programs and the trade-offs first.
MedicareTurning 65, or reviewing your plan before Dec 7.
Short-term & otherBetween jobs, or a gap before other coverage starts.
Small businessCovering yourself and a few employees.
Find your fit
Nothing is sent from this boxRanked for you, not for us
Every company, the same rules.
We rank coverage options on fit, yearly cost, protection, track record and openness. Payment data never goes into the ranking, and every card says whether we have a business relationship.
Sample order
For a sample healthy adult, age 35, no faith preference, state not known. Your answers change the order.
- #1
ACA Marketplace plan
Listed — no business relationshipInsurance (ACA)Regulated health insurance. Covers pre-existing conditions, and you may get help paying.
- Price
- Varies by age, ZIP and income. Subsidies may lower it. (as of 2026-10-15; source)
- You pay first
- Deductible and a yearly out-of-pocket maximum set by the plan.
- Pre-existing conditions
- Covered from day one. Insurers cannot deny you or charge more for a condition.
- Faith requirement
- No faith requirement.
Visit ACA Marketplace plan site(opens in a new tab)We have no business relationship with this company. This link goes straight to its site with no tracking. How we make money
- #2
Knew Health
Listed — no business relationshipMedical cost sharing (not a ministry)Not insuranceSecular cost sharing with wellness perks. Not insurance.
- Price
- As low as $178/mo. Family pricing by calculator. (as of 2026-10-15; source)
- You pay first
- IUA $1,000 / $2,500 / $5,000, up to 3 per year; no annual or lifetime limit.
- Pre-existing conditions
- Year 1 $0, year 2 $25k, year 3 $50k, year 4+ $125k.
- Faith requirement
- Secular ethical attestation.
- Where
- Not open to new members in WA, VT, IL, NY, PA, MD, CA, OR.
Not insurance. Payment of medical bills is not guaranteed. What that means
Visit Knew Health site(opens in a new tab)We have no business relationship with this company. This link goes straight to its site with no tracking. How we make money
- #3
Presidio Healthcare (FortressPlan)
Listed — no business relationshipLicensed insurance (Texas only)New licensed insurance in Texas, underwritten by Presidio Healthcare Insurance Company.
- Price
- Quote only. (as of 2026-10-15; source)
- You pay first
- $0 deductible; 50% coinsurance up to the out-of-pocket maximum (not published).
- Pre-existing conditions
- Reported as not covered. Not an ACA Marketplace plan.
- Faith requirement
- Follows Catholic ethical directives; no faith test to enroll.
- Where
- Only in TX.
Visit Presidio Healthcare (FortressPlan) site(opens in a new tab)We have no business relationship with this company. This link goes straight to its site with no tracking. How we make money
Compare
Four kinds of coverage. The honest differences.
These are general rules. Your plan's own documents always win. Facts from HealthCare.gov and Medicare.gov, checked Oct 15, 2026.
| Question | Marketplace planACA insurance | Health sharingMembership, not insurance | Short-term planLimited insurance | MedicareFederal program |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Is it insurance? | Yes | NoA membership. Payment is not guaranteed. | Yes, limitedNot ACA coverage. | Yes |
| Pre-existing conditions | Covered | Often limitedWaiting periods can apply. | Can be excluded | CoveredOriginal Medicare. |
| Help paying premiums | PossibleTax credits based on income. | No | No | Some programsFor limited income. |
| When you can join | Nov 1 – Jan 15, or with a qualifying life event | Any time | Any time, where your state allows it | Around age 65; changes Oct 15 – Dec 7 |
| Limit on what you pay | YesYearly out-of-pocket max. | No legal capPer program guidelines. | Varies | Depends on planMedicare Advantage has a cap. |
Best coverage for your situation
Free calculators
The premium is only half the story.
A cheap plan can cost more in a hard year. Add up the whole year before you choose.
Your estimated year
$9,440per year
Premiums $5,040Out of pocket $4,400
A simple estimate, not a quote. Real plans also have copays, and some care costs $0 before the deductible. It does not include subsidies. For your real price, use HealthCare.gov’s plan tool.
- ACA Subsidy CalculatorEstimate your Affordable Care Act premium tax credit based on household income, size, and the benchmark plan premium in your area.
- Monthly Premium CalculatorEstimate a typical unsubsidized monthly premium by age and metal tier, before any ACA subsidy.
- HealthShare Savings CalculatorCompare the annual monthly cost of a health-sharing membership against an unsubsidized insurance premium.
- All calculators10 free tools. No sign-up.
Your state
Deadlines differ by state.
Most states use HealthCare.gov and end on Jan 15. States with their own exchange can set other dates.
Last day to enroll for 2027
Jan 15, 2027 in most states
State-run exchange dates come from a secondary source (healthinsurance.org, Aug 2026). Always confirm with your state’s exchange before you rely on a date.
States with different deadlines
- IdahoOct 15, 2026 – Dec 15, 2026
- MassachusettsOct 23, 2026 – Jan 23, 2027
- Virginiato Jan 29, 2027
- Californiato Jan 31, 2027
- District of Columbiato Jan 31, 2027
- New Jerseyto Jan 31, 2027
- New Yorkto Jan 31, 2027
- Rhode Islandto Jan 31, 2027
- VermontCheck Vermont Health Connect
Secondary source; confirm with each state’s exchange.
Popular state guides
From the OLYRON family
Coverage is the start. Feeling well is the point.
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OLYRON Labs and OwnBite are owned by the same company as this site. We promote them here; we are not paid per signup. OLYRON Labs is educational and does not diagnose.
How we make money
Free to you. Open about the rest.
You should know who pays us and why, before you trust a word we say.
Free to use
You never pay us. Comparing, calculators and guides are free, with no account.
How we may be paid
We may be paid when we connect you with a licensed advisor. Companies labelled “Partner — we earn a referral fee if you enroll” pay us if you enroll through our link. Today we have no signed referral agreements, so every ranked company is labelled “Listed — no business relationship”. A fee never changes your price or the order.
A conflict you should know
Our founder is the Chief Technology Officer of MPB Health, and we may earn a referral fee if you join MPB through our link. So we hold ourselves to these rules:
- Marketplace plans come first during open enrollment
- MPB is shown apart from the ranking, never inside it
- We never call MPB “best” or “top-rated”
- No MPB on our Medicare pages, or in Washington
Methodology
How we build every page
- Facts come from official sources first: HealthCare.gov, CMS and Medicare.gov.
- Company facts come from each company’s own published terms, with a date.
- Sample numbers are always labelled as samples.
- No made-up reviews, ratings or member counts.
- We re-check dates and prices during open enrollment.
Last reviewed Oct 15, 2026. Read the full methodology · How we make money
Sources
Where the dates come from
When is open enrollment for 2027 coverage?
On HealthCare.gov it runs from Nov 1, 2026 to Jan 15, 2027. Enroll by Dec 15 for coverage that starts Jan 1. If you enroll after that, coverage starts Feb 1.
Source: HealthCare.gov; CMS statement, Jul 27, 2026.
My state runs its own exchange. Are the dates the same?
Not always. States with their own exchange can set other dates. Last days we found: Idaho Dec 15, Massachusetts Jan 23, Virginia Jan 29, California Jan 31, District of Columbia Jan 31, New Jersey Jan 31, New York Jan 31, Rhode Island Jan 31. These come from a secondary source, so confirm with your state's exchange before you rely on a date.
Source: healthinsurance.org (Aug 2026). Verify with your state exchange.
What if I miss the deadline?
You can still enroll if you have a qualifying life event, like losing other coverage, moving, getting married or having a baby. You usually have 60 days from the event. Medicaid and CHIP are open all year.
Source: HealthCare.gov.
When can I change my Medicare plan?
Medicare open enrollment runs Oct 15, 2026 to Dec 7, 2026. Changes start Jan 1, 2027. If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one more change from Jan 1 to Mar 31. For Medicare help, see Medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or visit our sister site, OLYRON Medicare.
Source: Medicare.gov.
Will my subsidy be the same in 2027?
Maybe not. The extra premium help from recent years ended after 2025, and as of early October 2026 Congress had not renewed it. Check your exact amount at HealthCare.gov.
Source: AHA News; Health Affairs (checked Oct 2026).
Is health sharing the same as insurance?
No. Health-sharing programs are not insurance. They do not have to pay any bill, may limit pre-existing conditions, and do not qualify for ACA tax credits. They can suit some healthy people. Read the program guidelines first.
Do you sell health insurance?
No. OLYRON HealthMatch is a free guide. We publish sourced comparisons and, if you ask, connect you with a licensed advisor. We are not an insurance company or a government site.
Do you charge me anything?
No. We are free to use. We may be paid when we connect you with a licensed advisor, and companies labelled Partner pay us a referral fee if you enroll. Our founder is the Chief Technology Officer of MPB Health; that pick is shown separately and labelled. MPB Health is not insurance; its cost sharing is administered through Zion HealthShare (see the disclosure next to it). Payments never change the order of our results.
Is this medical advice?
This page is for general education only and is not medical, legal, or financial advice, nor an insurance quote. Coverage rules, benefits, and prices change; verify current details with the official source before making a decision. If you think you have a medical emergency, call 911.
Before the rush
A calm start to a covered year.
Pick your path, see your next step, and go at your own pace.
- Free to use
- No account needed
- Every card says if we earn a fee