If your insurance is ending inside Open Enrollment, simply sign up. If it ends outside of open enrollment it will trigger a Special Enrollment Period.
Everyone has to enroll in coverage and maintain it throughout the year if they can afford it, get an exemption, or pay a fee. You must enroll in coverage during open enrollment. If you miss your insurance type’s enrollment period you may have other options.
The smartest way to find out if you qualify for ObamaCare is to sign-up for HealthCare.Gov during Open Enrollment.
If you are getting a plan through another source shortly after open enrollment, you have two choices.
Either claim the short coverage gap exemption and pay the fee for the months you don’t have coverage or an exemption, or get a health plan for just the months you need it and then cancel it.
Simply signing up for the Marketplace triggers a Special Enrollment Period allowing you a short window to enroll (even after the open enrollment deadline).
If you have been laid off you can get coverage during Open Enrollment or you can enroll during Special Enrollment when your employer plan ends.
You can get whatever coverage you want, but can’t get cost assistance if your employer offers a plan. No matter what you choose you’ll need to shop during open enrollment.
If you know you won’t need your plan for the full year, simply get a Marketplace plan during open enrollment, then keep it until you don’t need it anymore.
Switching plans is easy, during Open Enrollment simply enroll in a new plan through the Marketplace. If you miss open enrollment and qualify for Special Enrollment you can switch plans as well.
Understanding the December 2025 Health Plan Enrollment Deadline The December 15, 2025 deadline is the key cutoff for getting marketplace health coverage that begins on January 1, 2026. Missing this deadline means your coverage will not begin until February 1, 2026, which may create a coverage gap at the start of the year. Enrolling by… Read More
This page features a 2026 ObamaCare eligibility chart, the 2025 federal poverty level used for 2026 subsidies, and a subsidy calculator. ObamaCare Cost Assistance To get assistance under the Affordable Care Act, you generally must earn between 100% – 400% of the poverty level. For 2026 coverage, that is $15,650-$62,600 for an individual and $32,150-$128,600… Read More
The 2025 Federal Poverty Guidelines (for 2026 Cost Assistance and 2025 Medicaid/CHIP) Below are the 2025 Federal Poverty Guidelines that went into effect in early 2025 (the ones you use for 2025 Medicaid/CHIP and for 2026 marketplace cost assistance). These guidelines are the key to all cost assistance under the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, these… Read More
Understanding the December 2024 Health Plan Enrollment Deadline Today is the last day to enroll for coverage that starts January 1st, 2025. The December 15, 2024, deadline for health plan enrollment is crucial for ensuring that health coverage begins on January 1, 2025. Missing this deadline means coverage will not start until February 1, 2025,… Read More
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as ObamaCare, has fundamentally transformed the landscape of health insurance in the United States. A significant feature of the ACA is its provision of cost assistance, which makes health insurance more accessible and affordable for lower and moderate-income individuals. As we approach 2025, key enhancements to this… Read More
This page features a 2025 ObamaCare eligibility chart, the 2024 federal poverty level used for 2025 subsidies, and a subsidy calculator. ObamaCare Cost Assistance To get assistance under the Affordable Care Act, you generally must earn between 100% – 400% of the poverty level. For 2024 coverage, that is $15,060-$60,240 for an individual and $31,200-… Read More
The 2024 Federal Poverty Guidelines (for 2025 Cost assistance and 2024 Medicaid/CHIP) Below are the 2024 Federal Poverty Guidelines that went into effect in early 2024 (the ones you use for 2024 Medicaid/CHIP and for 2025 marketplace cost assistance). These guidelines are the key to all cost assistance under the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, these guidelines… Read More
What Happens if I Missed the Deadline for ObamaCare? If you miss the annual deadline for ObamaCare Open Enrollment, you might miss your opportunity for cost-assisted coverage. However, you may still have options for obtaining health insurance. Open enrollment for private individual and family health plans is limited each year. For example, most states have… Read More
Everything You Need to Know About Obamacare Cost Assistance For 2024 We cover everything you need to know about cost assistance for 2024 health plans under the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). In other words, here is everything you need to know about Premium Tax Credits, Cost Sharing Reduction Subsidies, Medicaid and CHIP, HSAs, and Medical… Read More
This page features a 2024 ObamaCare eligibility chart, the 2023 federal poverty level used for 2024 subsidies, and a subsidy calculator. ObamaCare Cost Assistance To qualify for assistance under the Affordable Care Act, your income generally must fall between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level. For 2024 coverage, this range is $14,580 to… Read More
The 2023 Federal Poverty Guidelines (for 2024 Cost assistance and 2023 Medicaid/CHIP) Below are the 2023 Federal Poverty Guidelines that went into effect in early 2023 (the ones you use for 2023 Medicaid/CHIP and for 2024 marketplace cost assistance). These guidelines are the key to all cost assistance under the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, these guidelines… Read More
Cost Sharing Reduction (CSR) subsidies reduce your out-of-pocket expenses on silver plans purchased through the health insurance marketplace for those with incomes between 100% – 250% of the poverty level. For 2023 CSR values remain unchanged and provide 70%, 73%, 87%, or 94% Actuarial Value depending on income. CSR subsidies lower your coinsurance, and lower… Read More
This page features a 2023 ObamaCare eligibility chart, the 2022 federal poverty level used for 2023 subsidies, and a subsidy calculator. ObamaCare Cost Assistance To qualify for assistance under the Affordable Care Act, your income must be between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level. For 2023, this range is $13,590 to $54,360 for… Read More
Everything You Need to Know About Obamacare Cost Assistance For 2023 We cover everything you need to know about cost assistance for 2023 health plans under the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). In other words, here is everything you need to know about Premium Tax Credits, Cost Sharing Reduction Subsidies, Medicaid and CHIP, HSAs, and Medical… Read More
The 2022 Federal Poverty Guidelines (for 2023 Cost assistance and 2022 Medicaid/CHIP) Below are the 2022 Federal Poverty Guidelines that went into effect in early 2022 (the ones you use for 2022 Medicaid/CHIP and for 2023 marketplace cost assistance). These guidelines are the key to all cost assistance under the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, these guidelines… Read More
How to Sign Up For 2022 Health Insurance Under the Affordable Care Act Sign up for ObamaCare between November 1, 2021, and January 15, 2022, to get health coverage and cost assistance for 2022. Get covered at Healthcare.Gov. Key Dates For Open Enrollment 2022 To sign up for ObamaCare you must shop for coverage during open… Read More