Kentucky Health Insurance Marketplace Guide

To qualify for health coverage through the Kentucky Marketplace, you must:⁴

• Live in Kentucky
• Be lawfully present in the United States
• Not be incarcerated
• Not be enrolled in Medicare

Eligibility for financial assistance (premium subsidies and cost-sharing reductions) depends on your income and how it compares with the cost of the second-lowest-cost Silver plan in your area – which depends on your age and location. In addition, to qualify for financial assistance with your Marketplace plan you must:

• Not have access to affordable health coverage through your employer. If your employer offers coverage but you feel it’s too expensive, you can use our Employer Health Plan Affordability Calculator to see if you might qualify for premium subsidies in the Marketplace.
• Not be eligible for Medicaid or CHIP.
• Not be eligible for premium-free Medicare Part A.⁵
• File a joint tax return, if you’re married.⁶ (with very limited exceptions)⁷
• Not be able to be claimed by someone else as a tax dependent.⁶
• Starting in 2027, if you’re not a U.S. citizen, you’ll need to be a lawful permanent resident (LPR), Cuban-Haitian entrant (CHE), or COFA migrant to qualify for Marketplace subsidies. All other immigration statuses will no longer be eligible for subsidies. ⁸

In Kentucky, the open enrollment period for 2027 individual and family health insurance runs from November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027.⁹

Outside of open enrollment, enrollments or plan changes require a special enrollment period.

If you have questions about open enrollment, you can learn more in our comprehensive guide to open enrollment. We also have a comprehensive guide to special enrollment periods.

To enroll in an ACA Marketplace plan in Kentucky, you can:

• Visit Kynect to access Kentucky’s state-based health insurance Marketplace. Here you will find an online platform to shop, compare, and choose the best health plans.
• Purchase individual and family health coverage with the help of an insurance agent or broker, or a kynector (Kynect-certified enrollment assister).¹⁰

You may find affordable health insurance options in Kentucky through its state-based health insurance exchange. Kentucky residents use Kynect (not HealthCare.gov) to shop, review, and enroll in health coverage as well as to determine any available subsidies. 

Of the more than 89,000 people who enrolled in coverage through Kynect during the open enrollment period for 2026 coverage, about 80% qualified for premium subsidies (premium tax credits). These subsidies averaged $634/month. The subsidies resulted in an average net premium of $168/month for subsidy-eligible enrollees (including those who pay full price, the average net premium was $288/month).¹¹

But because Congress did not extend the premium subsidy enhancements that expired at the end of 2025, after-subsidy premiums increased significantly in 2026. Subsidies no longer cover as much of enrollees’ total premiums as they did in 2025, and households with income above 400% of the federal poverty level are now ineligible for subsidies. This will continue to be the case in 2027.

Source: CMS.gov¹¹

People with household incomes of no more than 250% of the federal poverty level also qualify for cost-sharing reductions (CSR). CSR benefits reduce deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses, as long as the enrollee selects a Silver plan.¹² Of the more than 89,000 Kentucky residents who enrolled during the open enrollment period for 2026 coverage, about 43% enrolled in plans with built-in CSR benefits.¹¹

Between the premium subsidies and cost-sharing reductions, you may find that an ACA plan is the most affordable (and most robust) health insurance option for you.

Two insurers offer individual and family health plans through Kynect for 2027:²

• Anthem (two different networks available: Pathway and Transition)
• Ambetter/WellCare

Most areas of the state have plans available from both insurers, but Anthem is the only option for 2027 in 12 counties.²

There were three participating insurers for 2026, but Molina will not offer Marketplace plans in Kentucky after the end of 2026. Kynect enrollees with Molina plans in 2026 need to pick new coverage during the open enrollment period in the fall of 2026.

There were four participating insurers offering medical coverage for 2025, but CareSource stopped offering Marketplace plans in Kentucky at the end of 2025.¹³

The following average rate changes were approved for 2027 for Kentucky’s Marketplace insurers, amounting to an overall average rate increase (before subsidies) of 18.7%:¹⁴

Source: Kentucky Department of Insurance¹⁵

For perspective, here’s a summary of how average pre-subsidy premiums have changed in Kentucky’s individual/family market over the years:

• 2015: Average increase of 7%.¹⁶
• 2016: Average increase of 14%.¹⁷
• 2017: Average increase of 24.5%.¹⁸
• 2018: Average increase of 45%.¹⁹
• 2019: Average increase of 12.5%.²⁰
• 2020: Average increase of 3.7%.²¹
• 2021: Average increase of 5%.²²
• 2022: Average decrease of 3.8%.²³
• 2023: Average increase of 6.25%.²⁴
• 2024: Average increase of 3.5% (unweighted)²⁵
• 2025: Average increase of 7.9%.²⁶
• 2026: Average increase of 29.8%.²⁷

About 89,000 Kentucky residents selected plans through Kynect during the open enrollment period for 2026 coverage,¹¹ down from 97,374 the year before.²⁸

Source: 2014,²⁹ 2015,³⁰ 2016,³¹ 2017,³² 2018,³³ 2019,³⁴ 2020,³⁵ 2021,³⁶ 2022,³⁷ 2023,³⁸ 2024,³⁹ 2025⁴⁰ 2026¹¹

2025 enrollment had been the highest Marketplace enrollment in Kentucky since 2015.

Most states experienced record-high Marketplace enrollment in 2023, 2024, and again in 2025 — due in large part to the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which expanded enrollee access to ACA’s premium subsidies.⁴¹

Kentucky did not follow that trend, but enrollment in 2025 did surpass all previous years except 2015 (see chart above for prior year enrollment data). And as was the case in nearly all states, enrollment in Kentucky’s Marketplace declined in 2026, due to the expiration of the federal subsidy enhancements.

Enrollment in Kentucky’s Marketplace declined for several years, from 2019 through 2023. Although it did grow in 2024, the enrollment total at that point was still well below the record high set in 2015, before Kentucky transitioned to the HealthCare.gov platform for a few years.

Kynect – Kentucky’s Healthcare Connection
855-4kynect (855-459-6328)

Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange
Administrative site for Kentucky’s Marketplace

Foundation for a Healthier Kentucky

Kentucky Department of Insurance
Assists people insured by private health plans, Medicaid, or other state regulated plans in resolving problems pertaining to their health coverage. (502-564-3630) or toll-free  (800-595-6053),