What are the deadlines for the ACA’s open enrollment period?

What is the deadline to enroll in 2026 ACA-compliant health insurance coverage in the individual market?

Open enrollment for individual/family health coverage for 2026 begins November 1, 2025 in all states except Idaho, where it began on October 15, 2025 (in New York, it begins November 1 for new enrollees, but not until November 16 for renewing enrollees).¹

In most states, the open enrollment period will continue through January 15, 2026, although some states that run their own health insurance exchanges have different deadlines:

• Idaho: December 15, 2025.²
• Massachusetts: January 23, 2026³
• Virginia: January 30, 2026⁴
• California: January 31, 2026⁵
• New Jersey: January 31, 2026⁶
• New York: January 31, 2026¹
• Rhode Island: January 31, 2026⁷
• Washington, DC: January 31, 2026⁸
  

What is the deadline to get a January 1, 2026 effective date for individual health insurance?

In most states, including the 30 states that use HealthCare.gov⁹ and the majority of the states that run their own Marketplaces, enrollments must be complete by December 15, 2025 to have a January 1, 2026 effective date. But some states have different deadlines:

• Idaho: December 15, 2025 (the last day of open enrollment)²
• Massachusetts: December 23, 2025¹⁰
• California: December 31, 2025¹¹
• Maryland: December 31, 2025¹²
• Nevada: December 31, 2025¹³
• New Jersey: December 31, 2025¹⁴
• New Mexico: December 31, 2025¹⁵
• Rhode Island: December 31, 2025¹⁶

These deadlines can change from one year to the next, so never assume that your state will allow a January 1 effective date if you enroll after December 15; always double-check, even if that option was available in previous years. Also note that starting with 2027 coverage, January 1 will be the only allowable effective date for all plans selected during open enrollment.¹⁷

How is the open enrollment schedule changing for 2027 coverage?

The federal government had proposed a new open enrollment schedule, running from November 1 through December 15, starting in the fall of 2025. But the final rule, which was published in June 2025, delayed that provision by a year. Starting in the fall of 2026, open enrollment will be shorter and will end on December 15 in many states. And all plans selected during open enrollment will take effect on January 1, as there will no longer be an option for a February 1 start date without a special enrollment period.¹⁸

What states have a January 15 open enrollment deadline for 2026 health insurance?

In 43 states, the deadline to enroll in individual/family health coverage for 2026 is January 15, 2026. Most of these states use HealthCare.gov and thus do not have the discretion to set their enrollment dates. But 13 of the 21 state-run exchange platforms used the same enrollment schedule:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado (state-run exchange)
• Connecticut (state-run exchange)
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia (state-run exchange)
• Hawaii
• Illinois (state-run exchange as of 2026 plan year)
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky (state-run exchange)
• Louisiana
• Maine (state-run exchange)
• Maryland (state-run exchange)
• Michigan
• Minnesota (state-run exchange)
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada (state-run exchange)
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico (state-run exchange)
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania (state-run exchange)
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont (state-run exchange)
• Washington (state-run exchange)
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming
  

What states do not have a January 15 deadline to enroll in 2026 health insurance?

Fully state-run exchanges (there are 21 of them for the 2026 plan year) have some flexibility in terms of the enrollment deadlines they set. The majority of these state-run exchanges are using a November 1 - January 15 open enrollment schedule for 2026 coverage. However, some state-run exchanges have different enrollment windows. Here are the enrollment deadlines used by the rest of the state-run exchanges for 2026 coverage:

• California: January 31, 2026
• District of Columbia: January 31, 2026⁸
• Idaho: December 15, 2025 ² (only state where open enrollment ends in December)
• Massachusetts: January 23³
• New Jersey: January 31⁶
• New York: January 31¹
• Rhode Island: January 31, 2026⁷
• Virginia: January 30, 2026⁴
  

Who can enroll in ACA-compliant health plans year-round?

Year-round enrollment is available for some populations and for some types of health coverage, without a need for a specific qualifying life event. This includes:

• American Indians and Alaska Natives
• Coverage under the Basic Health Programs in Minnesota and Oregon (DC plans to have a BHP in 2026), and the BHP-like program in New York.
• Coverage under the ConnectorCare program in Massachusetts, for people who are newly eligible or who haven't enrolled before
• Coverage under Connecticut's Covered Connecticut program
• Applicants who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP can enroll year-round.