Ohio Health Insurance Marketplace Guide

To qualify for health coverage through the Marketplace in Ohio, you must:⁵

• Live in Ohio
• Be either a United States citizen or national, or be lawfully present
• 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.⁶
• File a joint tax return if you’re married⁷ (with very limited exceptions)⁸
• Not be able to be claimed as a tax dependent by someone else.⁷

The open enrollment period for 2027 coverage runs from November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027 in Ohio.⁹ To have coverage in effect on January 1, the enrollment process must be completed by December 15.

The federal government had planned to shorten the open enrollment period in the fall of 2026, but that was blocked by a court ruling.⁹

Outside of the annual open enrollment window, you may be eligible to enroll if you experience a qualifying life event, such as giving birth or losing other health coverage. Native Americans can enroll year-round, without a specific qualifying life event.

People who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP can also enroll year-round without needing a qualifying event.

To enroll in a Marketplace plan in Ohio, you can: 

• Visit HealthCare.gov, a platform where you can shop, compare, and buy individual and family health plans. 
• Purchase individual and family health coverage with the help of an insurance agent or broker, a Navigator or certified application counselor.
• Enroll via an approved enhanced direct enrollment entity.¹⁰
• You can also call HealthCare.gov’s contact center by dialing 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325). The call center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but it’s closed on holidays.

You can find affordable health insurance options in Ohio through HealthCare.gov – the ACA Marketplace. 

Under the Affordable Care Act, you may qualify for income-based subsidies, known as Advance Premium Tax Credits (APTC). These credits can reduce your premium and lower your overall costs. 

During the open enrollment period for 2026 coverage, more than eight out of ten Ohio Marketplace enrollees qualified for APTC. The subsidies averaged about $523/month, and the average net premium paid by subsidy-eligible enrollees was about $131/month (including those who paid full price, the average net premium was about $233/month).¹

APTC is still available for 2026, but federal subsidy enhancements expired at the end of 2025. As a result, households with income above 400% of the federal poverty level are no longer eligible for premium subsidies. Households with income below that level are still subsidy-eligible, but the subsidies don’t cover as much of the premium as they did in 2025.

The result is that average net premiums (including premiums for people who don’t qualify for subsidies) grew from $126/month in 2025¹¹ to $233/month in 2026.¹

Source: CMS.gov¹

If your household income isn’t more than 250% of the federal poverty level, you may also be eligible for cost-sharing reductions (CSR). CSRs help lower your deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses. With APTCs and CSRs, an ACA plan may be a cost-effective health insurance option.

For those with limited incomes, free or very low-cost health insurance is also available through Medicaid. Use our guide to see if you qualify for Medicaid in Ohio.

At least eight insurers will offer Marketplace coverage in Ohio in 2027, with varying coverage areas:²

• Buckeye Community Health Plan
• Community Insurance Company (Anthem BCBS)
• Medical Health Insuring Corp. (MedMutual)
• Oscar Buckeye State Insurance Corp
• Oscar Insurance Corporation of Ohio
• Summa Insurance Company, Inc.
• UnitedHealthcare of Ohio, Inc.
• Antidote Health Plan of Ohio

Two insurers that offer Marketplace plans in Ohio in 2026, Molina Healthcare of Ohio, Inc. and CareSource Ohio, Inc., will not offer Marketplace plans in 2027. Molina will only offer one off-exchange plan (but no on-exchange plans),² and CareSource will exit the entire individual market in Ohio at the end of 2026.¹²

Ohio Marketplace enrollees with Molina or CareSource coverage in 2026 will have an opportunity to pick a new plan during the open enrollment period that begins November 1, 2026. Here’s what you need to know if your insurer is exiting the Marketplace.

Another insurer that offers 2026 Marketplace plans in Ohio, Paramount Insurance Company, does not have a filing available in Ohio SERFF or on RateReview.HealthCare.gov. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Paramount is exiting the Marketplace, and it’s possible that Paramount plans are simply being merged with MedMutual’s, as MedMutual purchased Paramount in 2024.¹³

Ohio’s Marketplace had 13 participating insurers in 2025,¹⁴ but Aetna Health and AultCare¹⁵ exited the individual market at the end of 2025 (Aetna exited the individual market in all states where it offered coverage in 2025).

The following average rate changes have been proposed by Ohio’s Marketplace insurers for 2027, calculated before premium subsidies are applied:² 

Source: Ohio Rate Review Submissions²

The average rate changes, which amount to a semi-weighted average increase of 10.7%,¹⁶ are calculated before premium subsidies (premium tax credits) are applied.

Most Ohio exchange enrollees receive premium tax credits, so they don’t pay the full premium.¹

For those who qualify for subsidies, changes in plan rates and subsidy amounts determine their net rate change. 

For perspective, here’s how average unsubsidized premiums have changed in Ohio over the years:

• 2015: Average increase of 4%¹⁷
• 2016: Average semi-weighted increase of 9.4%¹⁸
• 2017: Average semi-weighted increase of 17.3%¹⁹
• 2018: Average increase of 34%²⁰
• 2019: Average increase of 6.3%²¹
• 2020: Average decrease of 7.7%²²
• 2021: Average decrease of 0.4%²³
• 2022: Average increase of 4.8%²⁴
• 2023: Average semi-weighted increase of 6.85%²⁵
• 2024: Average increase of 7.8%²⁶
• 2025: Average increase of 3.9%.²⁷
• 2026: Average increase of 19.8%,²⁸

During the open enrollment period for 2026 coverage, 469,616 people enrolled in private health plans through Ohio’s Marketplace,¹ down from a record high of more than 583,000 the year before²⁹ (see chart below for a comparison of enrollment by year).

The surge in enrollment in recent years was primarily due to the American Rescue Plan (ARP) making the ACA’s premium subsidies more substantial (larger and available to more people). These provisions were extended through 2025 by the Inflation Reduction Act.³⁰ But as noted above, coverage became much less affordable in 2026 after Congress let the subsidy enhancements expire at the end of 2025. As a result, enrollment in Ohio Marketplace coverage dropped in 2026, for the first time in several years.

The enrollment growth in 2024 and 2025 was also partially due to the “unwinding” of the pandemic-era Medicaid continuous coverage rule. Medicaid disenrollments resumed in Ohio in the spring of 2023, after being paused for three years. More than 190,000 Ohio residents transitioned from Medicaid to a Marketplace plan during the unwinding process. ³¹

Source: 2014,³² 2015,³³ 2016,³⁴ 2017,³⁵ 2018,³⁶ 2019,³⁷ 2020,³⁸ 2021,³⁹ 2022,⁴⁰ 2023,⁴¹ 2024,⁴² 2025²⁹

Healthcare.gov: This is the federal website where you can enroll in a health insurance plan through the ACA Marketplace. 

Ohio Medicaid: Eligible individuals and families can enroll in Medicaid, which provides low-cost or free health coverage. You can also enroll in Medicaid through Healthcare.gov or call (800) 318-2596.

Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI): To receive assistance with insurance and Medicare, call an ODI representative at (800) 686-1526. 

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: You can get help if you’re struggling to afford health coverage or want to know more about Medicaid eligibility or benefits.

Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIP): OSHIP offers free health insurance information to people on Medicare.