How to sign up for health insurance

Before you start

The Health Insurance Marketplace is the government website where you compare and buy private health plans. Many people call it Obamacare, and it is the same thing. You use HealthCare.gov in most states, but some states run their own site.

Open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs from November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027, according to HealthCare.gov. If you enroll by December 15, your coverage starts January 1, 2027. Some states set their own dates, so please read our guide to open enrollment dates for your state.

You should apply even if you think you earn too little. The same application checks whether you qualify for Medicaid or CHIP. Medicaid is a government health program for people with low incomes, and CHIP is the Children's Health Insurance Program for children. You can also read our guide on how to apply for Medicaid.

What to have ready

The HealthCare.gov checklist names the items below. Please gather what you can before you start.

• A Social Security number for each person who is applying.
• Home and mailing addresses for everyone who is applying.
• Citizenship and immigration information for each person who is applying.
• You need job, income and expense information for everyone in your household.
• Your best estimate of what your household will earn for the year.
• Details on how you will file your taxes.
• Details about any health coverage that you have now.
• Information about job-based health coverage that you could get.
• A Health Reimbursement Arrangement notice, but only when someone in your household is offered one through an employer.

How to apply, step by step

These steps work for most people who apply. Having your papers close by makes each step go faster.

1. Choose the way you want to apply for coverage. HealthCare.gov says you can apply online, by phone, with help in your area, or on a paper application. If your state runs its own site, you apply there.
2. Fill in the application by answering each question about your household and your income. Your best estimate works when you are unsure.
3. Read your eligibility results, which tell you whether you qualify for a Marketplace plan, for savings or for Medicaid or CHIP.
4. Compare plans by the total cost for the year. Add the monthly premium, which is the price you pay each month, to what you would pay when you use care. A plan with a low premium can cost more for the year if its deductible is high. A deductible is the amount you pay yourself each year before the plan starts to pay.
5. Look at the metal levels of each plan. HealthCare.gov says bronze, silver, gold and platinum plans pay about 60, 70, 80 and 90 percent of covered costs on average. Cost-sharing reductions lower your deductible and your copays, which are the set fees you pay for a visit or a medicine. You can get them only with a silver plan if your income qualifies.
6. Check the out-of-pocket maximum for each plan you are considering. For 2027, the federal limit on this is $12,000 for one person and $24,000 for a family, according to CMS. This is the most you pay in a year for covered care from doctors in your plan's network.
7. Enroll in the plan that fits your budget and your needs best.
8. Pay your first month's premium to your insurance company, because HealthCare.gov says your coverage does not start until you do.

Free help is available

You do not have to do this alone. People and groups in your community offer free help with the application and with picking and enrolling in a plan, says HealthCare.gov. Use the local help tool on HealthCare.gov to find them.

You can also call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596. The TTY number for people who are deaf or hard of hearing is 1-855-889-4325. The center is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except on holidays.

If the price still looks too high after you finish, our guide on what to do when you cannot afford health insurance can help.

What happens after you sign up

The Marketplace may ask you to send papers that prove what you wrote on your application. You usually have 90 days to send documents when your information does not match its records, says HealthCare.gov. For citizenship or immigration status, you usually have 95 days.

Please follow the deadline in your Marketplace notice. Missing it may cost you your coverage or your savings. Send your documents even if the deadline has passed, as HealthCare.gov advises.

Tell the Marketplace when your income or household changes, such as a new job or a new baby. HealthCare.gov asks you to report changes as soon as possible, online or at 1-800-318-2596. Your tax credit amount depends on your income, and the credit only works on plans you buy through HealthCare.gov or your state's own site. The IRS says that for tax years after 2025, you must pay back all of any extra credit you received. Our guide on the premium tax credit explains how the credit works and how paying it back works.

How to avoid scams and fake plans

During open enrollment, you may see many ads and get many calls about health plans. The FTC, the federal agency that protects shoppers, says some ads might look like they are from the government or well-known insurance companies. It is also illegal to robocall you with prerecorded messages that market health insurance, says the FTC.

The FTC says to start at HealthCare.gov or call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites, says HealthCare.gov. Your own state's site is the other official place to sign up.

Short-term health plans are not Marketplace plans, and they can turn you down or leave out care, so read the fine print.

You can report a misleading ad or an illegal robocall on the FTC's ReportFraud website.

If you think you are having an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Federal law says emergency rooms must screen and stabilize anyone, with or without insurance.

This guide is general information and not medical or legal advice. While you wait for coverage to start, you can look for a cash-pay doctor in our directory. Cash-pay doctors charge a set price that you pay yourself.