The 2027 ACA Marketplace Guide: Enrollment, Subsidies, and $0 Plans

The ACA Marketplace — the health insurance exchange you shop through at Healthcare.gov — runs its 2027 Open Enrollment Period from November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027. Enroll by December 15 to have coverage start January 1; enroll between December 16 and January 15 and your coverage starts February 1 instead.

That’s the easy part. Here’s what’s harder — and worth knowing before you enroll.

The ARP subsidies have lapsed for 2027

From 2021 through 2025, the American Rescue Plan Act (and the Inflation Reduction Act) temporarily enhanced ACA premium tax credits. That’s why $0 Bronze plans — and in many counties, $0 Gold plans — were so widely available.

Those enhanced subsidies were not extended for plan year 2027. The original ACA subsidy schedule is back in force:

• Households below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) don’t qualify for ACA subsidies (and in non-expansion states like Florida, may fall into the coverage gap)
• Households at 100–400% FPL qualify for a sliding-scale premium tax credit, with expected contribution ranging from 2.07% of income at the bottom to 9.83% at the top
• Households above 400% FPL — the subsidy cliff — don’t qualify for a premium tax credit at all

Practical impact: a Florida family of four earning $75,000 — who paid $0/month for a Bronze plan in 2025 — now pays roughly $74/month under the 2027 schedule. Our subsidy calculator will show you your exact estimate in under a minute.

Where $0 plans still exist for subsidy-eligible households

Even under the post-ARP schedule, lower-income households still qualify for the largest subsidies — and for them, $0 plans remain widely available. In Florida specifically, Oscar Health offers:

• $0 Gold Classic plans in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Orange, Seminole, Hernando, Volusia, and Pasco counties — for subsidy-eligible residents, typically under ~300% FPL
• $0 Bronze Classic plans in Broward, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Osceola, St. Lucie, Lake, Marion, Polk, Martin counties — same subsidy-eligibility rule

Oscar isn’t the only carrier doing this, but they’re the most aggressive about $0 Gold specifically. Molina, Ambetter, and Florida Blue also offer subsidy-rich plans in most Florida counties.

How to shop in five steps

1. Estimate your 2027 household income first. Your subsidy is based on projected Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) for the coverage year, not what you earned last year. Self-employed people in particular need to project carefully — subsidies are reconciled on your tax return.
2. Check your subsidy eligibility. The calculator will tell you whether you qualify for any premium tax credit at all, and roughly how much.
3. Think about metal tier before carrier. Bronze plans have the lowest premium but highest deductible. Gold plans have the highest premium but lowest deductible. Silver plans are in the middle — and carry special Cost-Sharing Reductions if you’re below 250% FPL. The right tier depends on how much care you expect to use.
4. Check the provider network. Every Marketplace plan has a network. Confirm your primary care doctor and any specialists you use are in-network before you enroll. Out-of-network care under an HMO is mostly not covered.
5. Check the drug formulary. If you take a brand-name prescription, make sure it’s on the plan’s formulary — and at what tier. Formulary differences can swing your annual drug cost by thousands.

Deadlines that matter

• November 1, 2026: Open Enrollment opens.
• December 15, 2026: Enroll by this date for January 1 coverage.
• January 15, 2027: Open Enrollment closes. Enroll between Dec 16 and Jan 15 for February 1 coverage.
• After January 15: You can only enroll if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (life events — marriage, birth, move, loss of other coverage, income change, etc.).

A licensed agent costs you nothing

Marketplace enrollment through a licensed agent is free to you. Carriers pay the commission; the premium you see on Healthcare.gov is the same whether you enroll through an agent or on your own. The difference is that an agent compares networks, formularies, and total annual cost across carriers for you — which is where most consumers leave money on the table.

If you’re in Florida, our team is bilingual (English/Spanish) and has been quietly dominating the Marketplace enrollment space in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and now Orange/Seminole counties for the better part of a decade.