ACA Open Enrollment 2027: What Patients With Cancer Should Check

If you have cancer and buy your own health insurance, the next few weeks are your main chance to change plans for 2027. Open enrollment on HealthCare.gov began Nov. 1, 2026, and runs through Jan. 15, 2027, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). For people in active treatment or follow-up, the plan you pick decides which oncologists you can see, how your cancer drugs are covered and how much you might owe in a bad year, so it pays to look closely rather than letting your plan renew automatically.

The Dates That Decide When Coverage Starts

To have a new plan in place on Jan. 1, you need to choose it by Dec. 15. Plans picked between Dec. 16 and Jan. 15 start Feb. 1. That gap matters if you are in the middle of chemotherapy, immunotherapy or a scan schedule, because a one-month delay can mean a month on your old plan's terms or, if you are newly buying coverage, a month without it. Some states run their own marketplaces with different deadlines, so if your state does not use HealthCare.gov, check your state's site for its dates.

Your Out-of-Pocket Ceiling Is Going Up

Federal rules cap how much a marketplace plan can make you pay in a year for in-network covered care. For 2027, that ceiling rises to $12,000 for one person and $24,000 for a family, up from $10,600 and $21,200 in 2026. Many plans set their own limit lower, and the limit counts deductibles, copays and coinsurance but not your monthly premiums.

People with cancer are among the most likely to actually reach that limit in a year that includes surgery, infusions or a hospital stay. When you compare plans, a lower premium with a high out-of-pocket maximum can end up costing more than a pricier plan with a lower maximum. Adding a year's worth of premiums to each plan's out-of-pocket limit gives you a rough worst-case cost to compare side by side.

Making Sure Your Cancer Care Is In Network

Marketplace plans cannot turn you down or charge you more because you have or had cancer. They can, however, differ a lot in which doctors, hospitals and drugs they cover. Before you pick a plan, it helps to confirm a few things directly with the insurer or in the plan's online tools:

• Your oncologist, cancer center and the hospital where you get treatment are in the plan's network.
• Every drug you take, including oral cancer drugs and anti-nausea medicines, is on the plan's drug list, and which cost tier it falls in.
• Whether your treatments or scans need prior authorization, meaning the insurer must approve them first.

If a plan you like leaves out your cancer center, ask your center's financial counselor which marketplace plans it accepts for 2027. They field this question often this time of year.

Help With Premiums

Most people who buy through HealthCare.gov qualify for tax credits that lower their monthly premium. CMS says more than 75% of HealthCare.gov shoppers can find a plan for $50 a month or less after those credits. The extra premium help Congress added during the pandemic ended after 2025, so people whose incomes are higher may see a bigger change in what they pay than in past years. Updating your income on your application, especially if treatment has cut your work hours, makes sure your tax credit matches your situation.

If You Miss Jan. 15

After open enrollment closes, you can usually change plans only if you qualify for a special enrollment period, for example after losing job-based coverage, moving or having a baby. You can apply for Medicaid at any time, and people whose income has dropped because of cancer sometimes qualify. If you are 65 or older or on Medicare because of a disability, this marketplace window does not apply to you; CURE's guide to Medicare open enrollment covers that separate deadline, which ends Dec. 7.

References

1. "Plan Year 2027 Marketplace Plans and Prices Fact Sheet." Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Oct. 30, 2026.
2. "Dates and deadlines for 2027 health insurance." HealthCare.gov. Accessed Nov. 3, 2026.
3. "Premium Adjustment Percentage, Maximum Annual Limitation on Cost Sharing, Reduced Maximum Annual Limitation on Cost Sharing, and Required Contribution Percentage for the 2027 Benefit Year." Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Jan. 29, 2026.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don't forget to subscribe to CURE®'s newsletters here.