Get Insurance on HealthCare.gov Nov. 1 - Jan. 15
Starting Saturday, you can check out your health care options for 2026!
November 1 to January 15 is Open Enrollment for Marketplace health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) on HealthCare.gov. While we can’t tell you what Congress will do in the coming days and weeks about extending the enhanced insurance subsidies that reduce your costs, we can tell you that subsidies to make the insurance affordable will still be available. The amount of financial assistance just might not be as high as it was the last few years.
If you currently have Marketplace health insurance — or if you have no insurance at all — we encourage you to:
Go to HealthCare.gov
Update or fill out your application for 2025
See what options look like for you
Enroll if you find an affordable plan
Contact a local nonprofit application assister for help or guidance
Pay attention for updates from the Marketplace and from Cover Texas Now
Here’s more detail:
If you already have Marketplace insurance through HealthCare.gov, you should update your contact information and your annual income projection to ensure you receive timely information about your options, even if you aren’t ready to make a selection just yet. You have until December 15 to choose a plan that goes into effect on January 1, 2026 — and you have until January 15 to change plans if you decide to do so. If Congress acts soon and extends the enhanced tax credits, the price of coverage may decrease significantly from the prices you see now.
If you do NOT have a current insurance plan through HealthCare.gov — and you don’t have an affordable offer of coverage through an employer, Medicaid, or Medicare — consider enrolling. You can get started with an application on November 1.
Need assistance understanding your options? Help is available! Applicants who are unsure about which plan to pick or how plans work can reach out to a local ACA Navigator or Certified Application Counselor for guidance. (Hint: To get free, unbiased advice about your options, click on the tab for “Assisters” — not “All” or “Agents/Brokers,” who often will only show applicants information about plans that offer them commission.)
Remember, no matter what Congress decides to do on health care, there are still a lot of reasons to consider an insurance plan from HealthCare.gov. The original tax credits that have been available since the beginning of the Affordable Care Act will remain in place either way. All HealthCare.gov plans, regardless of cost or insurer, cover preventive care at no cost to enrollees. Even people who sign up for plans with high deductibles can get preventive care for no cost.
Look at Gold, Silver, and Bronze plans. Gold or Silver plans cost more per month than Bronze plans because they cover more of your day-to-day costs for copays, medications, and treatments. If you have a Gold or Silver plan but it isn’t the right fit for you anymore, you can switch to a Bronze plan when you sign up this year. Under a Bronze plan, you will pay less in monthly premiums, but you generally will have higher medical bills because Bronze plans have higher deductibles. However, some Bronze plans will give you more assistance covering those bills by only charging you a copay — rather than handing you the full bill to pay — for some doctor visits or medications, even if you haven’t reached your deductible yet. You can filter for those plans by selecting “Add filters” then “Bronze” and searching for Bronze plans that list out copays. (Hint: Always be sure to review plans’ Summaries of Benefits and Coverage to see full plan details.)
Don’t be fooled by junk insurance. Marketplace insurance from HealthCare.gov is typically more expensive because it guarantees coverage for medically necessary treatment, regardless of preexisting conditions, and protects against major medical debt. On the other hand, short-term plans, limited duration plans, and health care sharing plans — often called junk insurance — are unregulated and offer none of the guarantees or protections of actual health insurance.
We’ll keep pushing for Congress to extend the enhanced Premium Tax Credits for HealthCare.gov plans. This is the financial assistance that Congress is debating right now. Back in 2021, Congress established this extra assistance — separate from the original Marketplace subsidies — to make insurance plans on HealthCare.gov more affordable. Those enhanced tax credits will expire on December 31 if Congress fails to renew them and puts health coverage in jeopardy for over one million Texans. You can read more here and contact your Congressional representatives to let them know you want them to keep the enhanced subsidies and keep making health care more affordable for everyone.
Now is the time to start making sure you have the health coverage you need for 2026!