A Simple Guide to ACA Open Enrollment [By State]
If you’re still unsure how ACA open enrollment works and what steps you should take to get insured, you’re not alone. The healthcare marketplace can seem like a tangled web with different states posting different enrollment periods and options for coverage.
The good news is, you don’t have to understand what every state is doing or how the entire system works. You only have to navigate the exchange within your state of residency where you are applying for healthcare coverage.
What Does ACA Open Enrollment Mean?
Open enrollment simply refers to the time periods when you can apply for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, passed into law in 2010. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those periods have been—and are being—modified in every state. Unemployment, illness, and other circumstances related to COVID-19 have left many Americans without employer-provided health insurance or the means to pay for insurance on the private market.
It should be noted that the deadlines included below with each state reflect the official enrollment cut-off dates. Federal or state governments may decide to extend deadlines again. Check the website provided for your state for more information.
Exceptions to Enrollment Deadlines
Under normal circumstances, you can only enroll for healthcare insurance in your state’s marketplace during the designated annual enrollment period. If you missed the sign-up period you would have to wait until the next year to enroll. However, even under non-pandemic conditions, there are exceptions to the rule:
Leaving incarceration
Became a U.S. citizen
Beginning or ending service as a VISTA, NCCC, or AmeriCorps State and National member
Your state has extended the enrollment period for any reason
You can enroll in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) at any time
You may be eligible for the Special Enrollment Period if you’ve experienced a qualifying life event such as moving, losing other health coverage, or having a child
To find out if you qualify for the Special Enrollment Period, visit your state’s marketplace website listed below.
Does My State have a Marketplace or an Exchange?
There are several different terms used to refer to the Healthcare Marketplace.
ACA, Obamacare, healthcare marketplace, healthcare exchange, and sometimes healthcare partnership exchange are all used to describe the same thing—the program through which you apply for Affordable Care Act-compliant health insurance. The name does not matter, but whether your state created its own program or is using the federally run program does matter.
The type of healthcare marketplace your state maintains can affect the subsidies, variety of insurance policies, prices, and enrollment periods available to you. There are four basic types of healthcare marketplaces.
1. A state-based or state-run marketplace (SBM) that uses its own state-managed website for enrollment. Fourteen states plus the District of Columbia are SBMs.
2. A state-based marketplace that runs its own health insurance program but uses the federal enrollment platform (SBM-FP). Six states are currently SBM-FPs.
3. A partnership exchange is a hybrid in which a state manages only some functions of the insurance program and relies on the Federal Healthcare Marketplace for everything else. For example, the state might maintain its own hotline to answer questions and provide customer service. Six states maintain a partnership marketplace.
4. Federally-run marketplace. The majority of U.S. states rely solely on the Federal Healthcare Marketplace and do not manage their own ACA insurance exchanges.
Health Insurance Marketplace Information by State
Find your state on the following list to learn more about the subsidized health insurance policies available to you.
Alabama
Alabama has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Alaska
Alaska has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Arizona
Arizona has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Arkansas
Arkansas has a state-based marketplace that uses a federal enrollment platform.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
California
California has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: Coveredca.com
The deadline for enrollment is: December 31
Colorado
Colorado has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: Connect for Health Colorado
The deadline for enrollment is: January 15
Connecticut
Connecticut has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: Accesshealthct.com
The deadline for enrollment is: January 15
Delaware
Delaware has a partnership exchange and uses the federal enrollment platform.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
District of Columbia
The District of Columbia has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: dchealthlink.com
The deadline for enrollment is: January 31
Florida
Florida has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Georgia
Georgia has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Hawaii
Hawaii has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Idaho
Idaho has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: Yourhealthidaho.org
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Illinois
Illinois has a partnership exchange and uses the federal enrollment platform.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Indiana
Indiana has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Iowa
Iowa has a partnership exchange and uses the federal enrollment platform.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Kansas
Kansas has a federally run marketplace with oversight retained by the state.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Kentucky
Kentucky currently has a state-based marketplace with a federal enrollment platform but has plans to transition to a fully state-run program in the fall of 2021.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Louisiana
Louisiana has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Maine
Maine currently has a state-based marketplace with a federal enrollment platform. The state plans to transition to an entirely state-run program by 2021.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Maryland
Maryland has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: Marylandhealthconnection.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: January 15
Massachusetts
Massachusetts has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: Mahealthconnector.org
The deadline for enrollment is: January 23
Michigan
Michigan has a partnership exchange and uses the federal enrollment platform.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Minnesota
Minnesota has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: MNsure.org
The deadline for enrollment is: January 15
Mississippi
Mississippi has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Missouri
Missouri has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Montana
Montana has a federally run marketplace with oversight retained by the state.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Nebraska
Nebraska has a federally run marketplace with oversight retained by the state.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Nevada
Nevada has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: Nevadahealthlink.com
The deadline for enrollment is: January 15
New Hampshire
New Hampshire has a partnership exchange and uses the federal enrollment platform.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
New Jersey
New Jersey has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: Nj.gov/getcoverednj/
The deadline for enrollment is: January 31
New Mexico
New Mexico currently has a state-based marketplace with a federal enrollment platform. The state plans to transition to a completely state-run program by the fall of 2021.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
New York
New York has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: Nystateofhealth.ny.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: January 31
North Carolina
North Carolina has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
North Dakota
North Dakota has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Ohio
Ohio has a federally run marketplace with oversight retained by the state.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Oklahoma
Oklahoma has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Oregon
Oregon has a state-based marketplace that uses a federal enrollment platform.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: Pennie.com
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Rhode Island
Rhode Island has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: kff.org
The deadline for enrollment is: January 23
South Carolina
South Carolina has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
South Dakota
South Dakota has a federally run marketplace with oversight retained by the state.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Tennessee
Tennessee has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Texas
Texas has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Utah
Utah has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Vermont
Vermont has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: healthconnect.vermont.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: October 1
Virginia
Virginia currently has a state-based marketplace with a federal enrollment platform. The state enacted a bill to create an entirely state-run program by 2023.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Washington
Washington has a state-run marketplace with its own enrollment website.
Marketplace website: Wahealthplanfinder.org
The deadline for enrollment is: January 15
West Virginia
West Virginia has a partnership exchange and uses the federal enrollment platform.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Wisconsin
Wisconsin has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
Wyoming
Wyoming has a federally run marketplace.
Marketplace website: HealthCare.gov
The deadline for enrollment is: December 15
What Type of Insurance Can I Get During Open Enrollment?
Only subsidized healthcare insurance for individuals, families and small business owners is available. Citizens cannot purchase an auto, home, or other types of property insurance policies through the healthcare marketplace. Big companies looking to ensure large groups of people must go through private insurance companies.
Those who prefer to keep their private insurance policy and those who receive healthcare coverage through their job are not obligated to find insurance through the ACA program.
The federal government no longer mandates health insurance, but some states do levy a tax penalty on those who have no healthcare coverage at all. There are some exemptions to the state mandate, including, a religious conscience exemption, a hardship exemption, and short coverage gap exemption.
If you are a federally recognized Native American tribe member, you are also exempt from paying the tax penalty.
Staying Informed
The status of the Federal Healthcare Marketplace or your state-run marketplace can change when state or federal regulations are changed. Qualifications, subsidies, and enrollment periods may expand or shrink from year to year. The best way to know exactly what healthcare coverage is available during ACA open enrollment is to visit the online site.
Check the above list for your state’s website or visit healthcare.gov and select your state from the dropdown box. You will be automatically routed to the right marketplace.
