North Carolina open enrollment 2027
Open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Pick a plan by December 15 and it starts January 1; pick one between December 16 and January 15 and it starts February 1. North Carolina residents buy Marketplace plans through HealthCare.gov, so the same dates apply across the state.
December 15 is the date to plan around
Coverage starts January 1 only if you pick a plan by December 15 and pay the first premium. If you are new to the Marketplace and miss December 15, the earliest your coverage can start is February 1.
After January 15 you can only enroll or change plans through a Special Enrollment Period. Certain life events, such as losing other coverage, moving, marriage or a new baby, may qualify you for one.
- November 1, 2026Open enrollment starts for 2027 coverage
- December 15, 2026Last day to pick a plan for coverage beginning January 1
- December 16 through January 15, 2027Plans picked in this stretch start February 1
- After January 15, 2027Only through a Special Enrollment Period
What changes for 2027 coverage
Cigna is leaving North Carolina's individual market
Cigna is discontinuing individual medical coverage in North Carolina effective January 1, 2027. State filings put roughly 16,000 North Carolina enrollees on plans that will not exist next year.
If that is your plan, the Marketplace will match you with a plan from another company so you do not fall out of coverage. That match is a safety net, not advice: it has no idea which doctors you see. Look at it before December 15, while you can still choose something else.
Filed rates are up about 15 percent
Across North Carolina's individual market, insurers filed for an average increase of about 15 percent for 2027. Those are the rates they asked for, before any premium tax credit, and the Department of Insurance says final rates may differ.
Increases are not the same from one company to the next, or even between plans from the same company. The plan you have now is the one to check first.
The extra tax credit help has ended
The enhanced premium tax credits that ran from 2021 through 2025 expired at the end of 2025. The original ACA credits are still there, and you may still qualify for them depending on your household income and eligibility. The extra help that sat on top of them is gone unless Congress acts.
Automatic re-enrollment, and why to check it
If you have a Marketplace plan and do nothing by December 15, the Marketplace will usually re-enroll you: in the same plan, a different plan from the same company, or a comparable plan from another company if yours is leaving. In some cases it will not re-enroll you at all.
Re-enrollment keeps you covered, but it does not check your doctors, and your savings depend on the income and household details you give for 2027, not past years. Leave them out of date and you could get less help than you qualify for, or more, and have to pay back the difference when you file your taxes.
More detail in our update What changes for North Carolina’s 2027 open enrollment
What to have ready
Most of the delay in an application is hunting for an income figure or a policy number halfway through. Gather these first.
- Your best estimate of household income for 2027, with recent pay stubs, W-2s or self-employment records to work from
- Everyone in your household, including anyone not applying: dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and immigration document numbers where they apply
- Your current plan and its policy numbers, and details of any job-based coverage anyone in the household is offered
- The doctors you want to keep and the prescriptions you refill, so each plan can be checked against them
Go through it with Muawia, by phone or in the Durham office
Muawia Abdalla is a licensed North Carolina insurance producer based in Durham. He works with households across the state, over the phone or at the office on Fayetteville Street.
Bring the list above. He goes through the Marketplace application with you question by question and helps you check the plans you are offered against your doctors and prescriptions. If the Marketplace has matched you with a new plan because yours is ending, he can help you compare it with the others before December 15. Nothing is submitted until you say so.
ZAVIA does not charge customers an additional fee for Marketplace enrollment assistance.
3035 Fayetteville St, Suite B, Durham, NC 27707
- Monday–Wednesday
- 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
- Thursday
- Closed
- Friday
- 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
- Saturday–Sunday
- Closed
What is the difference between the December 15 and January 15 deadlines?
December 15 is the last day to pick a plan for coverage that starts January 1. January 15 is the last day of open enrollment, and a plan picked between December 16 and January 15 starts February 1. Either way, coverage starts once you pay the first premium.
What happens if I do nothing during open enrollment?
If you have a Marketplace plan, the Marketplace will usually re-enroll you in the same plan or a similar one, with another company if yours is leaving, and send you a letter saying so. Your savings depend on the income and household details for the new year, so update your application even if you keep the plan. In some cases you will not be re-enrolled at all.
Can I change plans after I've been automatically re-enrolled?
Yes, until January 15. If you were re-enrolled and your coverage has already started, you can still pick a different plan before open enrollment ends. After that, you need a Special Enrollment Period to change plans.
Can I get help with open enrollment by phone, or do I need to come to Durham?
Either works. ZAVIA Health Insurance's office is at 3035 Fayetteville St, Suite B, Durham, NC 27707, and Muawia Abdalla, a licensed North Carolina insurance producer, also helps households across the state by phone. ZAVIA does not charge customers an additional fee for Marketplace enrollment assistance.
Related guides
- What changes for North Carolina's 2027 open enrollmentOne carrier is leaving the state, rates are filed higher, and the subsidy question is still open in Congress. Here is what is settled and what is not.
- Health insurance after losing a job in North Carolina: COBRA or the Marketplace?When a job ends in North Carolina: COBRA, state continuation or a Marketplace plan, and the 60-day deadlines that come with each.
- How to choose a health insurance plan in North Carolina without guessingFour things decide whether a plan fits, and the monthly premium is only one of them. A plain walkthrough for North Carolina households.
- North Carolina ACA cancellations: what is known and what to checkThe number of affected North Carolinians remains unclear. Check your notices, confirm coverage, and review any response deadlines.
Sources
- Open Enrollment dates and deadlines — HealthCare.gov
- Special Enrollment Periods — HealthCare.gov
- Review your health insurance options — NC Department of Insurance
- 2027 rate filings, North Carolina individual market — ACA Signups
- North Carolina Marketplace guide — healthinsurance.org
- 2027 plan year ACA rate filings — NC Department of Insurance
- Enhanced premium tax credit expiration — Congressional Research Service
- Automatic re-enrollment keeps you covered — HealthCare.gov
- Renew, change, update, or cancel your plan — HealthCare.gov
- Get ready to apply for or re-enroll in Marketplace coverage (CMS, September 2025) — HealthCare.gov
General information only. It is not advice about a specific plan, and eligibility, premiums and benefits depend on your own circumstances and the plans available to you.