If you can enroll in coverage, enroll — open enrollment ends Jan 15, 2027 (enroll by Dec 15, 2026 for coverage starting Jan 1). Dispo helps with the care decisions around a plan, never instead of one.
Marketplace open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs November 1, 2026 – January 15, 2027 on HealthCare.gov — Texas has no state exchange, so HealthCare.gov is the door. That is 7 days from now (counted October 25, 2026).
One confusion to clear up first: some older pages say enrollment ends December 15. It does not. December 15 is the deadline for coverage that starts January 1. Enrollment itself runs through January 15 — a federal judge vacated the rule change that would have ended it early, and CMS confirmed in August 2026 that HealthCare.gov runs through Jan 15, 2027.
| Date | What it means | Days away |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2026 | Marketplace enrollment opens | 7 |
| Dec 15, 2026 | Enroll by this date → coverage starts Jan 1, 2027 | 51 |
| Dec 16 – Jan 15 | Enroll in this window → coverage starts Feb 1, 2027 — that is a January coverage gap | — |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Open enrollment closes | 82 |
Static text, counted at build on October 25, 2026 — no scripts or trackers on this page, per Dispo's site rules. Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period (Oct 15 – Dec 7) is a separate window for a separate program; do not mix the two.
Add it up for the full year: premium × 12 + deductible + out-of-pocket maximum + the copays you actually expect. The cheapest monthly premium is often the most expensive year.
Price both employers' offers and the marketplace before putting the whole family on one plan by habit. Splitting coverage sometimes costs less — run the numbers in decision 1 for each combination.
An FSA is use-it-or-lose-it — elect what you will actually spend. An HSA requires an HSA-qualified (high-deductible) plan; if you want the HSA, confirm the plan qualifies before you enroll.
The enhanced ACA credits have expired (the original credits for 100–400% of the federal poverty level remain, with a hard cliff at 400%), and a KFF review of 276 insurers found a median proposed 2027 premium increase of 15%. In 2026, shoppers who stayed put saw their premium payments rise 58% on average and deductibles rise 37%. Re-shop your plan even if you plan to keep the same plan name.
Doctors leave networks and drugs change tiers even when the plan keeps the same name. Check your actual doctors and your actual prescriptions against the 2027 plan before you enroll — not after.
Miss the window and marketplace enrollment generally requires a qualifying life event — losing other coverage, a move, marriage, a baby, and similar changes — which can open a Special Enrollment Period. Medicaid and CHIP enroll year-round, with no open-enrollment window.
Insurance is for hospital and emergency care — the bills nobody can plan. Dispo is for the care you can plan: pricing labs, imaging, telehealth, and cash-pay options while you are covered, underinsured, or between plans. Start with Symptoms & primary care, Urgent care or ER?, or the full directory — and check real hospital prices at our sister project, virlar.info.
Sources: HealthCare.gov / CMS August 2026 confirmation of the Jan 15, 2027 end date (via healthinsurance.org synthesis); KFF 2026 Employer Health Benefits Survey and KFF analyses of 2027 proposed premium changes and 2026 auto-renewal costs — each figure above is stated with its population and year. Verified for this page October 25, 2026.