What's New for 2027 Coverage

Open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs November 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027. A federal rule that would have cut state exchanges off at December 31 was struck down by a court in June 2026 and the government has appealed, so confirm the closing date with us before you plan around it.

The extra federal premium help that expired at the end of 2025 has not come back. The House passed a bill to restore it in January 2026 and the Senate has not acted. Covered California's own guidance is that it may return but there is no guarantee. Plan on the ordinary credit and treat anything more as a bonus.

California is expanding its own state premium help for 2027, reaching further up the income scale than in 2026, and Covered California expects many lower income households to have a choice of Silver plans with no monthly premium. That help exists only through Covered California, never off the exchange.

Premiums are rising again statewide for 2027, though the preliminary average increase is a little smaller than the one for 2026. No insurance company is entering or leaving Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo or Ventura County.

Starting with 2027 coverage, Covered California must verify income and eligibility more strictly before granting financial help, and some lawfully present immigrants lose eligibility for it. Expect to be asked for documents, and send them promptly so your help is not delayed.

Starting with 2028 coverage, financial help no longer renews on its own. You will have to confirm or update your information each year to keep it. From now on, treat every renewal notice as something to answer, not something to file.

Starting with your 2026 federal return, filed in 2027, any credit you received in advance that you turn out not to qualify for must be repaid in full. The old repayment caps for lower incomes are gone.

If your final income lands above the income limit for help, the entire year's credit is repaid.

So report income changes to Covered California during the year, and have us re-run your numbers whenever anything shifts, rather than finding out at tax time.

There is a hard income limit on the premium subsidy again. A household whose final income for the year lands above that limit gets no premium help at all, no matter how expensive the plan is.

The temporary rules that removed the limit expired at the end of December 2025, and the limit returned on January 1, 2026.

If your income comes in above the limit after you have been taking the credit in advance, the entire year's credit is repaid when you file. See the repayment rules above: from the 2026 tax year there is no cap at any income.

If you were told in an earlier year that you qualified, that answer may no longer hold. Have us run your numbers again before you count on any help.

Since January 1, 2026, any Bronze or Catastrophic plan, bought on or off Covered California, lets you fund a Health Savings Account as long as the same plan is also sold on the exchange. It no longer has to be the plan labeled HDHP.

The HDHP version is still worth asking for. Its integrated deductible and lower out of pocket maximum usually make it the better buy. The Health Savings Account is simply no longer the reason to insist on it.

This widens the set of plans a healthy household can pair with an HSA, so it is worth re-pricing your options rather than renewing out of habit.

Covered California will send a renewal notice each fall. Read it rather than letting the plan roll over on its own. The federal rules changed on January 1, 2026, stricter verification starts with 2027 coverage, and from 2028 coverage financial help does not renew unless you confirm your information.

Tell Covered California, or tell us, whenever your income or household size changes during the year, so the credit stays accurate and there is no surprise at tax time.

Open enrollment runs November 1 to January 31. Apply between November 1 and December 31 and your plan starts January 1. Apply in January and coverage starts February 1. The closing date is the one most likely to move, so check with us.