Health Insurance Open Enrollment Starts Nov. 1 — Many New Yorkers Face Higher Premiums for 2027

New Yorkers not covered by employer-based insurance can begin shopping for 2027 health coverage on the state marketplace on November 1. The enrollment window runs through January 31, and residents may sign up for private health plans, Medicaid, or the Essential Plan depending on their income.

Many will feel the effects of federal spending cuts and the expiration of enhanced federal insurance subsidies at the end of last year. While a majority of New Yorkers enrolled in private plans received financial assistance in 2025, that figure fell to just 43 percent in 2026. Those who still qualified saw their monthly premiums rise by an average of $104, according to state data.

The Essential Plan also restricted eligibility in July following federal cuts, lowering the income limit for an individual from $40,000 to $32,000. About 60,000 affected New Yorkers switched to private marketplace plans during a special enrollment period this summer, but more than 150,000 others who lost Essential Plan coverage did not sign up for new insurance at all.

Despite these pressures, state officials have limited insurer rate increases. Average premiums on the marketplace will rise 6 percent in 2027 — well below the 20 percent increase insurers had requested, and some plans were blocked from raising rates at all.

Medical debt is also a growing concern. A recent Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report found more than 1 in 4 U.S. adults — 27 percent — reported that they or a family member carried medical debt as of December 2025. New Yorkers can use the state marketplace's cost estimator to check how much financial assistance they may qualify for based on their income.