What Is Changing With ACA Coverage in Florida for 2027

The short version

• Open enrollment runs November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027 on HealthCare.gov.
• The enhanced tax credits are still expired, so the 400 percent income line is back for a second year.
• The share of income you are expected to pay below that line went up again for 2027.
• Bronze and catastrophic plans count as HSA-eligible, a change that started in 2026.
• The monthly special enrollment period for low incomes is gone.
• Rate filings are up again in the Florida individual market.
• Florida still has not expanded Medicaid, so the coverage gap remains.

Each of these is explained below.

Open enrollment dates

Florida uses the federal platform, HealthCare.gov, rather than its own exchange. For 2027 coverage, open enrollment runs from November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Pick a plan by December 15 for coverage starting January 1. Pick between December 16 and January 15 and coverage starts February 1.

A 2025 federal rule would have ended open enrollment on December 15 starting with this cycle. That change did not hold for 2027, and the January 15 deadline stands. If you are reading this close to a deadline, confirm it on HealthCare.gov, because rule changes this year have come with little notice.

The tax credit: what the 2027 math looks like

The larger credits created in 2021 expired on December 31, 2025. The House voted in January 2026 to extend them for three years, but as of late October 2026 the extension has not passed the Senate. That means 2027 uses the original formula:

• No credit above 400 percent of the federal poverty level. For 2027 coverage that is $63,840 for one person, $86,560 for two and $132,000 for a family of four.
• A larger expected contribution below the line. Under IRS Revenue Procedure 2026-26, the share of income a household is expected to pay toward the benchmark silver plan ranges from 2.15 percent at the lowest incomes to 10.22 percent near the top of the range, up from 9.96 percent at the top for 2026.

In practice, almost every subsidized household in Florida pays a little more for 2027 even if nothing else changes, and households over the line pay full price. The subsidy cliff guide walks through examples and options.

Premiums: what the rate filings show

Carriers file proposed rates each summer, and Florida's preliminary 2027 filings show another sizable average increase in the individual market. Filings are averages across many plans and counties, so your own plan may move more or less than the headline. The only reliable number is the one on your renewal notice and in the plan comparison on HealthCare.gov, and the premium increase guide explains how to read it.

Two Florida-specific points matter here. First, plan choice varies enormously by county. Hillsborough, Pinellas, Orange and Miami-Dade have many options; some rural counties have only a few. Second, many Florida Marketplace plans are HMOs or EPOs with narrow local networks, so a lower premium can come with real limits on which doctors you can see.

HSAs: bronze plans now qualify

Starting with 2026 coverage, federal law treats every bronze and catastrophic plan in the individual market as eligible for a health savings account. Before that, only bronze plans built to strict high-deductible rules qualified. For 2027, the IRS contribution limits are $4,500 for self-only coverage and $9,000 for family coverage, with an extra $1,000 for people 55 and older.

For healthy Floridians who lost their tax credit, a bronze plan plus an HSA is now one of the more efficient ways to keep Marketplace coverage. The HSA guide covers who it helps and who should avoid it.

Special enrollment: one route closed

For several years, people with income at or below 150 percent of the poverty level could enroll or change plans in any month. That monthly special enrollment period was paused through 2026 and has now been removed for 2027 coverage. Lower-income Floridians now need open enrollment or a qualifying life event, just like everyone else.

Other special enrollment rules have not changed in a way most people will notice: losing other coverage, marriage, a birth or adoption, and moving to Florida from another state still open a 60-day window. The Florida special enrollment guide lists the qualifying events and the documents you may be asked for.

Verification: expect more paperwork

Federal rules adopted in 2025 tightened how the Marketplace checks income and special enrollment eligibility on HealthCare.gov. Several of those provisions were put on hold by a federal court in July 2026, and the details are still moving. What you should do does not change: report a realistic income estimate, answer data-matching notices quickly, and upload documents before the deadline in the notice. A common reason Marketplace coverage gets cut off is an unanswered notice, not an ineligible person.

Medicaid and the coverage gap

Florida has not expanded Medicaid. Adults without dependent children generally cannot get Medicaid in Florida no matter how low their income is, and the Marketplace tax credit starts at 100 percent of the poverty level. Adults below that line can fall into a gap with no subsidized option. Children are different: Florida KidCare covers many children in families that earn too much for Medicaid.

Short-term plans in Florida

Federal rules in 2024 limited short-term plans to four months, but federal agencies announced in 2025 that they would not prioritize enforcing that limit, and Florida law allows short-term policies with a total duration of up to 36 months. Several carriers sell longer-term short-term plans in Florida again. They remain medically underwritten and do not cover pre-existing conditions. The short-term versus ACA guide explains when one makes sense.

What has not changed

• Marketplace plans still accept everyone and cover pre-existing conditions.
• The ten essential health benefits, including maternity, mental health and prescriptions, are still required on every Marketplace plan.
• There is still no federal penalty for being uninsured, and Florida has no state mandate.
• Private, medically underwritten plans still enroll year-round and are priced without regard to income.
• Using a licensed broker still costs nothing extra. The premium is the same either way.

What it means for you, by situation

You get a tax credit now and expect to again. Your credit will probably be a little smaller for the same income, because the expected contribution percentages rose. Update your income, compare plans in your county, and do not assume last year's plan is still the best value.

You are over the 400 percent line. Nothing about 2027 brings the credit back for you unless Congress acts. Your choice is a full-price Marketplace plan, a private plan priced on your health, or bringing your income under the line. The subsidy cliff guide goes through each.

You are an early retiree under 65. You are the group most exposed to the cliff, because unsubsidized premiums are highest in your early sixties. Retirement withdrawals and the timing of Social Security can be planned around the line. The early retiree guide covers bridging to Medicare.

You are a family with children. The credit line is higher for larger households, so many Florida families still qualify. Children who do not qualify through the Marketplace may qualify for Florida KidCare. The family guide covers when it makes sense to split a family across plans.

You just moved to Florida. Moving is a qualifying event if you had coverage before the move, so you do not have to wait for November. Plans and networks here are very different from most northern states; check the doctors you plan to use before you choose. The moving to Florida guide has the details.

You are self-employed with uneven income. The return of the cliff makes a careful income estimate more important than ever, because crossing the line means repaying the whole credit. The private versus Marketplace guide explains when a plan that does not depend on income is the safer choice.

Dates to put on your calendar

• November 1, 2026: open enrollment begins for 2027 coverage.
• December 15, 2026: last day to choose a plan for coverage starting January 1.
• December 31, 2026: last day of your 2026 coverage, and the last day to make 2026 retirement plan contributions that count for that tax year in many accounts.
• January 15, 2027: open enrollment ends; plans chosen after December 15 start February 1.
• Your first premium due date: coverage is not active until the first payment is made, so pay it as soon as the invoice arrives.
• Within 60 days of any life event: the special enrollment window for that event.

What I recommend Florida clients do this fall

1. Log in to HealthCare.gov and update your income for 2027 before you compare anything.
2. Check where that income falls against the 400 percent line for your household size.
3. Compare at least three plans in your county, including bronze with an HSA if you are healthy.
4. Confirm your doctors and prescriptions in each plan's directory.
5. If you are over the line or close to it, price a private plan next to the Marketplace options.

I am based in Tampa and do this by phone and video for clients across Florida and the other 30 states I am licensed in. Get a quote or call or text (786) 218-2384. There is no fee.

If you live in Tampa Bay and want both options priced side by side, start with my Tampa health insurance broker page.