Delaware open enrollment 2027 Open enrollment · Delaware

Delaware Open Enrollment 2027 for People Between Jobs

Last updated November 3, 2026 · By Frank Caballero, licensed health insurance broker

Short answer

For people between jobs in Delaware, open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027 on HealthCare.gov, and December 15 is the date to choose by for a January 1 start. If you are healthy, a private, medically underwritten plan is another route that ignores the calendar: if approved, it can start the first of any month, right after your job coverage ends.

What 2027 looks like for you

Delaware's average 2027 rate change is 16.4% to 16.5% (finalized). One insurer is leaving Delaware's individual market, so some renewals arrive as a plan you did not pick. The details are on the Delaware 2027 premium increase page.

Losing job-based coverage opens a 60-day special enrollment period, and open enrollment runs at the same time this fall, so most people between jobs have two doors open at once. Federal COBRA, where it applies, lasts up to 18 months at up to 102% of the full premium. Any Marketplace subsidy depends on your 2027 household income, with the line at $63,840 for one person and $86,560 for two.

Delaware this year

Delaware buyers lose one of three individual-market insurers for 2027, and the average premium rises about 16.5 percent, and small-group coverage climbs roughly 18 percent. If you leave a small Wilmington financial or legal firm, or a beach-town business in Sussex County, Delaware makes insured plans at firms with 1 to 19 workers extend coverage as long as nine months for someone with three months on the plan, with the price capped at 102 percent of the group rate. Bigger employers fall under federal COBRA. Delawareans shop Marketplace plans on HealthCare.gov, where the field is now down to two insurers.

State continuation in Delaware: Delaware requires insured group plans of employers with 1 to 19 employees to offer up to nine months of continuation after three months of coverage, at no more than 102 percent of the group rate.

One thing to do before you choose

With only two insurers left in Delaware's individual market, check provider networks before anything else. List the doctors and the hospital you used on the employer plan, then search each HealthCare.gov option for them. If a needed doctor is missing from both insurers, the state's nine-month continuation, or COBRA at a larger employer, may be worth the cost while your job search continues.

Your checklist

The exact date your job coverage ends, in writing
Your COBRA notice and its election deadline
Severance and final pay in your 2027 income estimate
A private quote while COBRA is still in reserve

Private plan or Marketplace?

Private plan

Healthy and between roles: priced on age, ZIP code and health, with COBRA kept in reserve. Approval depends on health answers; not an ACA Marketplace plan.

Marketplace

Ongoing treatment, or a year of lower income: HealthCare.gov must accept you within the 60-day window or during open enrollment.

Compare Delaware plans this open enrollment

Private plans priced first, the Marketplace alongside when it fits. Phone or video, English or Spanish, no fee.

Get a quote Book a call (786) 218-2384

About your broker

Frank Caballero (NPN 21032307), licensed in 31 states including Delaware. Phone or video, English or Spanish, no fee; independent, not HealthCare.gov or any government agency.

Questions

When is the 2027 open enrollment deadline in Delaware?

January 15, 2027 on HealthCare.gov. Choose by December 15, 2026 for coverage that starts January 1; plans picked after that start February 1.

I worked for a Delaware company with 15 employees. How long can I stay on its plan?

Delaware's continuation rule applies to insured plans at businesses with 1 to 19 employees and allows up to nine months after a three-month enrollment. Expect to pay the whole group cost or slightly more, within the legal cap, so compare it with a subsidized individual policy before you elect.

Can I get a private plan in Delaware after open enrollment closes?

Yes. You can apply in any month and, if approved, a private plan can start the first of a month; the insurer can decline based on health answers.

More for Delaware

Official sources: HealthCare.gov, the federal Marketplace; HealthCare.gov: special enrollment periods. FC Insurance Solutions is an independent, licensed brokerage and is not affiliated with any government agency.

Written by Frank Caballero, licensed health insurance broker in Delaware and 30 other states, NPN 21032307. Last updated November 3, 2026.