Delaware open enrollment 2027 Open enrollment · Delaware

Delaware Open Enrollment 2027 for Small Business Owners

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

Short answer

For small business owners 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. Your own coverage can also come from a private, medically underwritten plan, which does not wait for the window: if approved, it can start the first of any month.

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.

Group plans can renew at any point in the year, so open enrollment matters to owners for two reasons: an individual coverage HRA, or ICHRA, reimburses employees for individual plans they choose, and most of that shopping happens in this window; and an owner covering only the household buys in the individual market too. For your own household, the 2027 subsidy line is $63,840 for one person, $86,560 for two and $132,000 for four.

Delaware this year

Delaware stands out because small-group plans are climbing faster than individual coverage for 2027: about 18 percent for group renewals against roughly 16.4 to 16.5 percent in the individual market. The individual side is also shrinking, with one of three insurers leaving, so employees moved into an ICHRA would pick from two companies on HealthCare.gov. A Wilmington financial services firm, a Sussex County beach hospitality business or a downstate poultry grower has to weigh the bigger group increase against thinner individual choice. State reinsurance softened premiums in past years but could not offset this year's pressure, which leaves owners with no easy default.

Small-group plans in Delaware average about 18% for 2027, against 16.4% to 16.5% for individual plans, so put this year's group renewal next to an ICHRA quote before you sign it.

One thing to do before you choose

Pull your employee list and check which of the two remaining individual insurers include the doctors your team uses in Wilmington, Dover, Newark and the beach towns. If those networks fit, compare an ICHRA budget with a group renewal averaging around 18 percent statewide. Delaware buyers use HealthCare.gov, where a December 15 selection means January coverage and the window shuts January 15, 2027.

Your checklist

Your 2027 group renewal letter and its effective date
How many employees you have and where they live
A fixed monthly ICHRA budget you could offer
Your own household's coverage, priced separately

Private plan or Marketplace?

Private plan

For the owner's own household when everyone is healthy: priced on age, ZIP code and health. Approval depends on health answers; not an ACA Marketplace plan.

Marketplace

For employees on an ICHRA, or an owner with ongoing care: HealthCare.gov accepts everyone 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.

My Delaware business has 10 employees. Can someone who leaves stay on our group coverage?

Yes, for a while. Delaware requires insured plans at employers with 1 to 19 employees to offer up to nine months of continuation once the person has been covered three months, costing at most 102 percent of the group premium. That gives a departing worker time to line up other coverage.

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.