Louisiana open enrollment 2027 Open enrollment · Louisiana

Louisiana 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 Louisiana, 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

Louisiana's average 2027 rate change is 18.1% (finalized). The details are on the Louisiana 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.

Louisiana this year

Louisiana's approved 2027 individual increase is about 18.1 percent, while small-group plans rise about 11.9 percent. That gap shapes the choice for an offshore service contractor, a Lafayette roofing company, a shrimping operation or a New Orleans hospitality business. New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Lake Charles each have their own hospital systems and networks, and plans offered in one parish may not be sold in the next. Louisianans enroll on HealthCare.gov. For many small employers, the group renewal looks steadier this year, while an ICHRA would expose employees to the steeper individual market and its parish-by-parish differences.

Small-group plans in Louisiana average about 11.9% for 2027, against 18.1% 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

Price your group renewal against individual plans in every parish where your crew lives, not only the one where the business is based. A Baton Rouge firm with workers in several surrounding parishes can see a different network in each. If you insure only your own household, also ask about private plans, which can start at the beginning of any month if approved; they are separate from ACA Marketplace coverage, and approval rests on the health questions you answer.

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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana. 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 Louisiana?

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

If a deckhand leaves my Louisiana business, can that person hold on to our group plan?

Louisiana requires group plans to offer as long as a year of continued coverage to employees not eligible for federal COBRA, after three straight months enrolled, at no more than the full group rate. The written election and initial payment are due by the end of the month after coverage would have ended.

Can I get a private plan in Louisiana 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 Louisiana

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 Louisiana and 30 other states, NPN 21032307. Last updated November 3, 2026.