Got Your 2027 Health Insurance Renewal Notice? Check These 6 Things First
The number on your renewal letter is an estimate built on old data. Here is how to read it, and when switching saves money.
What your renewal notice is telling you
Between October and early November, everyone on a Marketplace plan gets a notice from their insurer and usually one from the Marketplace. It shows your plan for next year, its new monthly price, any changes to the deductible or copays, and an estimate of your premium after the tax credit.
That last number is the one most people look at, and it is the one most likely to be off.
Why the number on the notice can be wrong
The estimate is built from information that is a year old and a benchmark that just changed.
- Your income is last year's. The Marketplace uses whatever it has on file, often your previous tax return. If your 2027 income will be lower, your real credit is likely bigger. If it will be higher, the notice is understating what you will owe, and since tax year 2026 any excess credit is repaid in full.
- The benchmark moved. Your credit equals the price of the second-lowest-cost silver plan in your area minus the amount you are expected to pay. With insurers asking for a median 15% increase for 2027, and some insurers leaving, the benchmark plan in many areas is now a different plan at a different price.
- The cliff is back. Above 400% of the poverty level there is no credit in 2027. If a raise pushed you just over the line, your notice may show the full price.
Check your number in a minute
Enter your current premium, your renewal premium and your expected income in the premium increase calculator. It shows your increase and roughly what a benchmark silver plan should cost at your income.
What happens if you do nothing
If you stay silent, you are usually re-enrolled for January 1 automatically:
- Your plan is still offered: you are renewed in the same plan, at the new price.
- Your plan is discontinued: you are moved into a similar plan, often from the same insurer. If the insurer is leaving entirely, you may be placed with a different insurer, and your doctors may not be in that network.
- Your subsidy: recalculated using the data on file, not your 2027 income.
For 2027, the biggest exit is Cigna, which is leaving the Marketplace in all 11 of its states, including Florida. If you are on a Cigna Marketplace plan, choose your next plan yourself rather than accepting whatever you are moved into. More on insurers leaving in 2027.
Six things to check before you renew
- Your premium after the credit, compared with at least two other plans at the same metal level. If your plan is no longer near the benchmark, there is usually a cheaper plan with a similar network.
- The deductible and out-of-pocket maximum. The legal cap on out-of-pocket costs rises to $12,000 for one person and $24,000 for a family in 2027, and many plans are moving their limits up with it.
- Your doctors, by name, in next year's directory. Networks change every January.
- Your prescriptions in next year's drug list, including the tier. A drug moving from tier 2 to tier 3 can cost more than the premium change.
- Your 2027 income estimate, updated before you compare plans. What counts as income.
- Whether your insurer is staying in your state for 2027.
Send us your renewal letter
We will check it against every plan in your ZIP and tell you whether to keep it or switch. Free, and the premium is the same as buying direct.
Get my free 2027 quote →The dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| October to early November | Renewal and discontinuance notices arrive |
| November 1, 2026 | Open Enrollment opens; window-shop and change plans |
| December 15, 2026 | Last day to choose a plan for a January 1 start |
| January 1, 2027 | Auto-renewed and new plans begin |
| January 15, 2027 | Open Enrollment ends on HealthCare.gov; plans chosen after Dec 15 start February 1 |
If the renewal is for your company's group plan
Small group plans renew on the anniversary of the plan, not on January 1, and the renewal usually arrives 60 to 90 days ahead. The same rule applies: never accept the first renewal without a market check. Options include a different carrier, a different plan mix, a level-funded plan, or an ICHRA. Our employer open enrollment FAQ walks through it, and we can re-market a group at no cost.
Sources: KFF analysis of 2027 ACA rate filings (Aug 2026); Florida Office of Insurance Regulation filings as reported by WLRN (Sep 2026); KFF insurer participation tracker for 2027 (Sep 2026); CMS 2027 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters; IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-24 and Notice 2026-5; 2026 HHS poverty guidelines. Figures checked 4 October 2026. Rates are proposals until each state finalizes them.
Frequently asked
What happens if I ignore my health insurance renewal notice?
If you are on a Marketplace plan and do nothing, you are usually re-enrolled automatically for January 1 in the same plan, or in a similar plan if yours is discontinued, with your subsidy recalculated from the information the Marketplace already has. You stay covered, but you may pay more than you need to.
Why did my premium go up when my plan did not change?
Your net premium is the plan's price minus your premium tax credit, and the credit is based on the second-lowest-cost silver plan in your area. If that benchmark plan got cheaper or a cheaper insurer entered, your credit shrinks and your net premium rises, even if your own plan's price barely changed. That is why the cheapest plan last year is not always the cheapest plan this year.
Is my insurer leaving the Marketplace in 2027?
Nine insurers are leaving at least one state for 2027. The largest is Cigna, which is exiting the Marketplace in all 11 of its states, including Florida. Others include CareSource in Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia, Baylor Scott & White in Texas, PacificSource in Idaho, Montana and Oregon, and ConnectiCare in Connecticut. If your insurer is leaving you should get a discontinuance notice; you can pick a new plan yourself instead of being moved into one.
Can I change plans after I am auto-renewed?
Yes, as long as Open Enrollment is still open. On HealthCare.gov you can change plans through January 15, 2027. The last plan you choose is the one that takes effect, with a January 1 start if you choose by December 15.
Does the Marketplace check my income when it renews me?
It uses the most recent data it has, which may be your 2025 tax return. If your 2027 income will be different, update your application. Starting in 2028, new verification rules will make passive re-enrollment with a subsidy harder, so building the habit of updating every fall pays off.