Marketplace Open Enrollment Dates by Coverage Year

Which open enrollment window applies to a Health Insurance Marketplace plan depends on which benefit (coverage) year that plan is for. Federal regulation 45 CFR § 155.410(e) sets three different date ranges for three different spans of benefit years, and HealthCare.gov’s own consumer pages currently display two separate descriptions of the current window. This article lays out exactly what the regulation says for each benefit-year range and exactly what each HealthCare.gov page currently displays. It does not decide which displayed range is “the” correct one for a reader browsing today.

This original record-reading guide is a general reading aid, not cited evidence. It does not depict a source record; the article text and source links provide the facts.

Key points

• For benefit years 2018 through 2021, the regulation sets open enrollment as November 1 through December 15 of the preceding calendar year.
• For benefit years 2022 through 2026, the regulation sets open enrollment as November 1 of the preceding year through January 15 of the benefit year.
• For benefit years starting on or after January 1, 2027, the regulation requires enrollment to begin no later than November 1 and end no later than December 31 of the preceding year — an outer bound, not a single fixed pair of dates.
• HealthCare.gov’s “Dates & deadlines” page states that open enrollment for 2027 coverage starts November 1, and separately lists both December 15 and January 15 as deadlines.
• A different HealthCare.gov page describes the open enrollment window in general terms as “November 1 - January 15 each year.”

Three regulatory windows

The text of 45 CFR § 155.410(e) changes depending on which benefit year is at issue, setting three different windows.

For benefit years 2018 through 2021, the rule states: “For the benefit years beginning on January 1, 2018 through January 1, 2021, the annual open enrollment period begins on November 1 and extends through December 15 of the calendar year preceding the benefit year.” (45 CFR § 155.410)

For benefit years 2022 through 2026, the rule states: “For benefit years beginning on January 1, 2022, through January 1, 2026—the annual open enrollment period begins on November 1 of the calendar year preceding the benefit year and extends through January 15 of the benefit year.” (45 CFR § 155.410)

For benefit years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, the rule changes shape — it sets outer bounds for all Exchanges rather than a single fixed pair of dates: “For benefit years beginning on or after January 1, 2027—The annual open enrollment period for all Exchanges must begin no later than November 1 and must end no later than December 31 of the calendar year preceding the benefit year.” (45 CFR § 155.410)

Public Page Display

Separate from the regulation text, HealthCare.gov’s “Dates & deadlines” page displays its own reader-facing dates. It states: “Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage starts November 1.” (HealthCare.gov, Dates & deadlines)

The same page also lists two further entries: “December 15: Last day to enroll in or change plans for coverage to start January 1.” and “January 15: Open Enrollment ends — last day to enroll in or change Marketplace health plans for the year.” (HealthCare.gov, Dates & deadlines)

A separate HealthCare.gov page, on coverage outside open enrollment, describes the window in general terms rather than a specific coverage year: “November 1 - January 15 each year.” (HealthCare.gov, Coverage outside Open Enrollment)

The “Dates & deadlines” page presents December 15 and January 15 as two distinct entries rather than a single end date: December 15 is labeled as the last day to enroll for coverage that starts January 1, while January 15 is labeled as the day Open Enrollment itself ends. Both statements are quoted above exactly as HealthCare.gov displays them; this article does not resolve how the two entries relate to each other or to the regulation’s outer bound for 2027-onward benefit years.

What this article does not answer

This article covers only the enrollment-window dates set by the federal regulation and the dates currently displayed on the two named HealthCare.gov pages. It does not address several individual state-based Exchanges’ own enrollment calendars — the federal rule sets outer bounds only. It does not address which Marketplace plans are available in any given year, and it does not address subsidy or premium tax credit amounts. Finally, it does not decide whether the HealthCare.gov consumer pages’ displayed range or the regulation’s 2027-onward outer bound is “the” current answer for a reader browsing today — it states only what each surface shows and reports the sources exactly as they read.

Source links

• 45 CFR 155.410 — Annual Open Enrollment Period (eCFR)
• HealthCare.gov — Dates & Deadlines
• HealthCare.gov — Coverage Outside Open Enrollment: Your Options