Affordable Care Act (ACA)

How to Get Obamacare: Enrolling in an ACA Health Insurance Plan

Written by Sana Khan MBA, MPH

Updated on March 27, 2026

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Key takeaways:

To enroll in Obamacare, you must complete an application with information about the people in your household and your income. You will also need to choose a plan and pay any required premium. Free help is available for the enrollment process.
Most people apply for Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage during the open enrollment period each year. If you miss the deadline, you may be able to choose a plan at another time during a special enrollment period.
Enhanced premium tax credits that provided deeper savings on ACA plans for a larger eligible population are not available for the 2026 coverage year. Standard premium tax credits can still help some people save money on their plans.

The Affordable Care Act, known as the ACA or Obamacare, is the 2010 health-reform law enacted during President Barack Obama’s time in office. The ACA has three main goals:

Make affordable health insurance available to more people.
Expand the Medicaid program.
Support medical care delivery that reduces costs.

Here’s how to sign up for coverage and what types of plans are available.

Where do you enroll in an Obamacare plan?

ACA enrollment involves completing an application, choosing a plan, and paying your first premium, if needed.

The place to start is HealthCare.gov, the national health plan marketplace website. At the top of the home page, click “Apply for coverage” to select your state. Most states use the national marketplace system for applications. But as of the 2026 coverage year, 20 states and Washington, D.C., run their own marketplaces. You will be directed to the appropriate site based on where you live.

People in U.S. territories can sign up only if they qualify as residents of one of the 50 states or Washington, D.C.

How do you prepare for the Obamacare enrollment process?

Here are some ways you can get ready for enrollment and determine your eligibility for ACA coverage.

Explainer: To learn more about the marketplace, read these quick tips.
Savings estimator: Use this tool to determine if you qualify for a premium tax credit, also known as a premium subsidy. Having one can help you afford the cost of your ACA plan. You may also learn that people in your household qualify for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Income information: Read more about what will count as income on your application.

How to apply for Obamacare

If you are eligible for ACA coverage, you will need to complete an application. You should have some information handy about yourself, the people in your household, and your income.

The application will ask you about:

Who you are: Basic information, including your name and date of birth.
Your household: Your spouse or partner, children in your home, and all dependents.
Where you live: Your home and/or mailing addresses.
Everyone applying for coverage: Social Security numbers or other information about everyone whom you want to receive health insurance coverage.
Your taxes: How you file — such as separately or jointly — and everyone you claim as a dependent.
Your current income: Your employer and what you make from wages, tips, and other sources.
Your 2026 estimated income: Your best guess about household income in 2026.
Other insurance: Your current health coverage from employment, Medicaid, and other health plans.
Health reimbursement: Whether anyone in the household works for a business that offers help paying for health expenses through a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA).

When your application is completed, you will need to pay your first premium (if any) to the insurance company for your coverage to begin.

Enrollment steps on your marketplace site

Create an account.
Complete the application.
Review plans and prices.
Enroll in a plan.

What about renewing your Obamacare plan?

You can renew your ACA coverage during open enrollment, which is at the end of the year. For the 2027 coverage year, open enrollment will become more uniform nationwide. The enrollment period for all will end on December 31, 2026.

Outside of open enrollment, you can change or update your plan only if you qualify for a special enrollment period. You can also cancel your coverage at any time.

How do you contact an ACA navigator for help enrolling?

An ACA navigator is an individual or organization trained to walk you through marketplace eligibility and enrollment. These services are free. The Find Local Help tool on HealthCare.gov can help you locate in-person assistance in your area.

Other tools and resources available to help you select the ACA plan that is right for you and your family include:

Help in your community: Request help from an insurance agent or broker near you.
ACA marketplace income levels & savings tool: This estimator shows exact plan prices and what you might save on premiums.
KFF health insurance marketplace calculator: This tool helps you estimate your potential premiums and subsidies.

If you still have questions, contact the Marketplace Call Center at 800-318-2596. This line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — excluding holidays.

How can you save money on Obamacare?

Enhanced premium tax credits that have lowered premiums to $10 or less per month since 2020 were eliminated for the 2026 coverage year. As a result, many people have experienced increased premiums, or the amount they pay monthly to have a health insurance plan.

Still, you can use the standard premium tax credit — also known as a premium subsidy — to reduce your monthly insurance payment for an ACA plan if your household income is between 100% to 400% of the federal poverty level. The tax credit is based on your household information and the 2026 income estimate on your application.

In addition, some people will qualify for cost-sharing reductions. These are extra savings on out-of-pocket expenses — such as deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance — when you receive care. You may be able to buy a platinum or gold plan, which usually have the lowest out-of-pocket costs when you receive care.

What types of health insurance plans can you enroll in through the ACA?

Generally, ACA plans are organized into “metal tiers,” which determine how you and your plan will split the cost of care. The metal tier categories are:

Bronze: This plan has the lowest monthly premium but the highest costs when you need care.
Silver: This plan is known as the “benchmark” plan, with moderate monthly premiums and moderate costs when you need care. You must choose a silver plan to qualify for cost-sharing reductions or “extra savings” on out-of-pocket expenses such as deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance.
Gold: This plan has a high monthly premium but low costs when you need care.
Platinum: This plan has the highest monthly premium and the lowest costs when you need care.

A KFF national analysis of marketplace plans for a 40-year-old person found that the average benchmark premium (the second-lowest-cost silver option without subsidies) is $625 in 2026. Prices range from $401 in New Hampshire to $1,299 in Vermont.

Catastrophic health plans

There are also catastrophic health plans for people under 30 and anyone 30 and older with a hardship or affordability exemption. You can join these plans during open enrollment or during a special enrollment period, if you qualify.

You can qualify for an affordability exemption if job-based insurance is too expensive for you (more than 9.02% of your household income).

Hardship exemptions include:

You were homeless.
You were evicted, faced eviction, or faced foreclosure.
You experienced domestic violence.
You experienced a natural or human-made disaster, such as fire and flood, that caused substantial damage to your property.
You received a shut-off notice from a utility company.
You experienced the death of a family member.
You filed for bankruptcy.

Catastrophic health plan premiums are very low. But deductibles — which you pay out of pocket first before your benefits (other than preventive health services) begin — are extremely high. All ACA catastrophic health plans will have a deductible of $9,200 in 2025.

When is your state’s ACA open enrollment period?

Open enrollment for the 2026 coverage year ran from November 1, 2025, through January 15, 2026, in most states. However, the enrollment deadline depends on where you live. Idaho had an earlier open enrollment window from October 15 to December 15.

Some states extended the open enrollment period to these dates for 2026:

California: January 31
Connecticut: January 31
Illinois: January 31
Massachusetts: January 23
New Jersey: January 31
New York: January 31
Pennsylvania: January 31
Rhode Island: January 31
Virginia: January 30
Washington, D.C.: January 31

The enrollment deadlines become more aligned in 2027.

2027 enrollment windows

Starting in the fall of 2026 for the 2027 coverage year, ACA open enrollment will become more uniform nationwide. HealthCare.gov will conduct open enrollment from November 1, 2026, to December 15, 2026.

If you use a state marketplace, the open enrollment period must:

Begin no later than November 1
End by December 31
Last no longer than 9 weeks

What happens if you miss the ACA open enrollment period?

If you miss your deadline to join a plan, you may have to wait until the next annual open enrollment period. At this point, most people won’t have an opportunity until late 2026 to apply for 2027 health insurance coverage.

However, you may be eligible for a special enrollment period in 2026 if you have a qualifying life event, such as:

Losing health coverage
Moving to a new state
Getting married
Having a baby
Adopting a child

Frequently asked questions

President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The first open enrollment period was in 2013 for coverage and care in 2014.

Yes. If you’re eligible, you can still access Obamacare plans and subsidies for which you qualify via HealthCare.gov and state marketplaces that serve their residents.

If the Affordable Care Act is repealed without replacement legislation that meets or exceeds its provisions, millions of people could lose access to comprehensive health insurance coverage and other protections of the health-reform law. For instance, people seeking health plans could be excluded because of pre-existing conditions — an issue that was resolved by the ACA’s provisions mandating accessible coverage. Ending Obamacare would almost assuredly increase the uninsured rate in the U.S.

The bottom line

Be prepared when enrolling in an Affordable Care Act plan. The application will require details about you, your family members, and your income. Make your first premium payment, if any, to complete your enrollment and prompt coverage to begin. If you missed the open enrollment deadline for 2026 coverage where you live, you may be eligible for a special enrollment period.

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Written by:

Sana Khan MBA, MPH

Sana Khan, MBA, MPH, has over 10 years of experience in the healthcare and finance industry in different capacities. In the past, she's held roles as a consultant and analyst, acting as the latter for a large hospital system in Ohio.

Edited by:

Cindy George, MPH

Cindy George, MPH, is the senior personal finance editor at GoodRx. She is an endlessly curious health journalist and digital storyteller.

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References

HealthCare.gov. (n.d.). A quick guide to the health insurance marketplace: Tips about the health insurance marketplace. U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

HealthCare.gov. (n.d.). A quick guide to the health insurance marketplace: When can you get health insurance? U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

GoodRx Health has strict sourcing policies and relies on primary sources such as medical organizations, governmental agencies, academic institutions, and peer-reviewed scientific journals. Learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate, thorough, and unbiased by reading our editorial guidelines.