What’s the Difference Between Affordable Care Act National and State Marketplaces?
Key takeaways:
HealthCare.gov is the national platform for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance information. It is also the enrollment platform for people in 31 states.
Nineteen states and Washington, D.C., have their own marketplaces for ACA enrollment.
Some states with their own marketplaces offer extended enrollment deadlines.
Table of contents
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) — short for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — is the 2010 national health-reform law. It is sometimes known as Obamacare.
ACA marketplace health plans covered more than 21 million people in 2024. Applicants seeking health coverage shop for and enroll in plans that appear in marketplaces, also known as exchanges.
People in 31 states use HealthCare.gov, the national health insurance marketplace. For the 2025 coverage year, residents of 19 states and Washington, D.C., will buy insurance through state marketplaces.
Prescription Savings Are Just the Beginning
See what other benefits you qualify for—from cashback cards to cheaper insurance.
Let’s walk through the differences between these exchanges and how to enroll you and your family in an ACA plan.
What are the primary functions of state marketplaces?
State marketplace platforms provide health insurance options for their residents. By offering their own marketplaces, states and Washington, D.C., have more control in managing consumer outreach and more oversight of participating plans. These entities also are completely in charge of applicant eligibility and enrollment. State marketplaces may also have paid advertisements from health insurers on their websites.
Which states have their own marketplaces?
Generally, the 2025 coverage year open enrollment period runs from November 1, 2024, to January 15, 2025.
If you live in one of these 19 states or Washington, D.C., you will enroll through a state-run marketplace platform. This is the first enrollment period that people in Georgia will use its state marketplace.
State-run marketplace platforms
Jurisdiction | Marketplace platform |
|---|---|
California | |
Colorado | |
Connecticut | |
Georgia | |
Idaho | |
Kentucky | |
Maine | |
Maryland | |
Massachusetts | |
Minnesota | |
Nevada | |
New Jersey | |
New Mexico | |
New York | |
Pennsylvania | |
Rhode Island | |
Vermont | |
Virginia | |
Washington state | |
Washington, D.C. |
*These platforms have open enrollment periods that differ from the national window.
Which states use the national marketplace?
People in 31 states use the national HealthCare.gov platform to choose an ACA plan and enroll. (Arkansas and Oregon have state-based marketplaces for consumer marketing, enrollment assistance, and oversight of health insurance plans. But they use the federal platform for eligibility and enrollment.)
Who is eligible for an Affordable Care Act (ACA) health plan? U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or noncitizens lawfully in the U.S. who live in Washington, D.C., or any state are eligible for ACA health insurance coverage.
All ACA plans cover essential health benefits. Every ACA health plan must cover 10 essential health benefits, including preventive care, emergency services, prescription medications, and mental health services.
Many people qualify for ACA premium subsidies. Households with incomes from 100% to 400% of the federal poverty level — and sometimes more — qualify for tax credits to reduce the cost of their insurance premiums.
People in these U.S. territories can enroll in the ACA only if they qualify as residents of Washington, D.C., or one of the states:
American Samoa
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands
How do state marketplaces differ from the national marketplace?
State marketplaces have their own Web addresses and platform names that differ from HealthCare.gov. For instance, Pennsylvania’s ACA website is Pennie, while New Mexico uses the name BeWell for its marketplace. These state marketplaces also have dedicated phone numbers for their residents to ask questions and seek enrollment assistance.
States that run their own marketplaces may have open enrollment deadlines that differ from HealthCare.gov. The enrollment deadline for the 2025 coverage year depends on where you live.
In most states, open enrollment for the 2025 coverage year is November 1, 2024, to January 15, 2025.
Some states have extended open enrollment deadlines for the 2025 coverage year. They are:
California: January 31, 2025
Massachusetts: January 23, 2025
New Jersey: January 31, 2025
New York: January 31, 2025
Rhode Island: January 31, 2025
Washington, D.C.: January 31, 2025
One state has a different open enrollment window for the 2025 coverage year:
Idaho: October 15 to December 16, 2024
If you miss your open enrollment deadline, you may have to wait until the next annual open enrollment period — at the end of 2025, for 2026 health insurance coverage.
If you have a qualifying life event (for example, you get married, have a baby, or lose healthcare coverage) after your deadline to enroll for 2025 coverage, you may be able to access ACA health insurance during a special enrollment period.
How do I enroll in an ACA plan?
ACA enrollment through the national marketplace requires you to complete an application with information about the people in your household and your household income. You will need to choose a plan and may need to pay a premium for coverage to begin.
The ACA premium subsidies, which are based on income, will continue for the 2025 coverage year because of affordability provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Financial assistance with premiums means that 4 out of 5 people will be able to find a plan for $10 or less per month.
How to sign up for coverage
There are several ways to sign up:
Enroll online through HealthCare.gov.
Use the Find Local Help tool to locate in-person assistance with an ACA navigator in your area. It can also help you find an agent or a broker. All are trained to walk you through the marketplace process, and services are free.
Apply through the website of a certified enrollment partner, such as a private health insurance company.
Enroll by phone by contacting the Marketplace Call Center at 800-318-2596. This line is available 24-7, excluding holidays. The service is available in several languages.
Complete and mail an application.
The bottom line
The national Affordable Care Act platform, HealthCare.gov, is the enrollment site for people in 31 states. Nineteen states and Washington, D.C., have their own ACA marketplace platforms. State-based marketplaces offer more flexibility for states to oversee consumer outreach and to have open enrollment deadlines that differ from the national platform.
Why trust our experts?
References
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2024). Marketplace 2025 open enrollment fact sheet.
HealthCare.gov. (n.d.). Agent and broker (health insurance).
HealthCare.gov. (n.d.). Health insurance marketplace®.
HealthCare.gov. (n.d.). How to apply & enroll.
HealthCare.gov. (n.d.). The marketplace in your state.
HealthCare.gov. (n.d.). Open enrollment period.
HealthCare.gov. (n.d.). Premium.
HealthCare.gov. (n.d.). Special enrollment period (SEP).
KFF. (n.d.). State health insurance marketplace types, 2025.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2024). Historic 21.3 million people choose ACA marketplace coverage.
Your Health Idaho. (2024). Open enrollment for 2025.
