Florida leads the country in ACA marketplace sign-ups. For the second year in a row, those plans cost more, and the extra federal help that kept many premiums near zero is gone.
By Joseph Jackson | TAMPA (Nov. 8, 2026)
The short version
Open enrollment for 2027 runs Nov. 1 through Jan. 15 on HealthCare.gov.
Sign up and pay your first premium by Dec. 15 for coverage on Jan. 1. Sign up Dec. 16 to Jan. 15 and coverage starts Feb. 1.
Average premiums rise 10.4% before subsidies, from $811 to $898 a month.
Free, unbiased help is available in every Florida county through Covering Florida Navigators, based at USF in Tampa.
What changed for 2027
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation approved an average 10.4% increase in individual ACA premiums for 2027, raising the average monthly premium from $811 to $898 per person before subsidies, CiberCuba reported. That follows an average jump of about 34% for 2026.
The 2026 increase hit hard because the enhanced federal tax credits, first passed in 2021, expired at the end of 2025 and Congress did not renew them. About 440,000 Floridians dropped their ACA plans this year, the biggest drop of any state, according to an Associated Press analysis reported by News4Jax.
For people who stayed, the average monthly cost after subsidies rose about 58%, from $67 in 2025 to $106 in 2026, Florida Independent reported, citing the AP. One Florida insurance agent told News4Jax that some customers who used to pay nothing now pay $200 to $300 a month.
Even so, Florida still leads the nation in marketplace enrollment, with nearly 4 million people, Axios Tampa Bay reported.
Your deadlines
Dec. 15: Enroll and pay your first premium for coverage starting Jan. 1.
Jan. 15: Last day of open enrollment. Coverage starts Feb. 1.
After Jan. 15, you can only sign up if you have a qualifying life event, like losing job-based coverage, moving, marriage or a new baby.
Before you renew
Don't just auto-renew. If you do nothing, you may be kept in the same plan at a higher price. Compare plans first.
Update your income. Your subsidy is based on your expected 2027 income. A wrong estimate can mean paying money back at tax time.
Use the official site. Florida does not run its own exchange. Sign up at HealthCare.gov or through a certified navigator. Be careful with look-alike websites.
Where to get free help in Tampa Bay
Florida Covering Kids & Families, at the USF College of Public Health in Tampa, runs the Covering Florida Navigator program. Navigators offer free, unbiased help in person, by phone and online, according to USF. To book an appointment, go to coveringflorida.org. Navigators are not paid commissions and do not steer you to a plan.
What about Medicaid?
You may have heard about new federal Medicaid work requirements starting Jan. 1, 2027. Those rules apply to adults who got Medicaid through the ACA expansion. Florida never expanded Medicaid, so the federal work requirement does not apply here, healthinsurance.org explains.
That also means a coverage gap remains. Adults without children who earn below the poverty line, less than $15,650 a year for one person in 2026, generally qualify for neither Florida Medicaid nor marketplace subsidies, according to CoveredUSA. Children, pregnant women and people with disabilities may qualify for Medicaid or CHIP, and those programs take applications year-round.
What comes next
House Democrats, who take control in January, have said restoring the lost ACA tax credits will be among their first votes, as FMNN reported. Any fix would still need to pass the Senate and get the president's signature. For now, plan on 2027 prices as they are.
Sources
CiberCuba, 2027 Florida premiums (Florida OIR data) — https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2026-10-29-u1-e43231-s27061-nid344197-seguros-medicos-individuales-florida-primas-medias
News4Jax, 440,000 Floridians drop ACA plans (AP analysis) — https://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/2026/08/31/440000-floridians-drop-aca-plans-after-federal-subsidies-expire/
Florida Independent, out-of-pocket costs — https://floridaindependentnews.com/health-care/440000-fewer-floridians-are-enrolled-in-aca-marketplace-plans-since-subsidies-expired
Axios Tampa Bay, Florida enrollment — https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2026/07/14/florida-drop-in-aca-enrollees-after-subsidies-expire
USF, Florida Covering Kids & Families — https://health.usf.edu/publichealth/research/chiles/fckaf/what-we-do
healthinsurance.org via GlobeNewswire, Medicaid work requirements — https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/10/14/3380953/33085/en/medicaid-work-requirements-start-jan-1-but-many-enrollees-should-prepare-now.html
CoveredUSA, Florida coverage gap — https://coveredusa.org/en/blog/florida-aca-marketplace-plans