What’s changing for ACA Marketplace plans in 2027?

These decisions are being made by the federal government and not by any individual insurer. The decisions will impact all ACA insurers.

These decisions are being made at the federal level and will impact all ACA insurers, including UnitedHealthcare.

Unfortunately, getting sick doesn’t count as a qualifying life event. Without a special enrollment reason, you can’t get covered outside of open enrollment. However, in some states, the deadline might be a different date so be sure to double-check.

Yes. Even if your situation hasn’t changed, you still need to confirm your eligibility to verify if you qualify for a premium tax credit.

If the annual income amount you provide is notably different from the annual income noted by trusted data sources (like the IRS and wage databases), a Data Matching Issue (DMI) will be created. 

Once a DMI is created, here’s what happens next:

• You’ll get a notification that you were issued a DMI. You’ll need to provide documents that verify your income and fix the discrepancy. This maintains your eligibility for a premium tax credit. 

• At the end of the year, if your final income is different than what you predicted, the difference will be addressed when you file taxes. If your income was lower than expected, you’ll get additional premium tax credits. If your income was higher than expected, you’ll have to pay back the government for any overpayment you received.

• If you don’t qualify for a premium tax credit but claim one anyway, you may be required to pay back the full premium tax credit. 

If you purchased your plan off the Exchange, only Change #2 applies to you. This is because Special Enrollment Periods for people with low income are no longer available. Change #1 does not apply.