Reminder: 2026 Open Enrollment is still happening for 1/3 of the population!

Two things are true as of today: 2026 ACA Open Enrollment has ended...and 2026 ACA Open Enrollment is still going on (in some states).

The official Open Enrollment Period ended yesterday at midnight across 41 states...but residents of the other 9 (plus DC) still have time to enroll for coverage starting February 1st.

• California: January 31st
• Connecticut: January 31st (extended!)
• District of Columbia: January 31st
• Illinois: January 31st (extended!)
• Massachusetts: January 23rd
• New Jersey: January 31st
• New York: January 31st
• Pennsylvania: January 31st (extended!)
• Rhode Island: January 31st
• Virginia: January 30th

Collectively, these states have over 114 million residents, or over 1/3 of the total U.S. population.

If you missed (or miss) the deadline for your state, you're out of luck unless you qualify for one of the following exceptions:

• Members of federally-recognized Native American tribes or Alaska Natives can enroll in ACA coverage year-round.

• If you're eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), you can enroll year-round.

• If you become eligible for a 60-day Special Enrollment Period due to having a qualifying life event like losing your existing coverage, getting married/divorced, giving birth/adopting, turning 26, getting out of prison, etc.

There are also several state-specific programs which also allow eligible enrollees to do so year round, including:

• Connecticut: Covered Connecticut
• District of Columbia: Healthy DC (Basic Health Plan)
• Massachusetts: ConnectorCare
• Minnesota: MinnesotaCare (Basic Health Plan)
• New York: Essential Plan (Basic Health Plan)
• Oregon: Bridge Program (Basic Health Plan)

See my 2026 ACA Open Enrollment Guide for a bunch of other important information!