Columbus
Health insurance sign-up for 2027
Two sign-up windows are open this season, and this year the rules changed for many immigrants. Read this before you sign up, renew, or ignore a letter.
When
- Medicare open enrollmentOpen now · 38 days left
October 15, 2026 – December 7, 2026
If you already have Medicare: the one time a year to change your drug plan or your Medicare Advantage plan for 2027.
- Your state's marketplaceOpens in 2 days
November 1, 2026 – January 15, 2027
If you buy your own plan — no job insurance, no Medicaid, no Medicare. Also for renewing this year's plan.
To be covered from January 1, sign up by December 15, 2026.
These are the HealthCare.gov dates. Some states that run their own marketplace stay open longer — check yours.
- Medicaid and children's coverAny time of year
No season. Apply the day you need it.
What changed this year for immigrants
A 2025 federal law (H.R. 1) limits Medicaid, marketplace help with the monthly cost, and Medicare to four groups: citizens, green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and people from the Compact of Free Association nations. Many refugees and people granted asylum in our community are affected.
| Your status | Medicaid | Help paying for a marketplace plan | Medicare |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. citizen | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Green card | Yes — some must wait five years | Yes | Yes — after five years living here |
| Refugee or asylee, no green card yet | No — ended October 1, 2026 | No — ends January 2027 | No — ends January 2027 |
| TPS, parole, work permit or a visa | No (most could not have it before either) | No — ends January 2027 | No — ends January 2027 |
Simplified. Some people inside each row are treated differently, and the Medicare date waits on a federal rule that was not final when this was written. Ask before you decide anything.
What to do
- Open every letter, and answer by its date.Medicaid, Social Security and the marketplace will write before anything ends. Cover is lost more often to an unopened letter than to a rule.
- Green card holders: nothing changes because of your status.Sign up or renew as usual.
- Refugees and asylees without a green card: ask about applying now.A green card keeps these doors open. Ask an accredited immigration representative or lawyer whether you can apply — never a notario.
- Children and pregnant women may still be covered.Some states still cover children and pregnant women who are here lawfully. Ask your state's Medicaid office.
- If you lose your cover, you are not out of options.Losing cover opens a window to buy a plan outside the season — at full price if you no longer get help. Emergency Medicaid still pays for emergencies, and community health centres treat everyone and charge by what you earn.
Children's cover, emergency care, and benefits your children receive are not counted against you in an immigration case. What “public charge” really means
For everyone: 2027 costs more
- The extra federal help with marketplace premiums ended after 2025, and most plans cost more in 2027. Above four times the poverty level there is no help at all.
- Don't let your plan renew by itself. Log in and compare: your plan may have changed, or left your area.
- Medicare: check that your medicines are still on your plan's list for 2027 and that your doctors are still in it.
What to have ready
- A photo ID for each adult
- Immigration papers: green card, I-94, work permit or asylum approval
- Social Security numbers for everyone who has one
- Income: recent pay stubs, and last year's tax return
- Your current plan or Medicare card, and any letter you received
- A list of your medicines and your doctors
Free help, in person or by phone
- HealthCare.gov — the federal marketplace1-800-318-2596healthcare.govIf your state runs its own marketplace, the website sends you there.
- Your state's SHIP — free Medicare counsellingshiphelp.orgFree, unbiased Medicare counsellors. They compare plans with you and sell nothing.
- 1-800-MEDICARE1-800-633-4227Medicare's own line, day and night.
Ask for an Amharic interpreter. Every one of these must give you one free.
Nobody from Medicare or Medicaid telephones you to sell a plan or to ask for your number. Hang up, and call the numbers above yourself.
Sources: Justice in Aging · KFF · healthinsurance.org · Checked October 27, 2026