{
  "id": 16173365,
  "title": "Shopping for an ACA Plan This Year? Here’s What You Need To Know",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/shopping-for-an-aca-plan-this-year-heres-what-you-need-to-know",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-23T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "KFF Health News",
    "slug": "kff-health-news",
    "url": "https://kffhealthnews.org/insurance/aca-obamacare-open-enrollment-marketplace-shopping-tips-premiums-costs-cms-changes/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As the Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment for 2027 coverage begins on November 1 in most states, consumers can expect both significant and minor changes. Premiums may rise, and there could be additional identity checks and delays when working with brokers. New limits on which immigrants can receive subsidies have also been introduced. Some states, including Idaho, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, start earlier, while others already allow \"window shopping\" to compare premium rates.\n\nThe prognosis for enrollment is expected to decline further, primarily due to the end of enhanced subsidies at the end of 2025. Policy experts attribute the drop in enrollment to millions of people losing or dropping coverage in the first few months of 2026. However, the Trump administration sees this as a success, crediting its efforts to curb fraud, such as the August cancellation of policies for 760,000 enrollees suspected to be improperly signed up.\n\nThe main change will be increased scrutiny of consumers and agents to prevent fraud or improper enrollments. For consumers using agents or brokers in the federal marketplace, which serves 29 states, a new rule requires obtaining a one-time confirmation code or link to authorize a specific agent to enroll or make changes on their behalf. This will be sent via text message, email, or an automated call from the agent's private enrollment platform.\n\nReturning consumers with incorrect or outdated contact information must update their information before proceeding. High-risk individuals, such as first-time applicants, those with existing coverage whose applications involve a state change, or those working with new agents or paying a monthly premium of $30 or less, must verify their identity through a CMS-approved third party like Experian. Failure to pass this test may lead to additional identity proofing requirements.\n\nBrokers registered with the federal marketplace in 2026 will face a moratorium, making it difficult for small brokers to assist clients this year. This could temporarily increase enrollment chaos, as agencies plan to add agents after open enrollment. The changes aim to target fraudulent enrollments but may create extra hurdles for some consumers.",
  "summary": "As open enrollment for Affordable Care Act health insurance kicks off, consumers face rising premiums, additional identity checks, and fewer brokers.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}