If your Marketplace health plan is ending, read both your insurer’s notice and your Marketplace notice, compare replacement coverage, and confirm when the new plan starts. Automatic re-enrollment may be available, but it does not guarantee the same doctors, prescriptions or price.
A notice that your plan is ending can be unsettling. Start with the date your current coverage ends, then compare replacement options one step at a time.
This guide is about individual ACA Marketplace coverage. Medicare, employer coverage and COBRA have different rules.
What does “my plan is being discontinued” mean?
It means that particular plan will no longer be offered for the next coverage period. Your insurer may still offer other plans, or it may be leaving your area. The notice should explain what is ending and when.
For a current example, Get Covered Illinois says Cigna and Molina plans will no longer be available on its Marketplace beginning January 1, 2027. Its notice says affected customers can keep their 2026 coverage through December 31 and should continue paying premiums. Affected Cigna and Molina customers in Illinois need to choose a replacement plan for 2027. That notice describes Illinois; check your own state and insurer before drawing conclusions about coverage elsewhere.
Keep the letters. They are useful when you need to confirm a deadline or ask why your replacement coverage differs.
Will the Marketplace move me into another plan?
Possibly. HealthCare.gov describes matching some people to an alternative when their current plan is unavailable. It also warns that some people will not be automatically re-enrolled. Read the plan name, insurer and effective date in your own notice. HealthCare.gov explains renewal and replacement options.
Treat a suggested replacement as something to evaluate. A familiar insurer’s name does not tell you whether your specific doctor or medication is covered.
If you live in Illinois, follow Get Covered Illinois, the state’s official Marketplace. Do not assume federal Marketplace renewal instructions describe every step in a state-run exchange.
For the Illinois Cigna and Molina change described above, follow the state’s instruction to choose a new plan. Check your own notice for the steps that apply to you.
Compare these details before choosing
Use the exact plan name and coverage year when checking benefits. Put your current plan, any suggested replacement and another available option side by side.
| Check | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Doctors and hospitals | Is each provider in this exact plan’s network for 2027? |
| Prescriptions | Is my drug and dose covered, at which tier, and with what approval requirements? |
| Monthly premium | What will I owe after the financial help actually approved for me? |
| Medical costs | What are the deductible, copayments, coinsurance and in-network out-of-pocket limit? |
| Care already underway | What happens to existing authorizations, scheduled care and specialist treatment? |
| Travel or another home | How does the plan cover nonemergency care away from home? |
HealthCare.gov’s comparison guide explains why premiums, cost-sharing and plan networks belong in the same decision. A lower monthly bill can still mean more spending when you need care.
For ongoing treatment, ask the new insurer whether transition-of-care arrangements are available. Get the answer before assuming an authorization or provider relationship carries over. HealthCare.gov explains how to check providers.
Update your application before relying on last year’s savings
Check household members, address, expected annual income and other coverage available to you. Your retirement date, a spouse’s job change or a different income mix may affect the application.
Marketplace financial help uses expected income for the coverage year. It is not simply based on the balance in your checking account or last year’s premium. Report changes and use the current eligibility decision; do not assume an old tax credit will continue unchanged. See what counts as Marketplace income.
Put three dates on your calendar
- The last day of your current coverage.
- The deadline to select replacement coverage with the start date you need.
- The deadline to pay any required first premium to the new insurer.
As checked October 20, 2026, HealthCare.gov says enrollment for 2027 opens November 1, 2026 and identifies December 15, 2026 as the selection deadline for January 1, 2027 coverage. Check the current federal calendar or your state Marketplace’s calendar before acting; state deadlines can differ. Illinois residents can use the state’s enrollment calendar.
Pay any required first premium by the insurer’s deadline and confirm the effective date. HealthCare.gov’s enrollment guide distinguishes enrollment from the payment needed to begin coverage when a premium is due.
If your plan ends outside the usual enrollment season, a discontinued individual plan may qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period. Ask promptly about eligibility, documents and the effective date. HealthCare.gov lists loss-of-coverage situations.
Before you consider the change finished
Save the enrollment confirmation and any payment receipt. Confirm the new insurer has activated coverage, and check how to obtain your member ID. If your old plan uses automatic payments, ask how its final bill and cancellation will be handled so you do not create a gap or leave unwanted payments running.
Need help with the application? Use Marketplace-certified assistance or your state Marketplace. If Medicare is approaching, our Medicare enrollment timeline explains the separate transition to Part A and Part B.
Common questions
Will I lose coverage as soon as the letter arrives?
Read the termination date in the notice. A notice about next year does not itself mean your current coverage ends today. Keep meeting your current plan’s payment requirements.
Can I keep my doctors in the replacement plan?
Check each provider against the exact replacement plan. Do not rely only on the insurer’s brand or on last year’s directory. Confirm with the insurer and provider’s billing office.
Can a new Marketplace plan turn me down because of my health?
ACA Marketplace plans cannot reject you or charge you more because of a pre-existing condition. You still need an available enrollment window. That protection does not mean every provider or treatment is covered without limits. Check the plan’s benefits, network and cost-sharing. HealthCare.gov explains pre-existing-condition protections.
Is selecting a plan enough to start coverage?
Complete the required enrollment steps and follow the new insurer’s payment instructions. If a first premium is owed, pay it by the insurer’s deadline. Keep your confirmation and verify that coverage is active.
Have a general question about this guide? Contact ShieldWise. Please do not send medical records, Social Security numbers or tax documents through the general contact form.
This article provides general education, not individual insurance, medical, legal or tax advice. Benefits, costs, availability and enrollment rights depend on the coverage and applicable rules. Confirm your situation with the official program, plan administrator or a qualified professional.