Your Insurance Detective › Massachusetts › Open enrollment 2027
When Is Massachusetts Health Connector Open Enrollment for 2027? Dates, the December 23 Deadline, and What Changed
Written and reviewed by Dick Tracy, licensed health insurance broker (NPN 20414610) · Published October 2, 2026
Quick answer Massachusetts Health Connector open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs from October 23, 2026 through January 23, 2027, nine days earlier than the usual November 1 start. Enroll and pay by December 23, 2026 and your plan starts January 1, 2027. After that you are looking at February 1, with January uncovered if you have no plan now. The state's final rate table shows an average 10.8% increase across the merged individual and small group market (insurers asked for 12.9%), from 6.7% to 19.2% by carrier. MassHealth has no window at all, and neither does ConnectorCare if you newly qualify. Neither do the group plans I use for healthy self-employed people. I educate, you decide.
I'm Dick Tracy, a health insurance broker. I'm licensed in Massachusetts, one of 25 states I hold a license in, and I work with 80+ carriers from my office in Buffalo, New York, by phone or Zoom. I came from the healthcare side of this business, so there's no gag clause on me. You get the tips, the tricks, and the traps. The trap on this page: Massachusetts runs on the 23rd, not the dates you hear in national news, and a first-time enrollee is not enrolled until the first premium is paid.
and runs through Jan. 23, 2027
for a Jan. 1, 2027 start
merged market (asked: 12.9%)
Sources: Massachusetts Health Connector, updates page, last updated October 1, 2026 (2027 window and the December 23 deadline); Health Connector, when is open enrollment (the 23rd rule); Massachusetts Division of Insurance, 2027 Health Insurance Rates (final and proposed rates). Last verified October 2, 2026.
What are the Massachusetts Health Connector open enrollment dates for 2027?
Every row comes from the Health Connector's own pages, read on October 2, 2026. None of these dates is a guess.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| October 23, 2026 | Open enrollment begins for 2027 coverage. Anyone can sign up or change plans. |
| November 23, 2026 | Deadline for coverage that starts December 1, for people who have a qualifying life event. |
| December 23, 2026 | Deadline to enroll and pay for coverage that starts January 1, 2027. |
| January 1, 2027 | New plan year begins. New deductible, new out-of-pocket maximum, new rates. |
| January 23, 2027 | Open enrollment ends. Last day to enroll and pay for coverage that starts February 1. |
| February 1, 2027 | Coverage starts for anyone who enrolled and paid between December 24 and January 23. |
Sources: Health Connector, updates page ("will run from October 23, 2026, to January 23, 2027"; "December 23 is the deadline to enroll in health and dental coverage that starts January 1"); Health Connector, Pre-Open Enrollment 2027 toolkit (timeline); Health Connector, when is open enrollment (the enrollment deadline is the 23rd day of each month).
Two rules sit behind that table. First, the 23rd. In Massachusetts the deadline is the 23rd of every month, and coverage starts the first of the month after. Second, payment. The Health Connector says a first-time enrollment "isn't finished" until you check out your plan and make the first premium payment by the due date. Picking a plan on December 22 and paying on December 27 is a February 1 start. Decide early. Then enjoy December.
How much are Massachusetts health insurance rates going up in 2027?
Double digits for most people, and a little less than the insurers wanted. Massachusetts puts individuals and small businesses in one merged market. In May the carriers proposed an average 12.9%. The Division of Insurance's final table shows 10.8% across 697,848 renewing members. When the first approvals were posted on July 22, 2026, State House News Service reported the average at 10.4%, with Fallon's 25.7% request rejected as excessive. The final table now lists Fallon at 19.2%.
Averages hide the story, though. Here is every carrier:
| Carrier (merged market) | Renewing members | Proposed in May | Final for 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts HMO Blue | 166,384 | 15.3% | 13.2% |
| Tufts Health Public Plans | 160,566 | 11.8% | 7.5% |
| Boston Medical Center Health Plan (WellSense) | 140,089 | 11.9% | 11.4% |
| Harvard Pilgrim Health Care | 79,318 | 6.7% | 6.7% |
| Mass General Brigham Health Plan | 78,878 | 13.5% | 12.2% |
| Fallon Community Health Plan | 29,641 | 25.7% | 19.2% |
| Health New England | 23,143 | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company | 19,829 | 14.2% | 10.9% |
| All carriers | 697,848 | 12.9% | 10.8% |
Sources: Massachusetts Division of Insurance, 2027 Health Insurance Rates (final and proposed merged market tables, weighted average base rate change before changes due to age); State House News Service, July 22, 2026 (first posting, the Fallon rejection). Averages across each carrier's plans; your own plan's change is on your renewal notice.
Read that table like a detective. If your carrier's final number is one of the small ones, staying put may be right. If it is one of the big ones, that letter is your cue to shop, not to sigh and pay it. I explain the "why" behind these letters in Why did my health insurance go up?
What else changed for 2027 on the Health Connector?
| Change | What it means |
|---|---|
| The window opens earlier | October 23 instead of the usual November 1, same January 23 end. The Health Connector says recent court actions over a federal rule gave it flexibility on the end date for 2027 coverage. |
| Enhanced federal credits are gone | The bigger premium tax credits expired December 31, 2025. Above 400% of the federal poverty level there is no federal credit: one dollar over and it is zero. That is the subsidy cliff. For 2027 coverage the line is $63,840 for one person and $132,000 for a family of four (expected: 400% of the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines; the Health Connector had not posted its 2027 chart when I wrote this). |
| No cap on paying credits back | Starting with tax year 2026, federal law removed the limit on how much excess advance credit you repay at tax time. Finish the year over 400% and you pay back all of it. |
| ConnectorCare | For 2026, ConnectorCare covers household incomes from 100% to 400% of the poverty level, and the 400% to 500% plan type (3D) is not offered. The Health Connector says the 300% to 400% plan type (3C) "will remain available through the end of 2026." A 2027 plan type chart was not on the Health Connector's ConnectorCare page on October 2, 2026. Your final eligibility notice, due mid-October to early November, is the answer for your household. |
| Noncitizen eligibility | Starting January 1, 2027, federal law ends tax credits and ConnectorCare for certain lawfully present noncitizens. The Health Connector estimates about 35,000 current enrollees may no longer qualify for help paying for coverage. They can still buy a plan at full price. |
| MassHealth | Beginning January 1, 2027, some adult members 19 through 64 must meet federal work and education requirements (80 hours a month, or income of at least $580 a month), checked at their first renewal of 2027. |
Sources: Health Connector, updates page, last updated October 1, 2026 (window, expired credits, repayment cap, Plan Type 3D); Health Connector, ConnectorCare plans (2026 income range); HHS, 2026 poverty guidelines ($15,960 for one person, $33,000 for four); MassHealth, new work and education requirements.
The cliff is the one to respect. Under the line, guess your income low and the IRS takes the difference back at tax time, with no cap. Over it, you pay sticker. Run the free 2026 subsidy cliff calculator and check the Massachusetts Health Connector income limits before you fall in love with a monthly number. The calculator uses the 2026 line, $62,600 for one person. For 2027 coverage the expected line is $63,840.
What does Massachusetts charge if I skip coverage?
Massachusetts has its own coverage requirement, separate from the federal law, under a 2006 state law. Adults must carry coverage that meets the state's Minimum Creditable Coverage standard if it is affordable to them, reported on Schedule HC with the state tax return. Going bare is not a free move here, and neither is buying something that does not count.
Which Massachusetts coverage has no open enrollment window?
More than most people think. The October to January window governs regular Health Connector plans. It does not govern the programs below.
| Type of coverage | When you can start it |
|---|---|
| Health Connector plan, full price or with a tax credit | October 23 to January 23, or within 60 days of a qualifying life event |
| ConnectorCare | Any time, if you newly qualify after not qualifying before, or apply for the first time and qualify. $0 or low premiums and no deductible. |
| MassHealth | Any time. Coverage can start right away. |
| Standalone dental plan | Any time. |
| A pre-established ERISA group plan | Group plans are not tied to the individual open enrollment calendar |
Sources: Health Connector, when is open enrollment ("If you qualify for MassHealth, or for a ConnectorCare plan, or want to purchase a standalone dental plan, you may enroll at any time during the year"); Health Connector, special enrollment period; Health Connector, ConnectorCare plans.
What is the special enrollment period, and what counts?
Outside the window, a regular Health Connector plan takes a qualifying life event: losing other coverage, marriage, a birth or adoption, a permanent move to Massachusetts, and a handful of others. You get 60 days from the event to enroll (Health Connector, special enrollment period). The 23rd still rules. The Health Connector's own example: lose a job plan on November 15, and you need to apply, shop, and pay by November 23 for a plan that starts December 1 with no gap.
One trap: losing a plan because you stopped paying is not a qualifying event, and the Health Connector says not paying your COBRA premium is not a loss of coverage either. COBRA running out counts. Walking away from it does not. Decide on purpose, not by default.
What should I actually do before October 23?
Here is the part the marketplace's own materials will never tell you, because it is not their job. The October to January calendar governs individual plans, not group coverage. Massachusetts prices every individual plan the same for a healthy person and a sick one, with no health questions. That protects sick people, and it is the right thing for them. It also leaves a healthy owner paying full price with one other door worth pricing first.
That door is the pre-established ERISA group plan. ERISA is a federal law from 1974 that governs employer benefit plans. Group plans already exist under it, and a solo owner can be merged into one. Group rates. A true PPO network of the PHCS and MultiPlan type instead of a regional network. A policy you own and keep. No payroll, no employees required, and one simple compliance step I walk you through. Because Massachusetts has its own coverage standard and its own penalty, I confirm how the plan sits with that standard before you sign anything. Here is the full breakdown.
The second door is the Health Connector, or the identical plans bought straight from the carrier at the same price. The third is the supplemental layer for the deductible: accident, critical illness, and gap coverage. Massachusetts is stricter than most states about which of those can be sold here, so I tell you what is on the table on the call. And sometimes the honest answer is a Health Connector plan. I will tell you which, with the numbers next to each other.
Healthy, self-employed, income over the subsidy line
Price the pre-established ERISA group plan first, then the same Health Connector plans at full price against it. Your renewal letter's percentage is the tiebreaker. The Massachusetts doors, in order, are here.
Income under the subsidy lines
A subsidized plan, ConnectorCare, or MassHealth may be your best deal, and I will tell you so. The trade-offs: regional networks, an income estimate you have to get right, and repayment at tax time with no cap if you guess low. Run the subsidy calculator, preset for Massachusetts, then bring me the number.
Small business owner with a few employees
You are in the same merged pool, so that 10.8% average is yours too. Three routes: a traditional small group plan, the pre-established ERISA group plan, or no group plan at all. I customize the plan based on the situation. Often that's cost-effective, customized individual plans instead of a one-size-fits-all group plan.
Lost coverage in the middle of the year
The clock is 60 days, and the 23rd decides your start date. Call me in week one, not week eight, and we price COBRA against every other door before the clock runs out.
A serious diagnosis in the last five years
Guaranteed-issue coverage, for now. Health Connector plans take everyone at the same price with no health questions. Take that protection, do not miss December 23, and we revisit the other doors later.
Common questions about Massachusetts Health Connector open enrollment 2027
When is Massachusetts Health Connector open enrollment for 2027?
Massachusetts Health Connector open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs from October 23, 2026 through January 23, 2027, according to the Health Connector. That is nine days earlier than the usual November 1 start. Massachusetts runs its own marketplace and sets its own dates, so ignore the HealthCare.gov calendar you see in national news.
What is the Health Connector deadline for coverage starting January 1, 2027?
December 23, 2026. The Health Connector's deadline is the 23rd of every month for coverage that starts the first of the next month, so December 23 is the last day to enroll in a plan that starts January 1, 2027. If you are enrolling for the first time, the Health Connector says you are not finished until you pay your first premium by the due date. Enroll and pay between December 24 and January 23 and coverage starts February 1, 2027, leaving January uncovered.
Why does Health Connector open enrollment start earlier this year?
The Health Connector moved the start from the usual November 1 to October 23, 2026 and kept the January 23, 2027 end date. Its updates page explains that the federal government had finalized a rule to shorten open enrollment for all marketplaces, but because of recent court actions the Health Connector has flexibility around the end date for 2027 coverage. The date that matters does not change: December 23.
How much are Massachusetts health insurance rates going up in 2027?
The Massachusetts Division of Insurance's final table for the merged individual and small group market shows a weighted average increase of 10.8% for 2027 across 697,848 renewing members. Insurers proposed 12.9% in May. By carrier the approved changes run from 6.7% at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and 7.5% at Tufts Health Public Plans to 13.2% at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts HMO Blue and 19.2% at Fallon Community Health Plan. Your own plan's change is on your renewal notice.
Can I enroll in MassHealth or ConnectorCare outside open enrollment?
Yes. The Health Connector says Massachusetts residents can enroll in MassHealth at any time if they qualify, and MassHealth coverage can start right away. ConnectorCare is open any time of year to people who newly qualify after not qualifying before, or who are applying for the first time and qualify. Everyone else needs the October 23 to January 23 window or a qualifying life event.
What is the special enrollment period on the Health Connector?
A special enrollment period is a 60-day window to enroll or change plans outside open enrollment after a qualifying life event, such as losing other coverage, getting married, having or adopting a child, or a permanent move to Massachusetts. The 23rd still rules the start date: enroll and pay by the 23rd and coverage starts the first of the next month. Losing coverage because you did not pay the premium does not count, and neither does failing to pay COBRA.
What is the Massachusetts penalty for not having health insurance?
Massachusetts has its own individual mandate, under a 2006 state law, enforced on the state tax return. For tax year 2026, the Department of Revenue schedule runs from $26 a month for an adult between 150.1% and 200% of the poverty level to $211 a month, or $2,532 for a full year, above 400%. A married couple owes the sum of both penalties. There is no penalty at or below 150% of the poverty level or, per the Health Connector, for a gap of up to three consecutive months. The 2026 schedule is the latest one I have read.
Do I have to wait for open enrollment to get health insurance in Massachusetts?
Only for a regular Health Connector plan with no qualifying event. MassHealth enrolls year-round, and so does ConnectorCare if you newly qualify. Losing coverage mid-year opens a 60-day special enrollment period. Group coverage is not tied to the individual calendar, and that includes the pre-established ERISA group plans I use for healthy self-employed people over the subsidy line: group rates, a true PPO network, and a policy you own. I confirm how any plan sits with the state coverage standard before you sign.
Thirty minutes on the phone or Zoom, no fee, no hard sell. Bring your renewal letter, a rough income number, your doctors, and how you use care. I put every Massachusetts door that fits you side by side, including the ones with no enrollment window, before you lock anything in for 2027. I educate, you decide.
Grab a time right here
Pick a slot below and it lands on both our calendars. Phone or Zoom, plan documents on the screen, real numbers side by side. I educate, you decide.
Who you'll be talking to: me, Richard "Dick" Tracy. Real name, real job.
Health insurance broker · NPN 20414610 · Licensed in 25 states · 80+ carriers · Buffalo, NY
No call center, and no lead form that sells your name to ten agencies. The person who answers 716-503-1113 is the same person in this photo. I educate, you decide.
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