What health coverage costs in 2027
Some 2027 prices are set. Others are proposed or projected, and more come out in November.
Marketplace
15% rise insurers asked for
Median for 2027 plans, before premium help.Proposed, KFF, August 3, 2026
Job-based
8.2% rise in employer health costs
Expected per employee for 2027.Projected, Marsh, September 2, 2026
Federal employees
10.9% more paid by FEHB enrollees
On average, for 2027.Official, OPM, September 2026
Medicare
$209.50 a month for Part B
The standard premium expected for 2027.Projected, Medicare Trustees, June 2026
Labels: Official: set or counted by a government agency; Final: rates insurers charge after review; Proposed: what insurers asked for, which can change; Projected: an estimate before the real number; Survey: an average from a survey of employers.
Numbers and links checked October 28, 2026.
Marketplace plans
Insurers asked for smaller rises for 2027 than for 2026.
How we got these numbers: Marketplace plans
| Measure | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Median price change | 20% Final, KFF, August 3, 2026 | 15% Proposed, KFF, August 3, 2026 |
| Average price change, weighted by enrollment | 25.5% Final, Families USA, October 26, 2026 | 15.6% Proposed, Families USA, October 26, 2026 |
| Most you pay for the benchmark plan with premium help, as a share of income | 9.96% Official, IRS, July 2025 | 10.22% Official, IRS, July 2026 |
| Most you pay out of pocket in a year, for covered in-network care | $10,600 for one person, $21,200 for a family Official, CMS, January 29, 2026 | $12,000 for one person, $24,000 for a family Official, CMS, January 29, 2026 |
Price changes are list prices, before premium help. Out-of-pocket limits don't include premiums.
- Most people get premium help. About 87% of people who picked a plan for 2026 got premium tax credits. (Official, CMS, March 2026)
- Help rises with prices. It's based on your income and your area's benchmark plan, the second-lowest-cost silver plan. When list prices rise, your help usually does too.
- No federal premium tax credit above 400% of the poverty level. Some states have their own help; your state's marketplace can tell you. (Official, IRS, July 2026)
- For many people, the big jump came in 2026. The extra premium help ended after 2025. The average premium after help rose from $113 a month for 2025 to $178 for 2026. So 2026 to 2027 understates what long-time enrollees felt. (Official, CMS, May 2025 and March 2026)
Job-based plans
Your employer decides how much of the premium you pay.
How we got these numbers: Job-based plans
- Expected for 2027: employers expect their health benefit cost per employee to rise 8.2% on average, even after changes such as higher deductibles. (Projected, Marsh, September 2, 2026)
Averages for what workers pay in 2027 aren't out yet. Your enrollment materials show your own.
Federal employees and retirees
Premiums rise again in 2027, by less than in 2026.
This covers FEHB and Postal Service (PSHB) plans. Open Season runs November 9 to December 14, 2026.
How we got these numbers: Federal employees and retirees
| Average rise | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| FEHB premiums | 10.2% Official, OPM, September 2026 | 9.3% Official, OPM, September 2026 |
| What FEHB enrollees pay | 12.3% Official, OPM, September 2026 | 10.9% Official, OPM, September 2026 |
| PSHB premiums | 9% Official, OPM, September 2026 | 6.7% Official, OPM, September 2026 |
| What PSHB enrollees pay | 11.3% Official, OPM, September 2026 | 8.2% Official, OPM, September 2026 |
Averages across all plans. Your plan's change can differ.
Medicare
Part B is expected to rise. The average Medicare Advantage premium is expected to fall.
Open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026.
How we got these numbers: Medicare
| Measure | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Part B premium, per month | $202.90 Official, CMS, November 14, 2025 | $209.50 Projected, Medicare Trustees, June 2026 |
| Part B deductible, per year | $283 Official, CMS, November 14, 2025 | $292 Projected, Medicare Trustees, June 2026 |
| Medicare Advantage premium, average per month | $14.37 Official, CMS, September 28, 2026 | $12.00 Projected, CMS, September 28, 2026 |
| Drug plan on its own (Part D), average per month | $35.09 Official, CMS, September 28, 2026 | $36 Projected, CMS, September 28, 2026 |
| Most you pay for covered Part D drugs in a year | $2,100 Official, CMS, April 6, 2026 | $2,400 Official, CMS, April 6, 2026 |
| Part D deductible, at most | $615 Official, CMS, April 6, 2026 | $700 Official, CMS, April 6, 2026 |
Most people pay Part B plus any plan premium. Higher incomes pay more for Part B. Plan averages are weighted by enrollment, and plans near you can cost more or less.
What you can do
What to do now
- See marketplace prices. HealthCare.gov shows plans and prices for your area, with 2027 plans from about November 1.
- Use your state's marketplace if it has one. Find yours on HealthCare.gov's list.
- Compare Medicare plans by December 7. Medicare Plan Finder checks plans against your drugs and pharmacies.
- Compare federal plans in Open Season. Use OPM's plan comparison tool and premium charts.
- On a job-based plan, ask HR. Each plan's Summary of Benefits and Coverage shows what you'd pay for care.
- Get free help. Find an independent assister, or your state's free Medicare counseling on our state help pages.
- See what else changes. Our fall checklist covers the rest of 2027.
Not out yet
Still to come
Final marketplace rates
By November 1, when open enrollment starts. Federal rules require it.
CMS's 2027 marketplace files
Early to mid November, like last year's.
The official Part B premium
Mid November. Last year's came out November 14.
What enrollees pay after help
Around March 2027, from CMS's open enrollment files.
We try to update this page as each one comes out.
Beyond this page
Where to find more data like this
KFF State Health Facts
Average marketplace premiums by state, for the lowest-cost bronze, silver and gold plans and the benchmark plan. No ads.
CMS Marketplace Products
CMS's open enrollment files for each year, with average premiums before and after premium help by state. No ads.
HealthCare.gov plan datasets
Downloadable data on HealthCare.gov's health and dental plans, for researchers. No ads.
Know a public data source we should include? Send it our way. Get in touch.
Checked October 28, 2026.
Where the numbers come from
Sources and method
Each number is as its source published it, except the 87%, which is our math from CMS's counts. Each date is when the source published it, or when a data file's page was last updated.
Marketplace plans
- Median price change: KFF, a nonprofit health policy research, polling and news organization. Matt McGough and others, "How Much and Why ACA Marketplace Premiums Are Going Up in 2027", July 8, 2026, updated August 3, 2026. The median of 276 insurers' proposed changes in all 50 states and DC. For 2026, KFF gives 18% proposed and 20% final. We cite KFF's figures and don't copy its charts.
- Weighted price change: Families USA, a national consumer health advocacy organization, "ACA Marketplace Premium Rate Tracker", updated October 26, 2026. Requested changes in all 50 states and DC, weighted by enrollment, and 2026's average final change. It updates as states finalize rates.
- Premium help: the IRS's yearly tables of the share of income people pay for the benchmark plan, which stop at 400% of the poverty level: Rev. Proc. 2025-25 for 2026 and Rev. Proc. 2026-26 for 2027.
- Out-of-pocket limits: CMS, 2027 payment parameters guidance, January 29, 2026, with the 2026 and 2027 limits.
- Premium help and what people paid: CMS's Marketplace Open Enrollment Period public use files for 2025 (page updated May 12, 2025) and 2026 (March 27, 2026). The state-level file's national row, HealthCare.gov and state-run marketplaces together. The average is the monthly premium per person after premium tax credits, for everyone with a plan picked. It leaves out extra help some states add, and it moves with the plans people pick. The 87% is the 20,035,756 people who got a premium tax credit out of the 23,130,860 who picked a plan.
Job-based plans
- Premiums and workers' share: KFF, 2026 Employer Health Benefits Survey, October 22, 2026. A yearly survey of employers; national averages, the employer's share included.
- 2027 costs: Marsh, preliminary results of its 2026 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans, from more than 1,800 employers, announced September 2, 2026 on the site of Mercer, which is becoming Marsh. Total health benefit cost per employee, after the changes employers plan.
Federal employees and retirees
- Premium rises and Open Season: OPM, Federal Benefits Open Season Highlights, 2027 Plan Year, September 2026. Average changes across all plans, for 2026 and 2027.
Medicare
- Part B for 2026: CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles, November 14, 2025.
- Part B for 2027: the 2026 Medicare Trustees Report, June 2026, table V.E2. It estimates the standard premium and deductible; CMS sets the official amounts later.
- Medicare Advantage and drug plan premiums: CMS, "Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Programs Expected to Remain Stable in 2027", September 28, 2026. Averages weighted by enrollment. The Medicare Advantage average includes plans with drug coverage and Special Needs Plans. The 2027 averages are CMS's projections.
- Part D limits: CMS, 2027 Rate Announcement, April 6, 2026, which sets 2027's deductible and out-of-pocket threshold and lists 2026's.
Still to come
- Final rates: 45 CFR 154.301(b) requires final rate increases to be public by the first day of open enrollment.
- Timing: we expect CMS's files and the Part B announcement around when last year's came out. CMS released the 2026 Part B amounts on November 14, 2025.
Please note: This is general information, not legal, medical or financial advice. Plans vary, so check your own plan's documents. Proposed and projected numbers may change.