Health insurance premiums for 2027 are rising 25% in Alabama, 24.4% in New Mexico, 22.6% in Montana, 21.6% in Oregon and 20.7% in Georgia, Insurance Business reports, which puts all five among the steepest increases in the country. For anyone buying coverage on HealthCare.gov, the site’s deadline page says Dec. 15 is the last day to enroll or change plans for coverage that starts Jan. 1.
The figures are average rate increases for the individual market, the plans people buy on their own, before any subsidy. They are different from the benchmark silver premium that sets subsidies, which KFF puts at an average 13% increase for 2027. Anyone who shops in one of these states is looking at a bigger jump than that national average.
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How big is the jump in each state?
Alabama tops the five at 25%. New Mexico follows at 24.4%, down slightly from the 25.6% insurers first proposed there, according to healthinsurance.org’s state-by-state tracker. Montana’s average comes to 22.6%.
Oregon’s finalized average is 21.6%, up from the 17.5% insurers requested, Insurance Business reports. Georgia’s is 20.7%. Charles Gaba, the ACA Signups analyst whose estimates the outlet cites, calculates that unsubsidized Georgia enrollees will pay about $1,925 more a year.
Where do other states land?
These five are near the top, but not alone. Insurance Business lists Arizona’s request at 29% as the highest, with Kansas at 24.2% and Alaska at 22.9%, both still proposed numbers in its tally. Across the country, KFF’s tracker shows insurers’ median proposed increase at 15%, with requests ranging from a 1% cut to a 54% hike.
The increases follow a rough year. KFF says benchmark silver premiums rose about 26% from 2025 to 2026, and 2027 marks a second straight year of double-digit increases. In states that use the HealthCare.gov platform, benchmark premiums are climbing 11%, while states that run their own marketplaces are seeing 16%, according to KFF.
Last year’s median finalized increase was 20%, Insurance Business notes, so 2027 is not a break from the recent pattern. The outlet cites ACA Signups’ projection that the average full-price marketplace premium will rise from $741 a month in 2026 to $854 in 2027. That is $113 more a month, or about $1,356 a year, for a person who gets no subsidy.
Who actually pays the higher price?
Most people who buy through a marketplace get a subsidy that cushions the increase, KFF says. People with incomes above 400% of the federal poverty level are the exception: they no longer qualify for premium tax credits and must pay the full cost of coverage. For that group, a 20% to 25% rate increase lands on the bill in full.
States have tried to soften the blow in different ways. New Mexico went furthest in 2026 by fully backfilling lost federal assistance for marketplace enrollees, and KFF says the state is continuing that help in 2027. California is expanding its program for households between 165% and 200% of the poverty level. New Jersey has kept a subsidy program going, and Rhode Island and Virginia created new state subsidies for 2027. Shoppers in the other four states named here should check their own state’s insurance department or marketplace site for any help that applies in 2027.
KFF says insurers’ median proposal this year was a 15% increase, while the finalized benchmark silver premium rose an average 13%. The state averages here run well above both, which is why Alabama and New Mexico, at roughly 25%, stand out.
The state numbers trace back to regulators. Healthinsurance.org ties Alabama’s 25% to a Sept. 3 Alabama Department of Insurance summary of 2027 filings, where it is labeled a proposed change. It ties New Mexico’s to the state Office of the Superintendent of Insurance on Sept. 1, and Oregon’s 21.6% to a state Division of Financial Regulation release dated Aug. 18. Montana’s 22.6% comes from rate filings in the state’s SERFF system. Georgia’s 20.7% comes from ACA Signups’ Sept. 25 analysis of the individual market.
What does the Dec. 15 date mean for each marketplace?
On HealthCare.gov, open enrollment started Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15. Dec. 15 is the cutoff for coverage to begin Jan. 1. After Jan. 15, a person can change plans only if they qualify for a special enrollment period.
Not every shopper in these states uses the federal site, and open enrollment starts Nov. 1 in most states, KFF notes.
Oregon’s residents enroll through their own marketplace, ExploreHealthOR.gov, starting Nov. 1, so the HealthCare.gov dates are not Oregon’s to follow. People in the other four states should confirm which site their state uses before relying on a date.
The practical point is timing. A plan’s new price for 2027 is the number a shopper sees on the renewal notice, and the Dec. 15 cutoff is the last date to compare it with other plans and still have the change in place on Jan. 1. After that date, a switch means starting later.
Premium up 20% or more in your state for 2027?
An increase of 20% to 25% on a health plan has to come out of something, and for people near retirement it often comes out of savings that were meant for later. The sticker price on a 2027 plan is only one of several household costs that creep upward at once.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
