ACA open enrollment for 2027 in Utah: the dates, the 400% cliff, and what a benchmark plan costs in your county

When is ACA open enrollment for 2027 coverage in Utah?

Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage starts on 1 November 2026, and you need to enroll by 15 December 2026 for coverage to start on 1 January 2027. Utah uses the federal platform, HealthCare.gov, so these are the federal dates.

The closing date takes a little more explaining. A federal rule would have ended Open Enrollment on 15 December. In June 2026 a federal court in Maryland (City of Columbus v. Kennedy) vacated that rule, and CMS has said the federal window runs to 15 January 2027, with coverage from 1 February. The government has appealed. So the window is currently scheduled to close 15 January, but confirm on HealthCare.gov, and treat 15 December as your real deadline if you want coverage on 1 January.

Did the extra ACA subsidies come back for 2027?

No. The enhanced premium tax credits created by the American Rescue Plan Act and extended by the Inflation Reduction Act expired on 31 December 2025. The House passed a three-year extension in January 2026. The Senate has not passed it. Unless that changes, 2027 coverage uses the original ACA rules, the same ones that already applied to 2026.

Two things changed when the enhanced credits ended. First, everyone is expected to pay a larger share of income toward the benchmark plan before the credit starts. Second, the credit stops completely above 400% of the federal poverty level. Under the enhanced rules there was no upper income limit, and nobody was expected to pay more than 8.5% of income for the benchmark plan. That cap no longer applies.

Congress can still act, and if it does, the numbers in this article would change. That is one more reason to look at your figures again in November rather than relying on what you paid last year.

How much of my income am I expected to pay toward a plan in 2027?

For 2027 you are expected to pay between 2.15% and 10.22% of your household income toward the benchmark silver plan, depending on where your income falls against the poverty level. The IRS sets these percentages each year. The 2027 figures come from Revenue Procedure 2026-26.

Within each band the percentage climbs on a straight line from the lower figure to the higher one, so a household at 225% of the poverty level pays a share somewhere between 6.78% and 8.66%. Between 300% and 400% it is flat at 10.22%. Above 400% there is no percentage, because there is no credit.

The credit itself is the gap between that expected contribution and the price of the benchmark plan: credit = benchmark silver premium − expected contribution. If your expected contribution is higher than the benchmark price, the credit is zero. Our earlier guide, ACA subsidies in Utah, walks through that formula in detail.

Where is 400% of the poverty level for my household?

For 2027 coverage, 400% of the poverty level is $63,840 for one person, $86,560 for two, $109,280 for three and $132,000 for four. Marketplace credits for a coverage year use the poverty guidelines published the January before, so 2027 coverage uses the 2026 HHS guidelines: $15,960 for one person plus $5,680 for each additional person.

Household means the people on your federal tax return: you, your spouse if you file jointly, and anyone you claim as a dependent. It is not the number of people living in the house. Income means modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) for the whole tax household, which is covered further down.

A household with income above the 400% figure gets no premium tax credit for 2027, however high the premium is. That is the cliff.

What does the benchmark silver plan cost in my county for 2027?

For a 21-year-old non-smoker, the 2027 benchmark silver plan costs $437.23 a month in Weber County, $416.41 in Davis and Salt Lake, and $455.71 in Morgan and Box Elder, according to the Utah Insurance Department. At age 60 the same plan costs three times as much.

The benchmark is the second-lowest-cost silver plan available where you live. Your credit is calculated against it whether or not you buy it. Insurers price by age using a fixed state age curve, and in Utah a 60-to-64-year-old pays 3.000 times the age-21 rate. That lets us show the age-60 price as a simple multiplication.

For comparison, the lowest-priced on-exchange bronze plan for a 21-year-old is $352.69 a month in Weber, Morgan and Box Elder, and $335.90 in Davis and Salt Lake (SelectHealth Value Expanded Bronze 6900 HSA). Bronze plans carry higher deductibles, so a lower premium means more of the risk sits with you when you use care.

What does the 400% cliff look like with real numbers?

In our example, a single 60-year-old in Weber County earning $60,000 would receive an estimated credit of about $800.69 a month. At $64,000 the credit is zero, and the same benchmark plan costs $1,311.69 a month. Earning $4,000 more costs roughly $9,600 a year in lost credit.

Age makes the cliff steeper. Take the same $60,000 income for a 21-year-old in Weber County. The expected contribution is still $511 a month, but the benchmark plan costs $437.23. Because the expected contribution is higher than the benchmark price, the credit is zero even though the income is below 400% of the poverty level. Older enrollees face higher prices, so they have the most to lose when income crosses the line.

Which insurers sell Marketplace plans in Northern Utah for 2027?

Four insurers offer on-exchange plans across Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, Morgan and Box Elder counties for 2027: SelectHealth, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah, University of Utah Health Plans and BridgeSpan. Salt Lake County has one additional insurer, according to the Utah Insurance Department's workbook.

Premiums are rising again. healthinsurance.org reports that the approved average increase for Utah's individual market in 2027 is about 6.7%. That is an average across insurers and plans; your own renewal could move more or less, and in either direction. Your renewal notice from your insurer shows your plan's 2027 price.

• SelectHealth plans are the benchmark silver plans listed by the department in all five counties for 2027.
• Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah, University of Utah Health Plans and BridgeSpan also offer on-exchange plans in the five counties.
• Networks differ sharply between insurers, and sometimes between plans from the same insurer. A lower premium can come with a narrower network.

How does MAGI work, and can anything lower it?

MAGI, or modified adjusted gross income, is the income figure the Marketplace uses. It starts with the adjusted gross income on your federal tax return and adds back a few items: tax-exempt interest, untaxed foreign income, and the non-taxable part of Social Security benefits. Every person in your tax household counts toward it, including a dependent who is required to file a return.

Because MAGI is built on adjusted gross income, some things that lower AGI also lower MAGI. As a general matter, pre-tax contributions to a workplace retirement plan, deductible contributions to a traditional IRA, and contributions to a health savings account (HSA) reduce AGI. Roth contributions do not. Withdrawals from traditional retirement accounts generally add to it.

If my plan renews automatically, do I still need to do anything?

Yes. HealthCare.gov may renew you into your current plan, or a similar one if yours is not offered, but your credit is recalculated for 2027. Your plan may renew while your credit changes, and with the enhanced credits gone and prices up, many households will see a higher net premium.

Three things drive the change. The 2027 percentage table is higher than the enhanced schedule that applied through 2025. The benchmark premium in your county may have moved, which changes the credit even if your income has not. And the income figure on file may be out of date. If your 2027 income will be above 400% of the poverty level, there is no credit at all, and an automatic renewal would leave you paying the full price.

• Re-run your numbers every year. Last year's net premium tells you very little about this year's.
• Update your income estimate on your application before you renew, and report changes during the year, such as a new job, a raise, a lost job or a change in household.
• Check the network. Confirm your doctors, hospital and pharmacy are in network for 2027, by plan name. Networks can change at renewal.
• Check your prescriptions against the plan's 2027 formulary.
• Read your renewal notice. Your insurer's letter and your HealthCare.gov eligibility notice are the authority on your plan and your credit.

What should I do before 15 December?

Work out a realistic 2027 household income, see where it sits against the poverty level, and compare plans in your county with the 2027 credit applied, all before 15 December. Here is the order that tends to work.

1. Estimate your 2027 household MAGI as honestly as you can. If you are self-employed or retiring mid-year, write down how you got the figure.
2. Divide it by the poverty guideline for your household size to find your percentage. If you are close to 400%, look carefully: a small difference in income can mean a large difference in credit.
3. Look up your expected contribution in the IRS 2027 table.
4. Log in to HealthCare.gov after 1 November, update your application, and see the credit the Marketplace calculates. That number, not any estimate, is what counts.
5. Compare plans by total cost: net premium × 12, plus the deductible and copays you expect to use.
6. Confirm your doctors and prescriptions against each plan you are considering, by plan name.
7. Enroll by 15 December for coverage from 1 January.

The bottom line

For 2027 the Marketplace runs on the original ACA rules again: a 2.15% to 10.22% sliding scale and no credit at all above 400% of the poverty level. For people in their fifties and sixties with incomes near that line, the difference can be thousands of dollars a year, as the Weber County example shows. Enroll by 15 December, update your income before you renew, check your doctors by plan name, and let the Marketplace calculate the real credit rather than relying on last year's bill.