Health insurance shoppers in New York and Colorado are being told to choose 2027 plans by Dec. 15 if they want coverage to start Jan. 1. Oscar Health has left New York’s marketplace, affecting 4,800 people, and Cigna is dropping all of its individual plans in Colorado. In Oklahoma, Mending Health ends its marketplace plans on Dec. 31 and is now under state control.
Open enrollment began Nov. 1, so the window is open now. The three states differ on how long it lasts and on how hard the December date is, and each has a group of people who cannot simply renew.
New York: Oscar’s 4,800 members need a new plan
New York State of Health said in an Oct. 28 announcement that open enrollment for 2027 runs from Nov. 1, 2026, through Jan. 31, 2027. Consumers are encouraged to enroll by Dec. 15 for coverage beginning Jan. 1, the agency said.
Eleven health insurers are offering plans in 2027, down from 12 in 2026. Oscar Health is no longer participating, which the state says affects 4,800 consumers who will need to select a new plan. The release gives no premium figures for 2027.
State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said every New Yorker deserves access to quality, affordable coverage. Executive Director Danielle Holahan said New Yorkers deserve clear information and trusted guidance in making these decisions. The same release says federal law H.R. 1 eliminated Essential Plan eligibility for about 450,000 New Yorkers, a change that took effect in July.
Anyone on an Oscar plan in New York, a Cigna plan in Colorado or a Mending Health plan in Oklahoma has to choose a different plan for 2027. Everyone else on a marketplace plan should still open the 2027 plan list, because prices and networks can change even when the insurer stays. The step for all of them is the same: find the plan, check the premium after any tax credit, and pick it by Dec. 15 if the Jan. 1 start matters.
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Colorado: Cigna leaves and premiums rise 10% on average
Connect for Health Colorado said on Oct. 30 that Cigna Healthcare will no longer offer individual medical plans in Colorado beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Cigna customers have coverage through Dec. 31 and must pick a new plan. Six medical insurers remain: Anthem, Colorado Access Choice, Elevate Health Plans by Denver Health, Kaiser Permanente, Rocky Mountain Health Plans and Select Health.
The state’s Division of Insurance announced in September that individual-market premiums will rise by an average of 10%. Connect for Health Colorado says customers who enroll by Dec. 15 will have coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Open enrollment runs through Jan. 15, 2027, and plans chosen after Dec. 15 start Feb. 1.
The exchange also says 69% of customers are likely to qualify for financial help for 2027. About 60% of those who get help could find a plan for $10 or less a month, and about 3 in 4 could find one for $75 or less. Chief Executive Kevin Patterson said health insurance costs are a concern for many of the state’s neighbors.
Oklahoma: Mending Health ends Dec. 31 under state control
The Oklahoma Insurance Department said on Oct. 30 that Commissioner Glen Mulready placed Mending Health Insurance in Oklahoma into conservatorship because of the company’s precarious financial standing. The company had been under administrative supervision since July 31. It filed notices on June 25 that it is withdrawing from the Oklahoma marketplace effective Dec. 31, 2026.
Mending Health policies will not be available or eligible for renewal during open enrollment for plan year 2027. The department told members to keep paying premiums, since policies stay in effect for now and continued coverage depends on payment. Providers are to keep serving Mending Health members and collect only the proper cost share.
Mulready said the department’s number one priority is consumer protection. The agency says it is working with the federal Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight to help members find new coverage during open enrollment. Members can call the Consumer Assistance Division at 1-800-522-0071. The department did not say how many people are covered.
What Dec. 15 does and does not decide
Shoppers who need to compare plans can use “Browse plans & costs” on HealthCare.gov, and people already enrolled can use “Log in to make changes,” according to the site’s home page. Oklahoma members who need a new plan start in the same place.
The HealthCare.gov home page, which serves Oklahoma, says to enroll by Dec. 15 for Jan. 1 coverage. Colorado states the same date and says later sign-ups start Feb. 1. New York calls Dec. 15 a recommended date and leaves enrollment open through Jan. 31.
That is why the same date reads as a rule in one state and as advice in another. A person who picks a plan on Dec. 20 in Colorado has a coverage gap in January. The same person in New York should check the exchange for the start date it will assign.
For members of the three leaving insurers, the date carries the most weight. Their old plans end on Dec. 31, and a new plan that starts Feb. 1 would leave January uncovered. The open question for each household is which plan replaces the one that is leaving, and what its premium comes to after financial help.
Which plan comes next for a household whose insurer is leaving?
A household that misses Dec. 15 in Colorado waits until Feb. 1 for coverage, and one on a Mending Health plan has nothing to renew.
The story’s money question is which plan to pick, and the related job is the rest of the household’s yearly costs. The Keep-It Starter Bundle is nine guides in one download, one per money leak, and Step 3 is titled Cut Your Medicare Bill. It does not pick a marketplace plan.
Get the nine-guide bundle for the money side of a marketplace plan change →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
