Enrollment runs Oct. 23 to Jan. 15; sign up by Dec. 15 for coverage on Jan. 1. Free help by phone and in person, and HUSKY Health any time of year.
Access Health CT, the state's health insurance marketplace, opens enrollment for 2027 coverage on October 23 and closes it on January 15, 2027, and anyone who wants a plan in place by January 1 has to enroll by December 15. The help is free: by phone in more than 100 languages at 1-855-805-4325, and in person by appointment, including at a year-round office in Bridgeport. HUSKY Health, the state's Medicaid program, does not wait for any of these dates; people who qualify can sign up any day of the year.
Last checked: October 6, 2026. Hours and programs change, so call ahead when you can.
The dates: Oct. 23 to Jan. 15, with a Dec. 15 deadline
Access Health CT announced the 2027 dates on July 15.
- Friday, Oct. 16: window shopping opens, and the 2027 health and dental plans can be browsed anonymously before enrollment starts.
- Friday, Oct. 23: open enrollment begins.
- Tuesday, Dec. 15: the last day to enroll for coverage that starts January 1, 2027.
- Wednesday, Dec. 16, to Friday, Jan. 15: enrollment in these weeks starts coverage February 1, 2027.
People who already have a plan through Access Health CT may need to act to renew it, and the marketplace urges every customer to shop and compare. Rates are going up. The Connecticut Insurance Department approved an average increase of 11.3 percent for 2027 plans in the individual market, below the 16.2 percent the insurers had asked for.
Signing up online or by phone
The application is at AccessHealthCT.com, where a person can make an account or look through plans with the Compare Plans tool first. The phone line, 1-855-805-4325, is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with help in more than 100 languages; the TTY line is 1-855-789-2428. Live chat on the website runs weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Access Health CT says it will add customer service hours during open enrollment, Saturdays among them, but it has not posted them yet. Written questions go through a web form.
What to have ready
Access Health CT's checklist asks for these, for everyone in the household who is applying:
- dates of birth and Social Security numbers;
- a visa, green card or other immigration documents, where they apply;
- the most recent W-2, Form 1040 or Form 1099;
- details of any insurance the household has now;
- pay stubs, profit-and-loss statements or other proof of income for everyone in the tax household;
- an estimate of the household's income.
Free help in person
All of the marketplace's in-person help is free, Access Health CT says, and it comes in several kinds. Navigators are community organizations that help year-round, some by appointment. Mobile enrollment specialists meet people one on one at places such as libraries and community centers. Certified brokers are the only helpers allowed to recommend a specific plan, and their help costs nothing either. Enrollment fairs, held mostly in the evenings or on weekends during open enrollment, have not been posted for this season yet.
Greater Bridgeport Area Prevention Program
Where: 1470 Barnum Avenue, Bridgeport
When: by appointment only, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and evenings as needed. Help is in person or virtual.
Contact: 203-366-8255 · website
This is the only Access Health CT Navigator in the 19 towns. The marketplace notes that the office can change its hours, or close, without warning, so call before going.
A Healthy Chat in Bridgeport, Oct. 16
Where: Greater Bridgeport Area Prevention Program, 1470 Barnum Avenue, Bridgeport
When: Friday, October 16, 1 to 2 p.m.
Contact: register through the events page
An in-person information session on coverage, a week before enrollment opens.
Mobile enrollment specialists
Where: sites around the state
When: October 23 through December 31, at many times
Contact: book at accesshealthct.com/schedule-an-appointment or at 1-855-805-4325
A one-on-one meeting with a trained enrollment worker, in English or Spanish. Access Health CT warns that appointments fill up fast.
Healthy Chats on Zoom
When: Tuesday, November 3, and Tuesday, December 1, from 1 to 2 p.m. and again from 6 to 7 p.m.
Contact: register on the events page to get the Zoom link
Certified brokers
Contact: the Find Certified Broker tool at AccessHealthCT.com
There are hundreds of them across Connecticut, many of whom speak more than one language, and their help is free.
Access Health CT's five other Navigators are outside the 19 towns: StayWell Health Center in Waterbury, the closest for Cheshire and Prospect; the Hispanic Health Council and The Village for Families & Children, both in Hartford; Optimus Health Care in Stamford; and United Community and Family Services in Norwich. Questions about events go to the marketplace's outreach team at AHCT.HealthEquity@ct.gov, and Access Health CT says places, dates and times can change.
Help paying for a plan
The most common help is a federal tax credit, the Premium Tax Credit. Access Health CT's financial help page sets out who can use it. A person cannot be eligible for affordable coverage through a job or a government program such as Medicaid, Medicare, TRICARE or Veterans Affairs benefits. The plan has to be a Bronze, Silver or Gold plan. Married couples have to file a joint federal tax return, except for a person who is a victim of domestic abuse or spousal abandonment, and everyone using the credit files IRS Form 8962. People who qualify for cost-sharing reductions have to choose a Silver plan to get them.
Covered CT is the state's own program, and for those who qualify it is free: Connecticut pays the monthly premium along with the deductible, copays and coinsurance, and the plan includes some rides to medical appointments that are not emergencies. It is for people with household income up to 175 percent of the federal poverty level who earn too much for HUSKY Health, who qualify for the federal tax credit and cost-sharing reductions and take all of that federal help, and who enroll in a Silver plan. Like HUSKY, it takes people any time of year.
HUSKY Health
HUSKY Health covers Connecticut's Medicaid and children's health insurance programs, and people who qualify can sign up any time through Access Health CT, online or at 1-855-805-4325. HUSKY C, for people who are 65 or older, blind or disabled, goes through the Department of Social Services at ConneCT; the DSS Benefit Center is 855-626-6632.
The income limits below took effect March 1, 2026. Each figure is the yearly household income limit for that family size; the full DSS chart goes up to a family of six.
HUSKY B has two bands. In the lower one there is no premium, with some copays; in the upper one, the premium is $30 a month for one child and $50 for more than one. HUSKY D currently has no asset limit. HUSKY C's monthly income limits are $851 for one person and $1,153 for a married couple, and its asset limits are $1,600 and $2,400; DSS notes that the income figures do not include its unearned income disregard.
DSS says it may leave some income out of the count and subtract certain expenses, and its advice is to apply and let the department decide.
Someone on HUSKY D who becomes eligible for Medicare should apply for the Medicare Savings Program as soon as the notice arrives, DSS says. The Post's Medicare open enrollment guide explains that program.
How to help
Most of the help in this guide comes from people trained to give it, and Access Health CT is training more.
- Training for Certified Application Counselors for plan year 2027 has begun. Questions about it go to ahct.cacregistration@ct.gov.
- The Broker Academy is Access Health CT's free training for Connecticut residents who want to become licensed brokers; details are on AccessHealthCT.com.
- Groups that want Access Health CT at a community event can ask Karen Perez, the community outreach manager, at 860-757-5351 or AHCT.healthequity@ct.gov.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to wait until Oct. 23 to sign up for HUSKY?
No. HUSKY Health and Covered CT take people who qualify at any time of year.
I already have a plan through Access Health CT. Do I need to do anything?
Possibly. The marketplace says renewing customers may need to take action, and it encourages everyone to compare plans for 2027. The new plans can be browsed from October 16.
What is the last day to sign up for coverage on Jan. 1?
December 15. Enrolling between December 16 and January 15 starts coverage on February 1.
Does the in-person help cost anything?
No. Access Health CT says all of its in-person help is free, and so is the help from its certified brokers.
Can I get help in Spanish or another language?
Yes. The phone line, 1-855-805-4325, has help in more than 100 languages, and the mobile enrollment specialists work in English and Spanish.
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