To make sure you have health insurance for 2025, you have to enroll between November 1st, 2024 and December 31st, 2024. Many states have longer enrollment periods lasting until January 15th or 31st, but in order to have coverage starting January 1, 2025, you need to enroll by December 15th.

If you miss the deadline, you could be locked out of health insurance until 2026 AND forced to pay 100% of your medical bills. It’s not worth the risk, especially when financial help is available: last year, 4 out of 5 HealthCare.gov customers could find a plan with a monthly premium of $10 or less thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act.

You might – most people do. The amount of financial help depends on your income. You may qualify for financial help if your annual income is between about $20,000* and $60,000 (or more based on the number of people in your family). In fact, nearly 9 out of 10 people who enroll through HealthCare.gov qualify for financial help, and 4 of 5 people are able to find a plan with a monthly premium of $10 or less. Learn if your income level qualifies you for savings here.

If you qualify, you will receive an Advanced Premium Tax Credit (APTC) that lowers the amount that you pay for insurance each month. Depending on your income, you may also qualify for cost-sharing reductions that lower the amount you pay in co-pays, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket costs. Learn whether you might qualify for financial help using this quick calculator.

*If your income is less than this, you may qualify for Medicaid and should fill out a marketplace application to determine your eligibility.

If you are living with HIV/AIDS: You may also qualify for even more benefits through your local Ryan White Program, including lower monthly premiums or out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. Find a Ryan White program near you to learn more about your options.

Yes, if you claim your child on your federal taxes, you can include them on your Marketplace application - including your application for financial assistance - regardless of your legal or biological relationship with the child.

Before you enroll, it is important to make sure the plan you pick covers you and your child together. This will depend on how the plan defines a “family.” You can usually find this information by looking at the “Evidence of Coverage” or the “Certificate of Coverage,” which is the full explanation of what is covered or excluded under each plan. If this information is not available, you may need to call the insurers in your state to see what type of coverage is available.

If you cannot find a plan that covers both you and your child, you may be able to enroll yourself and your child individually or check if your child is eligible for your state’s Medicaid program or Children’s Health Insurance Program. After you fill out your application, you’ll be told whether your child qualifies and notified by your state.

We encourage you to take advantage of free help (either in-person or by phone) from a trained, LGBTQ-affirming assister to help you consider your options.

The three marketplace application questions regarding sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, and gender identity are demographic questions for research purposes only. These questions help LGBTQ communities by giving policy makers more information about how access to health insurance affects health disparities in our community.

We want you to know that:

• Your answers do not affect plan eligibility or pricing.

• Your answers will not be shared with insurers, state agencies, or third parties.

• At any time, you can return to your HealthCare.gov application and update or remove your answers to these questions.

• Each question has free text boxes if none of the provided multiple choice answers fit your identity.

• Finally, if you do not feel comfortable answering, the questions are optional. You can skip or answer "Prefer not to answer."