LANSING, Mich. — Michiganders who buy their own health coverage can now shop for 2027 plans, and many will find higher prices. Open enrollment on HealthCare.gov began Sunday, Nov. 1, and runs through Jan. 15.
Timing matters. A plan picked by Dec. 15 starts Jan. 1, while anyone who signs up between Dec. 16 and Jan. 15 will not be covered until Feb. 1, according to the state’s insurance regulator, the Department of Insurance and Financial Services, or DIFS. About 497,000 people in Michigan now get coverage through the federal marketplace, and the department has warned that recent federal changes are pushing costs up.
The state’s rate review shows how much. DIFS approved an average increase of 14.2% across the individual market for 2027, slightly below the 14.4% insurers had asked for. The increases differ widely by company. Priority Health, the largest individual-market carrier with about 138,000 enrollees, was approved for 11.2%, and Blue Care Network of Michigan for 11.9%. UnitedHealthcare Community Plan received the steepest approved increase at 25.2%, followed by Meridian Health Plan of Michigan at 24.0%.
Those averages are not what every household will pay. Rates vary by plan, age, location and tobacco use, and people who receive premium tax credits will see a different change once the credit is applied. Regulators reviewed 18 filings for the 2027 plan year, raised 944 objections and denied none.
To prepare, the department suggests having Social Security numbers or immigration papers, recent pay stubs or a tax return to show income for tax credit eligibility, government-issued IDs and lists of current doctors and prescriptions on hand. It also urges shoppers to start at HealthCare.gov rather than lookalike sites run by lead generators that collect and sell personal information.
Checking networks is worth the extra step. Doctors and hospital systems can change their contracts with insurers from one year to the next, so a physician who was covered in 2026 may be out of network in 2027. People on Medicare shop on their own timetable, a different enrollment window that runs partly at the same time. Questions or complaints can go to the DIFS consumer hotline at 877-999-6442.
Filed under: Lansing MI Health News
