It’s a busy time of year. Holidays are coming. Kids’ sports and other activities are in full swing. Choosing your 2027 health insurance plan is just one more thing on your to-do list and unlikely to be at the top.
Unfortunately, waiting this year could lead to stress and hasty decisions. There have been changes to costs, options, work requirements and even late-enrollment allowances. Choose early to protect your family’s and your own physical, mental and financial well-being.
No Low-Income Special Enrollment Period for the Marketplace
The Healthcare Insurance Marketplace used to allow enrollment delays for low-income families meeting certain requirements. That policy has been eliminated, meaning everyone must enroll or re-enroll in their health insurance plan by Dec. 15 for Jan. 1 coverage and by Jan. 15 for 2027 coverage. (See HealthCare.gov for details.) The only exception is the special enrollment period based on specified life events, such as childbirth, marriage or moving.
Three-Months of Meeting HIP Work Requirements by Jan. 1
To retain your coverage with or enroll in the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) for 2027, please review the new monthly work requirements. For exemptions, please visit IN.gov/FSSA/HIP/HIP-Work-Requirements/Info-for-HIP-Members.
Plan participants who are 19 – 64 years old (and don’t qualify for exemptions) need to meet the 80-hour monthly work requirement starting in 2027 and prove they met that requirement in October, November and December for coverage to begin Jan. 1. Plan members can complete any of the following four activities to satisfy the new requirement:
- A combination of employment, job training, part-time education and/or community service, totaling 80 hours per month
- At least half-time attendance at an eligible school or apprenticeship program
- Earning $580 or more each month
- Making an average monthly income of $580 for the previous six months as a seasonal worker
Please call Eskenazi Health Patient Access Services at 1-855-202-1053 with questions on the work requirements or stop by for assistance:
- Eskenazi Health downtown campus – from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., Monday through Wednesday; from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday; and from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday
- Eskenazi Health Center Pecar – from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday
- Eskenazi Health Center West 38th Street – from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., Monday through Wednesday; from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday; and from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday
- Eskenazi Health Thomas & Arlene Grande Campus – from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., Monday through Wednesday; and from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday
- Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center – Dr. James J. Wright Building, 1700 N. Illinois St. – from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday
If you are seeking assistance from a specialist in choosing your health care plan, the Eskenazi Health Financial Eligibility Services team can assist. Please make an appointment by calling 1-855-202-1053 or using your Eskenazi Health MyChart account. For additional information, please go to EskenaziHealth.edu/Programs/Financial-Counseling.
Broderick Rhyant, M.D., chief physician executive with Eskenazi Health Center Grande
