11 carriers exit the ACA marketplaces for 2027

Updated 2026-10-29

Eleven insurers have announced plans to leave some or all of their ACA Marketplace states for 2027, according to KFF’s insurer-participation tracker. The latest update, dated October 28, also identifies seven carriers entering new state Marketplaces. The earlier newsletter cited six entrants; the updated count reflects additional announcements.

The departures and arrivals are not spread evenly across the country. A carrier can withdraw from one state while continuing to sell in others, and more than one insurer can exit the same state. For agents, the national total is therefore a starting point—not a substitute for checking the actual plans available in a client’s county.

Cigna is the largest departure highlighted by KFF. It is leaving the individual market in all 11 states where it currently participates, including both on-exchange and off-exchange coverage. The company reported more than 350,000 on-exchange members in the first quarter. Those members will need to evaluate replacement coverage rather than assume their current insurer will remain an option.

KFF places the changes in the context of the enhanced premium tax credits’ expiration at the end of 2025. Marketplace plan selections fell by more than a million between the 2025 and 2026 open enrollment periods. If healthier people are more likely to leave coverage as their premiums rise, the remaining pool can become more expensive to insure. That can affect both pricing and insurers’ decisions about where to participate.

The tracker combines insurer announcements with enrollment and plan data. Its findings describe information available as of the update date, and participation plans can still change. Counts grouped by parent company should not be interpreted as the number of individual plans disappearing from a local market.

Agent Takeaway: Start with clients whose current carrier is exiting. Compare replacement networks, prescription coverage, deductibles, total out-of-pocket exposure, and effective dates—not premiums alone. For employees using a CHOICE Arrangement, a fixed employer contribution does not remove the need to find suitable individual coverage.

A carrier exit is a reason to review coverage, not a reason to recommend the same replacement to every household. Confirm the final county-level lineup and the client’s care needs before making a recommendation.