Data current: October 1, 2026 · Florida · 13 min read
Florida's insurers have filed what they want to charge for 2027, and the filings are public. The average asks for about 15% more than this year. That is the number that will end up in headlines.
It is also the least useful number in the whole filing, because almost nobody in Florida is going to pay the average.
I am Vivian Soto, an independent bilingual insurance agent at VS Healthcare Solutions in Orlando. One carrier in this state filed for 3.9%. Another filed for 39.1%. Four individual-market filings are leaving Florida altogether. Which of those facts applies to you depends entirely on whose name is on your card — and open enrollment starts November 1.
The headline number, and why it barely matters
Across Florida's individual market, the filings average a 15.3% increase for 2027. That is an unweighted average — every carrier counted once, regardless of how many people it covers.
Normally you would want the weighted average instead, which reflects what the typical enrollee actually experiences. That figure cannot be calculated for Florida. State law treats insurers' enrollment data as a trade secret, so the actuarial memos in the public filings are heavily redacted. Anyone quoting you a precise weighted Florida average is estimating.
What the average does tell you is direction: this is the second consecutive year of double-digit increases, nationally as well as here, and it follows a year in which Florida already lost a large share of its enrollees.
The spread is the real story
Two households on the same street, both buying silver plans, can face completely different years depending on which company they picked last November.
| Market | Average filed increase | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | +15.3% | +3.9% to +39.1% |
| Small group | +11.4% | +8.4% to +15.5% |
The low end belongs to Centene Venture Company at 3.9%. The high end is AmeriHealth Caritas at 39.1%. That is a ten-fold difference inside one state in one year.
For a family paying $900 a month, 3.9% is about $35 more. The same family at 39.1% is looking at roughly $350 more a month — over $4,200 across the year. Same coverage year, same state, same rules.
This is the practical argument against auto-renewal, and it is much stronger this year than usual. Staying put is a decision to accept whatever your carrier filed, without checking whether the carrier next to it filed a fraction of that.
Who is leaving Florida for 2027
Four individual-market filings are exiting. If one of them is yours, you are not choosing whether to shop — you are choosing what to move to.
Leaving Florida's individual market
- Cigna Health & Life
- Cigna HMO
- Molina Healthcare of Florida
- Sunshine State Health Plan — members are being transitioned to Ambetter
Cigna's departure was announced back in the spring, and we covered it in detail when it happened — see what Cigna leaving the Florida Marketplace means for members.
The Sunshine State situation is different and worth understanding. Members are being moved to Ambetter rather than simply dropped, which sounds reassuring and mostly is. But a transition is not the same as a match: the plan you are moved into was chosen for administrative convenience, not because anyone checked whether your doctors are in its network or your prescriptions are on its formulary. Verify both before January.
These numbers are not final
An important caveat, because I would rather you plan around what is certain.
Everything above is preliminary — what insurers requested. Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation reviews filings and rates can change before they take effect. Historically, final approved rates tend to land close to what was filed, but "close" is not "identical," and a specific plan's final number can move.
So use these figures the way they are meant to be used: as a signal about which direction your carrier is heading and whether it is worth shopping. Do not use them to calculate your exact 2027 premium. That number arrives on your renewal notice, and the definitive one appears on HealthCare.gov when window shopping opens.
Why this is happening twice in a row
Two forces are stacked on top of each other, and they are not the same thing.
The first is the ordinary one: medical costs and prescription drug costs keep rising, and premiums follow.
The second is specific to this moment. The enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025. The House passed a three-year extension in January 2026 by 230 to 196, with seventeen Republicans joining Democrats, but the Senate did not pass companion legislation. Subsidies reverted to the original ACA rules, including the 400% federal poverty level cliff.
When subsidies shrink, the healthiest people are the first to drop out — they are the ones for whom coverage is a calculation rather than a necessity. The people who stay are, on average, sicker. Insurers price the following year for the pool they expect to be left with, and that pushes rates up again. Florida has already lost roughly 450,000 enrollees, falling from 4.3 million to 3.85 million for 2026, and it remains the largest Marketplace state in the country.
What auto-renewal costs you this year
If you do nothing, you will generally be re-enrolled in the same plan or the one your carrier maps you to. Three things go wrong with that.
- You accept your carrier's increase sight unseen — which might be 3.9% or might be 39.1%.
- Your subsidy is recalculated against a new benchmark. If the second-lowest silver plan in your county changed, your tax credit changes even if your income did not.
- Your income on file may be stale. An out-of-date estimate is what produces a repayment demand at tax time.
Your timeline
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| October 2026 | Renewal notices arrive with your specific 2027 premium |
| November 1, 2026 | Open enrollment opens |
| December 15, 2026 | Deadline to have coverage begin January 1 |
| January 15, 2027 | Open enrollment closes — currently, see below |
One note on that last row. A 2025 federal rule would have ended open enrollment on December 15, but a court vacated that portion in June 2026; HHS appealed in July and arguments were scheduled for late October 2026. Do not plan around January 15 as though it is guaranteed. Treat December 15 as your deadline — it is the date that matters for January 1 coverage anyway.
What to do in October
- Open your renewal notice when it arrives. It has your real number, not an average.
- Check whether your carrier is one of the four leaving. If so, you must act.
- Estimate your 2027 household income as accurately as you can — it drives your subsidy and your April tax bill.
- List your doctors and prescriptions before comparing anything. Networks and formularies change more quietly than premiums.
- Compare on total annual cost, not premium alone. The cheapest premium and the cheapest year are often different plans.
- Put December 15 on the calendar, not January 15.
Frequently asked questions
How much are Florida ACA premiums going up in 2027?
Individual-market insurers filed an average increase of 15.3%, but the range runs from 3.9% to 39.1% depending on the carrier. Small-group filings average 11.4%. These are preliminary requested rates, not final approved ones, and your own increase depends on your specific plan, county and age.
Which insurers are leaving Florida in 2027?
In the individual market: Cigna Health & Life, Cigna HMO, Molina Healthcare of Florida, and Sunshine State Health Plan, whose members are being transitioned to Ambetter. Florida Health Care Plan and National Health Insurance Company are exiting the small-group market.
My plan is ending. Will I lose coverage on January 1?
Not if you act. When a plan is discontinued you generally get mapped to a replacement, and losing coverage is also a qualifying event that opens a special enrollment period. But the plan you are mapped into was not chosen for your doctors or your medications — check both.
Why are rates rising two years in a row?
Medical and drug costs keep climbing, and the enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025. Smaller subsidies push healthier people out of the pool, which raises the cost of covering those who remain, which raises rates again the following year.
Are these the final rates?
No. They are preliminary filings under review by Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation. Final rates are usually close to what was filed, but can change. Your renewal notice and HealthCare.gov carry the definitive figures.
Will subsidies still be available for 2027?
Yes, under the original ACA rules — including the 400% federal poverty level cliff that returned when the enhanced credits expired. The House passed a three-year extension in January 2026; the Senate did not act on it. Plan around the rules as they stand.
When exactly do I need to enroll?
Open enrollment begins November 1, 2026. December 15 is the deadline for coverage starting January 1. January 15 is currently the closing date but is subject to pending litigation, so treat December 15 as your real deadline.
Does using an agent cost more?
No. Agent commissions are built into plan premiums whether you use an agent or enroll yourself on HealthCare.gov. Your premium is identical either way.
Why an agent is worth an hour this particular year
In a normal year, a household with steady income and a plan that works can renew without much thought.
This is not that year. Your carrier may be leaving, your carrier may have filed a 39% increase while the one beside it filed 3.9%, your subsidy is being recalculated against a benchmark that has moved, and the enrollment deadline is under active litigation. Any one of those is manageable. Together they are the kind of thing that gets decided badly under time pressure in mid-December.
What I do in October is unglamorous: take your actual plan, your actual doctors and your actual income estimate, and rank the options in your county by what the whole year costs rather than what the first month costs. You can see how we help with Marketplace coverage or reach me directly.
- ACA Signups. 2027 rate changes, Florida — preliminary individual and small-group filings, per-carrier requested increases, and carrier exits, compiled from the federal Rate Review database.
- KFF. Preliminary 2027 ACA Marketplace rate filings analysis — national average requested increases.
- Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker. How much and why ACA Marketplace premiums are going up in 2027.
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation — individual and small-group rate filing review; Florida trade-secret protections applied to actuarial memoranda.
- Congressional Research Service and ASTHO. Enhanced premium tax credit expiration on 31 December 2025 and 2026 legislative developments.
- Florida Marketplace effectuated enrolment, 2025 and 2026.
- healthinsurance.org. ACA open enrollment dates and the status of the 2025 Marketplace Integrity rule litigation, 2026.
