Health Connector sign-ups for 2027 are open, and Fallon plans leave Bristol and Plymouth counties

SOUTH COAST South Coast residents who buy their own health insurance through the Massachusetts Health Connector can now shop for 2027 coverage, and anyone who wants a plan in place on New Year's Day has until Wednesday, Dec. 23, to pick it and pay the first premium. Open enrollment runs through Saturday, Jan. 23, 2027, but plans chosen after Dec. 23 start Feb. 1, the Health Connector says.

The biggest local change is an insurer leaving. Fallon Health will no longer be offered to people in Bristol and Plymouth counties, the Health Connector says. Between them, the two counties take in every South Coast town. Fallon will also leave Berkshire, Norfolk and Suffolk counties and parts of Hampden, Middlesex and Worcester counties.

What Fallon members need to do

Members in those areas cannot keep their Fallon plan in 2027 and should get a notice about the change, according to the agency. Anyone in the household who does nothing will be enrolled automatically in the lowest-cost plan at the same level offered where they live. Members who want a different plan can choose one during open enrollment, and the Health Connector suggests checking that their doctors and hospitals are in a new plan's network with its online PlanFinder tool.

One other plan is ending. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care will no longer offer its HMO 3500 Flex Bronze plan, and its members will be moved to Harvard Pilgrim's Standard High Bronze 2 plan unless they pick another, according to the Health Connector.

Members whose plans continue are renewed into the same plan, or a similar plan from the same insurer if theirs is not offered in 2027, as long as they keep paying their monthly premiums, the Health Connector says. Members who have a ConnectorCare plan or a monthly tax credit now and see they no longer qualify in 2027 may need to update or confirm their 2027 income online, even if it has not changed.

An earlier start, and federal changes

The window opened Friday, Oct. 23, nine days ahead of the usual Nov. 1 start. The federal government had finalized a rule to shorten open enrollment for every marketplace, but recent court actions gave the Health Connector flexibility on the end date for 2027 coverage, the agency says.

Federal law changes who can get help paying for coverage starting Jan. 1, 2027. Noncitizens who are lawfully present can still buy a plan, but only lawful permanent residents, Cuban and Haitian Entrants and Compact of Free Association migrants will qualify for federal premium tax credits or ConnectorCare, according to the Health Connector. It estimates about 35,000 current enrollees may lose that help. Asylees, refugees, people with Temporary Protected Status and people here on nonimmigrant visas, such as student and work visas, are among those who will no longer qualify, the agency says.

Costs also reflect earlier federal changes. Enhanced premium tax credits expired Dec. 31, 2025, so people with household income above 400% of the federal poverty level no longer get federal help with premiums, the Health Connector says. For 2026 coverage, that line was about $62,600 for a single person and $128,400 for a family of four. And starting with tax year 2026, federal law removes the cap on how much of an advance tax credit someone may have to pay back when their income ends up higher than expected, so the agency advises people whose income may rise to consider taking less of the credit each month.

ConnectorCare plans, the state's subsidized plans, have no deductibles and low or $0 monthly premiums. For 2026, the lowest-cost ConnectorCare premium ranged from $0 to $235 a month per person, depending on income, according to the Health Connector.

"Massachusetts continues to lead the nation with its commitment to affordable coverage, and most people who sign up qualify for financial help through our ConnectorCare program," Audrey Morse Gasteier, the Health Connector's executive director, said in the agency's Oct. 23 announcement.

Free help on the South Coast

The Health Connector's walk-in centers have all closed, and in-person help now comes from Navigator organizations, which help with applications, plan comparisons, payments and account changes. The agency says Navigators work at 50 locations statewide, with help in 29 languages. Five are in South Coast cities:

• New Bedford: Community Economic Development Center, 235 North Front St., 508-979-4684 (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Cape Verdean Kriolu and Maya K'iche').
• New Bedford: People Acting in Community Endeavors (PACE), 477 Park St., 508-999-9920 (English, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Italian, Spanish and French).
• New Bedford: Fishing Partnership Support Services, 398 County St., 508-991-3043 or 888-282-8816 (English, Spanish and Portuguese).
• Fall River: HealthFirst Family Care Center, 387 Quarry St., Suite 100, 508-679-8111 (English, Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole).
• Taunton: Manet Community Health Center, 1 Washington St., 508-822-5500 (English and Spanish).

Enrollment assisters will never ask for payment, the Health Connector says. Its customer service line, 1-877-623-6765 (TTY 711), is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

First-time applicants should have Social Security numbers for everyone applying who has one, immigration documents for noncitizens applying, last year's federal tax return or recent pay stubs if income has changed, and home or mailing addresses, the agency says. Statewide, more than 410,000 people get health and dental coverage through the Health Connector, counting individuals and small-employer enrollees, the agency said in its Oct. 23 announcement.

People on Medicare have their own enrollment window, covered in SC360's Medicare open enrollment story.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.