Cigna is leaving the Affordable Care Act marketplace in all 11 of its states for 2027, so enrollees, including early retirees buying their own coverage, have to choose a new plan by Dec. 15 to be covered Jan. 1. KFF says Cigna will exit every state where it sells plans today, both on and off the exchanges. Cigna reported more than 350,000 on-exchange enrollees in the first quarter.
Cigna decided to leave the individual market because it sees little room for the business to grow, KFF says. The exit reaches people who bought Cigna plans through HealthCare.gov or a state exchange and people who bought them straight from the company outside the exchange.
The 11 states Cigna is leaving
The states are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia, according to the consumer site healthinsurance.org. Its tracker states the position without qualification: Cigna will not offer Marketplace coverage in any state in 2027.
Cigna is one of about 11 carriers that had announced exits from at least one state for 2027 as of Oct. 28, according to KFF’s insurer tracker. Seven carriers have announced entries into new states, so some markets gain a company while others lose one.
Why Dec. 15 matters more than Jan. 15
HealthCare.gov’s calendar sets the dates for states that use the federal site. Open enrollment runs Nov. 1 to Jan. 15, and plans chosen by Dec. 15 start Jan. 1 once the first premium is paid. Enrolling Dec. 16 through Jan. 15 starts coverage Feb. 1, which leaves January uncovered for anyone who lets the Cigna plan lapse at year’s end.
That makes the question for a Cigna enrollee simple to state and harder to answer: which plan replaces this one by Dec. 15? The answer turns on whether the current doctors and prescriptions are covered, what the premium is after any tax credit, and whether the plan is sold in the enrollee’s county. Each of those can differ from the Cigna plan, so a plan with a similar name is not a safe stand-in.
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Early retirees are an obvious group in the path of this change. A person who retires before 65 and loses job-based coverage can buy a Marketplace plan, and HealthCare.gov’s page for retirees says losing health coverage qualifies a person for a Special Enrollment Period. Medicare does not begin until 65, so those years are the ones when the marketplace carries the load.
Whether an early retiree gets help with premiums depends on income and household size. The retiree page says the application shows whether someone qualifies for a private plan with premium tax credits, or for free or low-cost coverage through the state’s Medicaid program. Medicaid and CHIP applications can be filed at any time of year.
Premiums and a shrinking market
Premiums are the second shock. KFF found that benchmark silver premiums for 2027 rise about 13% on average, the second straight double-digit increase, and about 42% from 2025 to 2027, according to ABC7’s summary of the analysis. Enhanced premium tax credits expired this year, and people with incomes above 400% of the federal poverty level get no subsidy.
Enrollment fell to 19.2 million in the first two months of 2026, about 3 million fewer than a year earlier. KFF suggests insurers may be reassessing profitability as enrollees leave, which fits Cigna’s own reason for going. For a Cigna enrollee, it means the replacement plan’s premium, deductible and out-of-pocket maximum will not match the old plan, and comparing two or three side by side is the only way to see the real year’s cost.
State exchanges set their own dates
Not every Cigna state uses the federal site. The ABC7 state list shows Virginia, one of the 11, running enrollment until Jan. 29, while most states end Jan. 15. The Dec. 15 date for a Jan. 1 start is HealthCare.gov’s, and enrollees in a state-run exchange should confirm that exchange’s own cutoff for a Jan. 1 start.
HealthCare.gov adds that a Special Enrollment Period from Jan. 16 through Oct. 31 needs a qualifying life change, such as marriage, a new baby, a move or losing coverage. Waiting for one is a gamble when open enrollment is available until Jan. 15, and a plan picked in January starts a month late.
The dates stack up as a ladder, and each rung down costs a month of coverage. Dec. 15 buys a Jan. 1 start, Jan. 15 buys Feb. 1, and Virginia’s Jan. 29 stretches the calendar only for that state. A household with a planned surgery, a standing specialist visit or a monthly prescription should treat Dec. 15 as the working deadline and everything later as the backup.
For early retirees the decision carries extra weight, because the years before Medicare can run long. A plan that fits a 58-year-old’s doctors and drugs may need to be replaced again in a year if the insurer leaves or reprices, and Cigna’s exit is the reminder. Checking the plan’s county, its drug list and its premium after credits takes an evening, and it is cheaper than a January surprise.
Replacing a Cigna marketplace plan?
A premium that rises about 13% on average is one more leak in a retirement budget, and a plan picked in a rush before Dec. 15 can open a bigger one.
The Keep-It Starter Bundle does not choose a marketplace plan or enroll anyone. It is nine guides in one download, one per money leak, including how to cut the tax bill: the senior deduction, RMDs, QCDs and the Roth window.
Step 2, Cut Your Retirement Tax Bill: 12 Moves, is written as an afternoon of moves, and the bundle’s other steps cover scams, Medicare costs and house costs.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
