Understand your health insurance

You and your health insurance

Health coverage, or health insurance, helps cover your medical bills when you seek medical care. Ensuring you have the right health coverage for you and your family can make a huge difference. Everyone needs medical care at some point. Health coverage can protect you from unexpected expenses. 

Buying health insurance for yourself and your family can be confusing. Explore Health offers an easy-to-use-tool to help you preview the coverage options and savings available to you. Enrollment Partners are available to guide you through the application and enrollment process. Learn more at ExploreHealthOR.gov.

Key health insurance rules

Under federal and Oregon law:

• People with pre-existing health conditions will not be denied coverage or charged more to be enrolled.
• Insurance companies and employers that offer dependent coverage to children must cover adult children up to age 26, regardless of whether they are married or have coverage available through an employer.
• While small employers do not have to offer insurance, large employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees must offer health coverage or pay a penalty.
• You are protected from surprise medical bills , this document has been ARCHIVED, and is not updated when you receive either: covered out-of-network emergency services including air ambulance services (not applicable to ground ambulance services) or covered non-emergency services provided by an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility.
  

Help paying for health insurance

If you do not have access to affordable coverage through a job or a public medical program, you likely qualify for financial help through Oregon's health insurance marketplace, Explore Health.

There are two types of financial help available: premium tax credits to help pay the monthly premium and assistance with out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles and co-pays.  

Find out how much you can save on health coverage at https://ohim.checkbookhealth.org/.

How to enroll in health insurance

Most people in Oregon get their health insurance through their employer. If you are not offered coverage through a job or a public program, like the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) or Medicare, you may be eligible to enroll through Explore Health, Oregon’s health insurance marketplace, during the annual open enrollment period.

For 2027 coverage, Open Enrollment is Nov. 1, 2026, to Jan. 15, 2027.

If you miss Open Enrollment, you may qualify for a special enrollment period if you experience a qualifying life event, such as getting married, having a baby, or involuntarily losing other coverage. This allows you to enroll or change plans mid-year, typically within 60 days after the date of your life event.

Oregon has a network of health coverage experts ready to help people enroll. You can find an expert in your area by going to OregonHealthCare.gov/GetHelp or by calling the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace at 855-268-3767 (toll-free).

Changes to individual health plans for 2027

Some health insurance plans offered in Oregon's individual market in 2026 will not be available in 2027.

To help prevent a gap in coverage, the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace has matched affected enrollees with a plan from another insurance company via a "crosswalk." You can find these plan matches in the tables below. These plans may be used for automatic re-enrollment if you do not choose a new plan.

To find your 2027 plan match and learn more about your coverage options, visit the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace's 2026-2027 Individual Health Plan Re-enrollment webpage.