Rhode Islanders shopping for health coverage this fall will find a new state program standing in for federal help that disappeared at the end of 2025. HealthSource RI's 2027 open enrollment period begins Saturday, November 1, and runs through January 31, 2027, and state officials say a new initiative called the Rhode Island Marketplace Affordability Program is expected to help more than 20,000 eligible current and former customers absorb a second straight year of steep premium increases.
The program was created specifically in response to the expiration of enhanced federal premium tax credits, according to The Jamestown Press. It fully restores expired credits and returns costs to 2025 levels for households earning under 200% of the federal poverty level, while partially replacing lost federal subsidies for households above 400% of the federal poverty level, a group that lost federal assistance entirely in 2026. For an individual, that 400% threshold is roughly $64,000; for a family of four, it is around $132,000, per the same report. As Uprise RI reports, the 200% poverty line for a single person works out to $31,920, and HealthSource RI estimates an individual earning around $31,000 could see about $119 a month in state savings on top of any federal tax credit.
The dollar examples HealthSource RI has circulated vary by household. A family of four earning $64,300 could save about $133 a month, while a couple ages 61 and 62 earning $85,000 could see roughly $1,000 a month in savings, according to Uprise RI. Rhode Island officials also say monthly costs for people between 200% and 400% of the poverty level who don't qualify for the new program will still drop by about $100 compared with 2026, per The Jamestown Press.
A Rough Year That Pushed State Lawmakers to Act
The new aid follows a punishing stretch for HealthSource RI, the state's official insurance marketplace created under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. During the 2026 open enrollment period, average premiums across the HealthSource RI population jumped 101%, or $111 per person per month, compared with the prior year, according to ACA Signups. Separately, Rhode Island Current reported that average monthly premiums on the exchange more than doubled, from $109 to $220.
About 10,000 people dropped HealthSource RI coverage during that 2026 enrollment period, roughly 20% of the 48,000 people who had been enrolled beforehand, the outlet's reporting shows. That decline came in below HealthSource RI's own initial projection of a 13,000-person drop tied largely to the expiring federal credits. Total individual and family enrollments still fell to 38,557, a 10% decline from the record 42,695 enrollments recorded during the prior year's open enrollment, according to data reported by Charles Gaba's newsletter, ACA Signups.
The affordability squeeze also pushed consumers toward cheaper, skimpier coverage. Bronze plan selections rose from 20% to 32% in 2026, while silver plan selections fell from 43% to 35% and gold selections dropped from 36% to 32%, per The Jamestown Press. Silver and gold plans generally offer lower out-of-pocket costs and more predictable expenses than bronze plans, which carry higher deductibles, and officials say most returning bronze-plan customers stand to benefit from shopping again under the new 2027 rates and assistance levels.
Regulators Trimmed What Insurers Wanted to Charge
Rhode Island's insurance regulator didn't give carriers everything they asked for heading into 2027. The Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner approved an average 12.4% increase for 2027 individual-market plans, down from the 20.1% hike insurers had requested, The Jamestown Press reported. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, which requested a 9.8% increase for its 16,138 individual-market enrollees, was approved for just 4.9%. Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, which covers 34,555 individual-market members, had asked for 24.9% and was approved for 15.8%, according to Uprise RI's review of the state's rate filings.
Neighborhood revised its own proposed increase after the new state affordability program took shape, anticipating higher enrollment and roughly $17.1 million in program subsidies flowing to its customers, Rhode Island Current reported. Governor Dan McKee's recommended FY27 budget had proposed $9.5 million to subsidize coverage for the roughly 20,000 HealthSource RI customers identified as most affected by the loss of federal subsidies, according to a statement from the Governor of Rhode Island's office, and the Marketplace Affordability Program itself received funding when the state budget became law on June 12, 2026, per Uprise RI.
Officials Urge Residents Who Dropped Coverage to Look Again
McKee said his administration provided relief to Rhode Islanders at risk of losing coverage after federal subsidies expired and health care costs rose, and he encouraged residents to explore their options during open enrollment, according to The Jamestown Press. HealthSource RI director Lindsay Lang said health coverage should be accessible without threatening the financial stability of people with serious medical needs.
Sam Salganik, executive director of RIPIN, a nonprofit that helps families access health care, said state leaders' actions will make 2027 better for people buying HealthSource coverage, and he urged people who dropped coverage because it had become too expensive to take another look. HealthSource RI maintains a network of more than 100 trained enrollment workers, and the agency notes it remains the only place in Rhode Island where consumers can get financial assistance toward premium costs.
Residents can get enrollment help by calling 1-855-840-4774 or dialing 211, per HealthSource RI. Virtual open-enrollment information sessions are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3, and again at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 5, according to The Jamestown Press.
Attorney General Warns Against Junk Plans
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, a Jamestown resident, warned residents to watch out for limited-benefit or junk insurance plans that can resemble regulated health coverage without actually being insurance, The Jamestown Press reported. These plans do not guarantee coverage of medically necessary services, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners urges consumers to be wary of health care sharing ministries, discount plans, and other risk-sharing arrangements. Junk plans are commonly advertised across all forms of media in Rhode Island, according to the report, making it easy for shoppers to mistake them for real marketplace coverage during open enrollment.
