PROVIDENCE, RI – Director Lindsay Lang of HealthSource RI (HSRI), the state’s marketplace for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, was joined Wednesday by RIPIN Executive Director Sam Salganik, HSRI Contact Center Training Manager Nadia Jardim, CCAP Outreach and Engagement Specialist/Navigator Bunny Ssengooba, and various HSRI staff to mark the coming Open Enrollment period and celebrate the positive developments in marketplace affordability this year.

For the 2027 Open Enrollment period, which runs November 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027, Rhode Islanders have a new way to save on health coverage through HSRI. The Rhode Island Marketplace Affordability Program (RIMAP), proposed in Governor Dan McKee’s 2027 budget and funded through action by the General Assembly, was created in response to the expiration of enhanced federal premium tax credits, which dramatically increased health insurance costs for many Rhode Islanders in 2026. After the expiration of the federal enhancements, average premiums across the HSRI population increased by 101%, or $111 per person per month. Lower-income households saw the largest percentage increase of their premiums, while those at middle incomes and higher saw the highest dollar amount increases.

“When federal subsidies expired and health care costs rose significantly, my administration stepped up to provide relief to Rhode Islanders at risk of losing their coverage. By creating Rhode Island’s first Rhode Island Marketplace Affordability Program in my FY 27 budget, we can now help tens of thousands of residents access lower-cost health coverage in 2027. We want people to know that support is available and encourage Rhode Islanders to explore their options during Open Enrollment,” said Governor Dan McKee.

Starting in January 2027, RIMAP is expected to help more than 20,000 eligible current, former and future HealthSource RI customers afford health coverage. For thousands of customers, namely those under 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), RIMAP assistance will be in addition to federal tax credits. For many other middle-income households just above 400% FPL who lost federal assistance entirely in 2026, it will serve as a partial replacement for that help.

“This year we have good news for Rhode Islanders looking for health insurance, and we urge HealthSource RI customers and potential customers alike to come and take another look at what’s available to them through HSRI,” said HSRI Director Lindsay Lang. “Having health coverage can be a big expense – we know that, especially when so many other household expenses continue to rise. But we want people to be able to get the healthcare they need and to know if they have serious medical needs, it won’t threaten their financial stability. And we’re thrilled to be able to offer a solution that brings health coverage back within reach for so many.”

For those falling just between 200% and 400% FPL who aren’t eligible for RIMAP, recent action by the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner will result in additional federal tax credits to help with the cost of coverage through HealthSource RI. In accordance with Executive Order 26-03, HSRI worked with OHIC to develop a revised approach to plan rating for 2027 silver plans to better reflect actual experience in the Rhode Island individual market, raising the basis for customers’ federal premium tax credits, providing more federal subsidy and lowering monthly costs for enrollees at no additional cost to the state budget. As a result, an additional 10,000 Rhode Island households will soon receive a renewal letter showing that their 2027 monthly costs will be an average $110 lower than 2026.

HealthSource RI staff and a network of more than 100 trained Navigators are ready to help counsel new and returning customers to make the most of their available financial help when selecting a plan for 2027. In contrast to recent trend, bronze plan selections rose steeply in 2026 (from 20% to 32%) without enhanced financial assistance to encourage enrollment in silver and gold plans, which offer lower out-of-pocket costs and more predictability. Accordingly, silver and gold selection decreased (from 43% to 35% and 36% to 32% respectively). While plan selection is frequently driven by the affordability of the monthly premium, it comes with a trade-off – bronze plans have much higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, opening insured individuals up to higher bills as they use their plans. Most returning HSRI customers currently in bronze plans will benefit from shopping again with the benefit of new 2027 rates and assistance levels.

“I won’t sugar-coat it: This was a tough year to be buying coverage through HealthSource RI, with extra federal support expiring at the end of 2025 and prices going up. But 2027 will be better because leaders in Rhode Island did something about it,” said Sam Salganik, Executive Director of RIPIN. “If you dropped coverage this year because it was too expensive, please come back and shop again for 2027. Thank you to the McKee administration, Speaker Blazejewski, Senate President Lawson, and everyone else who worked to make this possible.”

HSRI offers decision support tools both anonymously on its website at HealthSourceRI.com/calculator, and through its online enrollment portal, healthyrhode.ri.gov.  This allows customers to shop and compare plans, including reviewing out-of-pocket costs based on different plans and health status scenarios.

Virtual information sessions specific to Open Enrollment will be held throughout the upcoming months, the first of which are at 9:30 a.m. on November 3 and 10:30 on November 5. To sign up, or to find information on other info sessions, go to HealthSourceRI.com/events.

HSRI’s usual Contact Center hours of Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. are expanded during Open Enrollment to include late Tuesday evening hours until 8 p.m., and Saturday mornings, 9 a.m. to noon. On Sunday, November 1 only, the first day of enrollment, Contact Center hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for phone and web chat only. Enrollment support is available by calling 1-855-840-HSRI (4774).

During Contact Center hours, HSRI also offers live web chat services on HealthSourceRI.com, in both English and Spanish, where individuals can ask questions, reset their passwords, and get enrollment support from a live agent.

In addition to assistance through HSRI’s phone and chat services, one-on-one enrollment support is available in-person, by phone or virtually through HSRI’s trained Navigator agencies, located throughout the state. Individuals can also make appointments for assistance at the HSRI Contact Center at 401 Wampanoag Trail in East Providence. Appointments for Navigators or the Contact Center can be booked at HealthSourceRI.com/OE.

Rhode Islanders have until December 23, 2026 to select and pay for coverage that starts January 1, 2027 to ensure they have their cards in hand for the new year. The last possible day to enroll and pay for a 2027 plan under Open Enrollment is January 31, for coverage that starts February 1, 2027. For the most up to date information about HSRI’s Open Enrollment period, and additional customer service information, visit HealthSourceRI.com/OE .

HealthSource RI is the state’s health insurance marketplace. Since 2013, HealthSource RI has decreased the uninsured rate by more than two thirds. Today, nearly 98 percent of Rhode Islanders have health coverage, the sixth highest insured rate in the country. HealthSource RI is the only place where Rhode Islanders can receive financial help to pay for their health coverage. Currently, 8 out of 10 HealthSource RI customers receive financial assistance. Through the HealthSource RI for Employers program, HSRI also services over 1,200 small employers in Rhode Island and more than 9,200 employees and dependents.