How To Get Health Insurance In 2025

Getting coverage through your job is often the easiest and most affordable option. Your employer typically pays a large portion of your monthly premium and negotiates better rates than you'd get buying insurance alone. 

You can enroll when you start a new position or during your company's annual open enrollment period, usually in the fall. Most plans let you add your spouse and children, though adding family members increases your premium costs. The coverage starts immediately or within 30 to 90 days of your start date, depending on your employer's waiting period.

The Health Insurance Marketplace lets you shop for individual and family plans if you don't have job-based coverage. For 2025 coverage, 24.2 million consumers selected plans through the Marketplaces, and many qualified for financial help with premiums. 

According to CMS data, four out of five HealthCare.gov consumers can find a monthly plan for $10 or less through expanded tax credits. Your income determines whether you qualify for these credits, which can dramatically lower your costs. Open enrollment runs from November 1 to January 15 each year. You can also enroll outside this window if you lose job coverage, get married, have a baby or move to a new state.

Medicare covers people 65 and older, plus younger individuals with specific disabilities. The program splits into Part A (hospital coverage), Part B (outpatient care), Part C (Medicare Advantage plans from private insurers) and Part D (prescription drugs). 

To join a Medicare plan, you generally must have Part A and Part B, live in the plan's service area and be a citizen of the U.S. or lawfully present in the country. You can change plans during Medicare's annual open enrollment, which runs from October 15 to December 7. Changes you make during this period take effect on January 1 of the following year.

Medicaid offers free or low-cost coverage to eligible low-income individuals and families, pregnant women, children, seniors and people with disabilities. 

Each state sets its own income limits and eligibility rules. Many states expanded Medicaid under the ACA, covering individuals earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level. There are 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. You can apply anytime because Medicaid has no open enrollment period. Your state Medicaid agency reviews your application and contacts you about enrollment if you qualify.

CHIP covers children in families earning too much for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance. The program covers doctor visits, prescriptions, dental care and vision services at little or no cost. 

You can apply for CHIP year-round through your state's program or HealthCare.gov. If your child doesn't qualify for Medicaid, they may still be eligible for CHIP. Each state runs its own CHIP program with different income limits, so check with your state agency to see if your family qualifies.