How to navigate insurance marketplace amid shutdown

Higher prices, less help and a government shutdown all hang over health insurance markets as shoppers started looking for coverage last week.

- BY TOM MURPHY

PATRICK SISON Associated Press MANY CUSTOMERS are facing large increases in premiums and may need to consider other coverage.

The annual enrollment window for millions of people to pick an individual plan opened Saturday in nearly all states, and a heavy dose of politics weighs on this year’s search.

The federal government shut down last month as Democrats in Congress demanded negotiations to extend enhanced tax credits that have helped people buy coverage the last few years. Republicans say they won't negotiate until Democrats vote to reopen the government.

Stuck in the middle are insurance customers, many of whom will be facing the biggest premium hikes they've seen in years and may be forced to consider changing plans.

“It seems overwhelming, but it really is important to shop and consider your choices,” said Sara Collins, an insurance expert with the Commonwealth Fund.

Here’s how shoppers can respond:

First deadline nears

Shoppers will have until Jan. 15 in most states to find a plan for 2026, but have to make their choice by Dec. 15 if they want coverage starting New Year's Day.

This is the main chance people with individual coverage have every year to find a plan for the next year. More than 24 million people enrolled in individual plans for 2025, according to KFF, which studies healthcare issues.