My Medica plan is ending in Iowa for 2027 — what should I do?
Medica will not sell plans on Iowa's HealthCare.gov Marketplace for 2027, so your current Medica Marketplace plan ends December 31, 2026 and you need a different plan in place for January 1, 2027. Medica is ending its individual marketplace plans in Iowa effective January 1, 2027, affecting about 4,000 Iowa members, Becker's Payer Issues reported on June 30, 2026, with member counts confirmed by Medica. If you do nothing, HealthCare.gov says that when your insurance company isn't offering plans for next year, "we'll re-enroll you in a plan with a different insurance company"; the federal rule behind that, 45 CFR 155.335(j)(3), allows the cross-insurer move only where state law permits it, following the state insurance regulator's direction or, if the regulator gives none, into a similar plan chosen by the Marketplace. That automatic match is a safety net, not a plan picked around your doctors, hospital or prescriptions. Choose your own plan by December 15, 2026 for coverage that starts January 1, 2027; Open Enrollment ends January 15, 2027, and plans picked December 16 through January 15 generally start February 1. For help choosing or enrolling in a plan, call United Enrollment Services, a licensed insurance agency, at 1-866-401-4116.
More on this topic: health insurance marketplace
What it means
- Your Medica coverage stays in force through December 31, 2026 as long as premiums are paid; the change is that you need a different plan for 2027.
- An automatic re-enrollment into another insurer's plan may use a different provider network, drug list and deductible even when the monthly price looks similar.
- Losing a plan that is discontinued generally counts as a loss of coverage, which opens a Special Enrollment Period that starts 60 days before the plan ends and runs 60 days after — but enrolling after January 1 leaves a gap, because the new plan is not retroactive.
- Your premium tax credit follows you to whichever Marketplace plan you choose; it is based on your 2027 income estimate and household, not on the insurer.
Action steps
- Read the discontinuation letter from Medica and the notice from HealthCare.gov — together they say when your plan ends and which plan, if any, you are being matched to.
- Call a licensed agent at United Enrollment Services at 1-866-401-4116 — they are licensed in Iowa — to compare the 2027 plans that replace yours against your doctors, prescriptions and budget and enroll you before the deadline.
- See every 2027 Marketplace plan in your county at https://acadirectanswers.com/plans-2027/ia/polk (Polk County) or https://acadirectanswers.com/plans-2027/ia/linn (Linn County) — swap the last part of the address for your own county's name.
- Update your 2027 income estimate and household size on your application so your premium tax credit is calculated correctly.
- Check each plan's provider directory and drug list before you choose, and ask how in-progress treatment or prior authorizations will be handled in January.
- Pick and confirm your new plan by December 15, 2026, then pay the first month's premium so coverage starts January 1, 2027.
Risks & deadlines
- December 15, 2026: last day to choose a plan for coverage starting January 1, 2027 in HealthCare.gov states.
- January 15, 2027: Open Enrollment ends; plans chosen December 16 through January 15 generally start February 1.
- If you are automatically re-enrolled, check the new plan's network, drug list and deductible right away — you can still switch through January 15.
- Coverage does not start until the first premium is paid.
Also asked as
- Is Medica leaving the Iowa Marketplace in 2027?
- Medica is leaving Iowa — what happens to my health insurance?
- What happens if I don't pick a new plan after Medica leaves the Iowa Marketplace?
- I got a letter that my Medica plan is discontinued in Iowa for 2027 — what now?
Sources
Last verified: 2026-11-02