Prepare for a Dynamic HealthCare.gov Marketplace Open Enrollment Season, Starting November 1

November 1, 2025, marks the start of the 2025-26 HealthCare.gov Marketplace Open Enrollment season. Last season, Milwaukee County achieved record increases in enrollment with a 30% increase in Marketplace enrollments and BadgerCare Plus enrollments holding steady around 243,000, roughly 13,000 higher than pre-pandemic levels. This year, significant federal policy changes are anticipated to impact the dynamics of the Marketplace and subsequent enrollments and renewals.

“Consumers will soon face significant barriers to both accessing and maintaining health insurance coverage,” said Justin Rivas, Milwaukee Enrollment Network Manager and Milwaukee Health Care Partnership Director of Community Health Initiatives. “But our countywide collaborative is strong, we have proven strategies to build on, and support is still available to help consumers – whether that be a case manager helping to upload documents on the MyACCESS mobile app or a Covering Wisconsin Navigator managing a difficult case.”

Below are critical Marketplace updates to note and their associated timelines, as well as calls to action for all partners across the county to plan for and consider ahead of the 2025-26 Open Enrollment season.

Marketplace Updates to Note:
(Please note, information is accurate as of distribution. Court stays/injunctions and changes are happening in real time.)

 Calls to Action:

To explore any of these opportunities further, contact MKEN Manager Justin Rivas at jrivas@mkehcp.org.

The Milwaukee Enrollment Network is a consortium of more than 100 organizations committed to promoting adequate and affordable health insurance coverage, with a focus on low-income, uninsured, and underinsured people in Milwaukee County. MKEN is co-sponsored by the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership and Covering Wisconsin.