ImplementationOperationsSimone Figueira3 min read
The 30-day Open Enrollment 2027 readiness checklist for ACA agencies
The season is decided in the 30 days before November 1. Four weeks, four areas, one checklist.
Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage starts on November 1, 2026. The work that decides how the season goes happens in the 30 days before it. Use this checklist week by week to get the operation ready.
Week 1: data and book
- Sync your HealthSherpa book and merge duplicate clients.
- Confirm an owner for every active client.
- Flag clients affected by the 2027 eligibility changes.
- Clean up the phone numbers and emails you will use for outreach.
Week 2: process and queues
- Define the stages of your season pipeline: new lead, qualification, quote, enrollment, follow-up and renewal.
- Create queues by status, urgency and deadline.
- Set ownership rules for new leads and walk-ins.
- Decide who handles DMIs and document follow-up.
Week 3: templates, forms and compliance
- Prepare consent and income attestation forms as reusable templates.
- Write renewal messages for each segment in English, Spanish and the other languages you serve.
- Confirm how every agent documents consumer consent and application review, as CMS requires.
- Review your scripts for the new eligibility rules that take effect on January 1, 2027.
Week 4: team, automation and dashboards
- Train the team on the pipeline, queues and escalation rules.
- Turn on reminders and follow-up sequences.
- Set up after-hours responses for inbound messages.
- Give managers a daily dashboard: new leads, enrollments, pending cases and workload by agent.
If you can only do three things: sync the book, define owners and set up a daily dashboard. Everything else gets easier once those are in place.
Dates to put on the wall
Nov 1, 2026
Open Enrollment opens
Dec 15, 2026
Deadline for coverage starting January 1
Jan 15, 2027
Open Enrollment ends on HealthCare.gov (state exchanges may differ)
Ready when you are
Put the plan in motion this week.
No credit card, set up in days, and a team that speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish if you want help.
Sources
- HealthCare.gov — Dates and deadlines (opens in a new tab)
- CMS — Consumer consent and application review requirements (FAQ) (opens in a new tab)
This article is for information only and reflects public information as of its publication date. It is not legal or tax advice. Confirm current rules with CMS, your state exchange and your carriers.
