Arizona Health Insurance Consumer Guide

To buy Marketplace health coverage in Arizona:⁵

• You must live in Arizona.
• You must be lawfully present in the U.S.
• You can’t be incarcerated.
• You can’t be enrolled in Medicare.

Arizona’s open enrollment period to sign up for ACA Marketplace individual and family health plans is between November 1 and January 15. This applies whether you enroll through the exchange or directly with an insurer.

If you want your coverage to begin on January 1, enroll by December 15. If you sign up between December 16 and January 15, your coverage will start on February 1.⁶

If the open enrollment deadline passes, you may still be able to sign up for or make changes to an ACA Marketplace health plan through a special enrollment period (SEP). To qualify for a SEP, you’ll need a qualifying life event.

But there are instances where you don’t need a qualifying life event to apply outside of open enrollment. For example:

• If you’re eligible for premium tax credits and your income is not more than 150% of the poverty level, you can enroll anytime until at least 2025.⁷
• If you’re a Native American, you can enroll whenever necessary.⁸

If you lose Medicaid or CHIP between March 31, 2023 and July 31, 2024, you can enroll through the extended SEP.⁹

Here are the main ways to enroll in a Marketplace health plan in Arizona:

• Directly through HealthCare.gov
• By phone at (800) 318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325). Talk to an agent 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except for holidays.
• With the help of agents, navigators, or certified application counselors or an approved enhanced direct enrollment entity.¹⁰

No matter which of the above methods you use, you’ll still purchase your health plan through HealthCare.gov since Arizona uses the federally facilitated Marketplace. The website will walk you through the application process and determine your subsidy eligibility.

In Arizona, individuals and families have several options to find affordable health insurance coverage:

• HealthCare.gov: By enrolling through HealthCare.gov, you could be eligible for income-based subsidies known as Advance Premium Tax Credits (APTC) that help lower your monthly premiums. About 86% of Marketplace enrollees in Arizona qualified for premium subsidies, saving on average $472 monthly. With subsidies, enrollees paid an average of $105 per month for health coverage.¹¹
• Cost-Sharing Reductions: If your income is below 250% of the federal poverty level, you may qualify for cost-sharing reductions (CSR). CSRs help reduce your out-of-pocket costs, making coverage more affordable.¹²
• Medicaid: If you’re eligible for Medicaid, you can enroll through Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (azahcccs.gov) or Health-e-Arizona (healthearizonaplus.gov).
• Short-Term Health Insurance: Consider short-term health insurance if you need a more budget-friendly option. Currently, seven insurers in Arizona offer short-term plans.

Source: CMS.gov¹³

For 2023, there are eight insurers offering plans on Arizona’s exchange:¹⁴ 

• Aetna CVS Health/Banner Health
• Arizona Complete Health (formerly Health Net of AZ)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Inc. (HMO and PPO options)
• Cigna
• Imperial Insurance (new for 2023)
• Medica Community Health Plan
• Oscar Health Plan
• UnitedHealthcare of Arizona

Insurance providers in Arizona’s individual market have requested the following rate changes for 2024: ¹⁵

Source: HealthCare.gov ¹⁵

When looking at overall average rate changes, it’s important to understand:

• Published rates are for full-price plans. Most enrollees receive subsidies, so their net rate change depends on their plan and subsidy amount.¹⁶
• Averages don’t account for premiums increasing with age. People pay more each year as they get older.
• A weighted average lumps all plans together. But rate changes vary by insurer and plan.

During the 2023 open enrollment, 235,229 people signed up for private health plans through Arizona’s exchange.¹¹ This number significantly increased from the year before, when 199,706 people enrolled. 

Source: 2014,¹⁷ 2015, ¹⁸ 2016,¹⁹ 2017,²⁰  2018,²¹ 2019,²² 2020,²³ 2021,²⁴ 2022,²⁵ 2023,²⁶ 2024²⁷

HealthCare.gov
The official federal website where you can sign up for health insurance plans through the ACA Marketplace. 

Arizona Department of Insurance
Regulates and licenses health plans, agents, and brokers. Provides consumer information about insurance.

Arizona Health Matters
A resource that provides information about health concerns in Arizona. 

Arizona Association of Community Health Centers/Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers
Community health centers that are also Arizona’s federally-funded Navigator. Help with exchange enrollments.

Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System
Administers Medicaid in Arizona. Provides coverage to low-income residents.

Medicare Rights Center
National service with a website and call center to assist Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers. 

Arizona State Health Insurance Assistance Program
Local counseling, advice, and assistance with Medicare issues.