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Health insurance in California: private plans, the Marketplace, and how AFHC helps
America First Healthcare helps California residents compare private plans, Marketplace options and gap coverage with a licensed advisor. Below is how buying coverage works in California, with every fact linked to its source.
Verify any agent's license through the NIPR lookup.
Quick facts
- Marketplace
- Covered California
- 2027 open enrollment
- See the dates
- Medicaid expansion
- Adopted
- Short-term plans
- Prohibited
- Insurance department
- California Department of Insurance
Facts checked 2026-09-14.
California health insurance facts
- Marketplace
- California runs its own state-based marketplace, Covered California.Source
- 2027 open enrollment
- Covered California states that anyone can apply during open enrollment, November 1 to January 31. Apply by December 31 for a January 1 start; apply in January for a February 1 start.Source
- Medicaid expansion
- California adopted Medicaid expansion (Medi-Cal, implemented January 1, 2014).Source
- Short-term plans
- Short-term limited duration health insurance cannot be issued, sold, renewed or offered in California. The prohibition took effect January 1, 2019 under Senate Bill 910.Source
- State insurance department
- California Department of Insurance. File complaints and check agent licenses here.Source
Facts checked 2026-09-14. Rules change; confirm anything you plan around at the linked source.
Who we usually help in California
Most California households who book a review are buying coverage without an employer in the middle. The hubs below explain each situation in detail.
- Self-employed and 1099 workers
- Small business owners
- Early retirees bridging to Medicare
- People losing employer coverage
- Families who want catastrophic-first coverage
We work with families across California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco and Sacramento, and everywhere in between. The review is by phone or video, so where you live in the state does not change how it works.
How the free review works for California residents
- Book online at the free healthcare review page or call (888) 728-7640.
- One scheduled call with one licensed advisor. We look at what you have and what your household actually needs in California.
- You get the options side by side with every cost shown. No timeline and no pressure; move forward or walk away knowing where you stand.
On our homepage map, California is one of the states marked active now.
California health insurance FAQs
Is short-term health insurance allowed in California?
Short-term limited duration health insurance cannot be issued, sold, renewed or offered in California. The prohibition took effect January 1, 2019 under Senate Bill 910.
When is open enrollment in California for 2027 coverage?
Covered California states that anyone can apply during open enrollment, November 1 to January 31. Apply by December 31 for a January 1 start; apply in January for a February 1 start.
Does California use HealthCare.gov or its own marketplace?
California runs a state-based marketplace called Covered California. Marketplace plans and any premium tax credit in California go through it rather than HealthCare.gov.
How do I verify an insurance agent's license in California?
Look the agent up through the NIPR license lookup, or contact the California Department of Insurance. Ask for the agent's name and national producer number before you share personal information. NIPR license lookup.
Want a plain-English walkthrough of your California options? Book a free healthcare review. No hard sell.
Free healthcare reviewEducational only. Not medical, legal, or personalized insurance advice. Plans are offered and underwritten by third-party carriers. All states.