How Much Is Health Insurance in Washington, DC?

On this page

• What a DC Health Link plan costs before subsidies
• What you’d pay after a tax credit
• Costs beyond the premium
• DC Marketplace facts
• When to enroll
• Other options in DC
• Frequently asked questions

What a DC Health Link plan costs before subsidies

DC doesn’t use the federal age curve. The District sets its own age factors, so prices at other ages don’t follow the usual multiples, and this article doesn’t estimate an age table for DC. Under DC’s curve, a 64-year-old still pays about three times what a 21-year-old does, and everyone 20 and younger is charged the same rate.

For a 40-year-old, the 2026 benchmark silver plan averaged $610 a month before subsidies. What you’d actually pay depends on your age, the plan’s metal level and whether it comes from CareFirst or Kaiser Permanente, the District’s two individual-market insurers.

What you’d pay after a tax credit

A premium tax credit caps what you pay for the benchmark plan at a share of your income when your household earns between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level. A single 40-year-old in DC earning $40,000 would pay about $287 a month for the benchmark plan in 2026, with a tax credit of about $323. For 2027, the same person’s share would be about $289. Income above 400% of the poverty level ($62,600 for one person for 2026 coverage, $63,840 for 2027) means no credit at all.

Far fewer DC enrollees get that help than the national average. About 19% of 2026 enrollees got a credit, and with most people paying full price, the average premium after subsidies stayed high at $725 a month. Enrollees who did get a credit paid $398 on average.

Lower-income residents usually have cheaper options than a Marketplace plan. DC Medicaid covers adults with income up to 138% of the poverty level, about $22,025 a year for one person in 2026, and the Healthy DC Plan covers residents who don’t qualify for Medicaid up to 200%, with no premium. The guide to health insurance for low-income families explains more.

Costs beyond the premium

Your plan’s deductible, copays and coinsurance decide what a doctor visit or hospital stay costs you. The out-of-pocket maximum caps that spending at $10,600 for one person in 2026 and $12,000 in 2027. With income under 250% of the poverty level, a silver plan’s cost-sharing reductions lower those costs.

DC Marketplace facts

• Marketplace: DC Health Link, run by the District. DC has no off-exchange individual market, so every individual plan is sold through DC Health Link.
• Enrollment: 16,053 plan selections for 2026, up from 14,930 in 2025. About 19% got a premium tax credit.
• Insurers: CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, through its BlueChoice HMO and GHMSI PPO plans, and Kaiser Permanente. Read our Kaiser Permanente individual plans review for more on its plans.
• 2027 prices: Approved on September 18, 2026, when DC’s Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) announced that individual plan rates will rise 9.9% on average for 2027. Small-group plans will rise 11.5%.
• Individual mandate: DC residents must have coverage or pay a penalty on their DC tax return unless they qualify for an exemption. For 2026, the penalty is the greater of a flat amount ($845 per adult and $422.50 per child, up to $2,535 per family) or 2.5% of household income above the federal tax filing threshold, capped at $4,965 per person. One exemption covers people whose coverage would cost more than about 8% of income.
• State help: The Healthy DC Plan, DC’s Basic Health Program, started January 1, 2026. It has no premium and covers residents with income up to 200% of the poverty level who don’t qualify for Medicaid. DC has no reinsurance program.
• Medicaid: DC Medicaid covers parents and other adults up to 138% of the poverty level, down from 215% before January 1, 2026. Children through age 18 qualify up to 324%. See health insurance for children.

When to enroll

DC Health Link’s open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs from November 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027, about two weeks longer than HealthCare.gov’s window. Pick a plan by December 15 if you want coverage to start January 1. If you enroll later in the window, your coverage starts later. To cut your premium, see how to lower your Marketplace premium.

Other options in DC

• Employer coverage, which is usually the cheapest option if you can get it.
• DC Medicaid for adults up to 138% of the poverty level and children up to 324%, and the Healthy DC Plan for residents up to 200% who don’t qualify for Medicaid.
• Medicare at 65.

Health insurance costs in nearby states: Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and West Virginia. You can also compare health insurance costs in every state.

See 2027 DC Health Link plans and prices for your ZIP code: compare quotes.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a penalty for not having health insurance in DC?

Yes. DC has its own individual mandate. For 2026, the penalty is the greater of $845 per adult ($422.50 per child) or 2.5% of household income above the tax filing threshold, and it’s collected on your DC tax return.

When is open enrollment in DC for 2027?

It runs from November 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027. Choose a plan by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1.

What is the Healthy DC Plan?

It’s DC’s Basic Health Program, which started January 1, 2026. It has no premium and covers residents with income up to 200% of the poverty level who don’t qualify for Medicaid, including many adults who lost Medicaid when DC lowered its adult income limit to 138%.

How much are DC health insurance rates going up in 2027?

The Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking approved an average increase of 9.9% for individual plans on September 18, 2026. Small-group plans will rise 11.5% on average.

This article is general information, not insurance or tax advice. Prices are averages and estimates; your actual premium depends on your age, income, household and the plan you choose. Last reviewed September 2026.