Washington's Bigger ACA Credit Is Gone. Some States Now Pay Part of It, and Virginia's $150 Million Is First-Come.

If you buy your own health insurance in Virginia, Rhode Island, New Mexico, California or New Jersey, your state may be paying part of the bill Washington stopped covering. In Virginia, that help comes out of a fixed pot. Shop late and it may be gone.

Open enrollment for 2027 started November 1, and the backdrop is ugly. KFF found average benchmark silver premiums, the price your tax credit is built on, are up 13% for 2027 and 42% since 2025. The enhanced federal credit expired at the end of 2025. Above 400% of the poverty line, there’s no federal credit at all.

A few state-run exchanges are patching the hole with state tax money. That’s why the help comes with income bands and caps.

Virginia: real money, fixed pot

Virginia Premium Savings is new for 2027. It covers Marketplace buyers with income between 138% and 250% of the poverty line, roughly $22,000 to $39,900 for one person or $45,540 to $82,500 for a family of four, per Cardinal News. The federal credit applies first, then the state’s.

The state put up $150 million and estimates about 200,000 people qualify. Healthinsurance.org says the average eligible buyer saves $65 to $90 a month. That’s $780 to $1,080 a year.

Here’s the catch. Cardinal News reports the money goes out first-come, first-served, and put it plainly: “There’s no guarantee that $150 million will be enough.”

Rhode Island: 2025 prices, plus a ceiling above 400%

Rhode Island’s program, RIMAP, starts in January. Under 200% of the poverty line, it sets your share of the benchmark silver plan at 0% to 2% of income. HealthSource RI says that matches 2025 affordability. The federal formula alone would charge you 2.15% to 6.78%.

It also does something rare: it helps people over 400% of the poverty line. The benchmark plan gets capped at 18% of income. For a two-person household right at the line, $84,600, that’s about $1,269 a month. Your benchmark plan has to cost more than that before you see a dime. The state expects 1,000 to 1,400 people to collect an average of $240 a month.

The others

New Mexico fully replaced the lost federal help in 2026 and is keeping it for 2027. KFF notes its enrollment grew while the country’s fell. California is widening its state help to households between 165% and 200% of the poverty line. New Jersey kept its program. KFF says several other states run subsidies too.

The move

In Virginia, don’t wait for December. Apply this month at Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace while the pot is full. To start coverage January 1, Cardinal News says you need to enroll by December 31.

In Rhode Island, put an honest income estimate on your HealthSource RI application. The state help keys off it, and for 2026 on, there’s no cap on the federal credit you pay back if you guess low.

Everywhere else, log in to your exchange and look for a state subsidy line on your quote before you pick a plan. Then put your 2027 price next to this year’s. Our 2027 premium breakdown has the national numbers, and the health insurance hub covers the basics.

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