Oregon approved for own health insurance marketplace starting Nov. 1, 2026
Bend, ORE. (KTVZ) — Oregon has received conditional approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to launch Explore Health, a new state-based health insurance marketplace.
The platform will replace Health care.gov for Oregon residents starting Nov. 1, 2026.
The marketplace is designed for residents who do not have health coverage through an employer or government programs such as the Oregon Health Plan, Medicare or Veterans Affairs. The transition moves Oregon from a federally managed platform to a state-run marketplace.
Through Explore Health, Oregonians will be able to shop for health coverage, check eligibility for financial assistance and enroll in individual plans.
The development of Explore Health follows the passage of Senate Bill 972 by the Oregon Legislature in 2023. State officials said the transition was shaped by feedback from consumers, community organizations, health care partners, insurance companies and agents across Oregon.
Chiqui Flowers serves as director of the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace. Flowers noted that the approval allows the state to tailor the platform to local needs.
“This approval is an important step toward improving the shopping and customer service experience for people in Oregon who use the Marketplace,” Flowers said. “Explore Health will give Oregon the flexibility to design a Marketplace experience around the needs of our diverse communities and respond to local data, feedback and changes in federal policy.”
Additional information about Explore Health, open enrollment details and consumer assistance resources will be published in the coming weeks at ExploreHealthOR.gov.
Click here to follow the original article.