Madrinas Insurance is a licensed insurance agency. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the federal government or any state marketplace. Plan availability, premiums, and savings vary by plan, carrier, service area, age, and financial-assistance eligibility. This is a solicitation for insurance. Language assistance services are available free of charge. / Hay servicios de asistencia lingüística disponibles de forma gratuita.
Quick Answer: Get Covered New Jersey is the state’s official health insurance marketplace at nj.gov/getcoverednj, and it is the only place New Jerseyans can apply federal premium tax credits plus New Jersey Health Plan Savings, the extra state subsidy stacked on top. Open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs November 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027, one of the longest windows in the country.
If you are shopping for your own health insurance in New Jersey, everything runs through one front door: Get Covered New Jersey, the marketplace the state operates itself. It is where the plans live, where the savings live, and where the state’s own extra help gets applied.
This guide covers what New Jerseyans actually ask: what the marketplace is, who it serves, the three cost levers that make the state different, and the 2027 dates, in plain language.
What You Will Learn
- What Get Covered New Jersey is, and why it is the state’s one official front door
- Who the marketplace serves: workers, families, and the self-employed
- The three cost levers: stacked state savings, reinsurance, and the coverage rule
- How NJHPS adds state help on top of federal tax credits
- The key dates and facts for 2027, including one of the longest windows anywhere
- How a Madrinas madrina helps you through it, free and bilingual
What Exactly Is Get Covered New Jersey?
Get Covered New Jersey is the official, state-run marketplace where residents compare and buy individual and family health plans at nj.gov/getcoverednj. The plans come from private insurance companies, and every marketplace plan covers essential benefits like doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, and preventive care. It is also the only place where financial help can be applied to your premium, which makes it the only store where your discount actually exists.
Who Is the Marketplace For?
It exists for people without job-based coverage: the self-employed, small-business owners, gig and hourly workers, early retirees, and families in between jobs. Acceptance is guaranteed during enrollment windows regardless of health history, and according to Get Covered New Jersey, free enrollment help is available in multiple languages, including through certified agents at no extra cost.
What Makes New Jersey Different? Three Cost Levers
Most states have one source of savings; New Jersey runs three levers at once. First, New Jersey Health Plan Savings, known as NJHPS, is a state-funded subsidy stacked on top of federal premium tax credits, so qualifying households get two layers of help on the same bill. Second, the state runs one of the country’s original reinsurance programs, which works behind the scenes to help keep premiums steadier than they would otherwise be. Third, New Jersey requires residents to have health coverage, with exemptions available, and that rule keeps the insurance pool broad and stable, which helps everyone’s prices.
Can You Really Save on Get Covered New Jersey?
Many New Jersey households qualify for financial help, and because NJHPS stacks on the federal credit, residents here can see more help than the federal amount alone. The total depends on your household size and income, so the honest answer is personal: you may qualify for meaningful savings, and only your own estimate knows your number. The marketplace shows prices with your potential help applied before you commit, and a licensed madrina can run that estimate with you for free.
Key Dates and Facts for 2027
- Open enrollment: November 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027 for coverage year 2027, one of the longest windows of any marketplace. Confirm the schedule on nj.gov/getcoverednj.
- January 1 coverage: enrolling early in the window is how you start the year covered; Get Covered New Jersey publishes the exact cutoff for a January 1 start, so aim for the first half of the window.
- Coverage is required: New Jersey’s Shared Responsibility Payment means going without qualifying coverage can cost you at tax time, though exemptions exist for hardship and other situations.
- Outside the window: qualifying life events, like losing coverage, moving, getting married, or having a baby, open a 60-day special enrollment period through Get Covered New Jersey.
How a Madrinas Madrina Helps
A Madrinas madrina walks you through Get Covered New Jersey in plain language: your household and income organized, both layers of savings checked, your doctors and medicines verified in each finalist plan’s own lists, and your enrollment completed correctly, with the first payment explained so coverage actually activates. The consultation is free, in English and Spanish, by phone anywhere in New Jersey. Every life change deserves a madrina. Call 855-MADRINA to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Get Covered New Jersey the same as Obamacare?
It is New Jersey’s version of the marketplace created under the law nicknamed Obamacare. Same protections, same guaranteed acceptance; the difference is that the state runs the platform itself at nj.gov/getcoverednj and adds its own NJHPS savings on top of the federal help.
Is health insurance really required in New Jersey?
Yes: New Jersey has its own coverage requirement, the Shared Responsibility Payment, which can apply at state tax time if you go without qualifying coverage. Exemptions exist for hardship and other situations, and a free call can check where your household stands.
When can I enroll for 2027?
Open enrollment runs November 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027, one of the longest windows in the country; confirm the schedule on nj.gov/getcoverednj. Enroll early in the window if you want coverage active on January 1.
How much does help from Madrinas cost?
Nothing: the consultation is free, because licensed agents are paid by the insurance companies, and the plan price is identical with or without our help. You may qualify for two layers of savings here, and a free estimate is how you find out.
Key Takeaways
- Get Covered New Jersey is the state’s official marketplace at nj.gov/getcoverednj, and the only place financial help applies.
- It serves people without job-based coverage: the self-employed, gig and hourly workers, and families in between.
- New Jersey runs three cost levers at once: NJHPS state savings stacked on federal credits, reinsurance, and a coverage requirement.
- You may qualify for more help here than the federal amount alone, and only your own estimate knows your number.
- Open enrollment for 2027 runs November 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027, one of the longest windows anywhere.
- A Madrinas madrina guides you through it free, in English and Spanish, by phone across New Jersey.
Not sure where to start with Get Covered New Jersey? A free call answers it in plain language.
★ Your Health, Our Purpose
A Madrinas madrina will walk you through your options, check both layers of savings you may qualify for, verify your doctors, and help you enroll on Get Covered New Jersey, all for free, in English and Spanish. Every life change deserves a madrina. Call 855-MADRINA (855-623-7462), available seven days a week.
Madrinas Insurance · madrinasinsurance.com · 855-MADRINA (855-623-7462)
