There is no such thing as an ACA office in Alabama. The Affordable Care Act Marketplace has no state agency, no county branch, and no counter you can walk up to. Alabama uses the federally facilitated Marketplace at HealthCare.gov, so there is no state exchange office the way California or Pennsylvania have one. What does exist in Alabama is free in-person enrollment help from three kinds of people: one federally funded Navigator organization that covers the whole state, certified application counselors based at community health centers and hospitals, and licensed agents and brokers. The official place to find any of them is the HealthCare.gov locator at healthcare.gov/find-local-help, and the Marketplace Call Center answers 24 hours a day at 1-800-318-2596 (TTY 1-855-889-4325).
This page tells you who to contact rather than handing you a list of addresses that may be wrong. Assister locations in Alabama change frequently, and a wrong address costs you a day and a tank of gas.
Who Actually Helps You Enroll in Alabama
| Who they are | What they do | What it costs | How to reach them |
|---|
| Navigator (federally funded) | Free, unbiased help applying, comparing plans, and enrolling. Cannot be paid by an insurance company. Also screens you for Medicaid and ALL Kids. | Free | Enroll Alabama, a program of AIDS Alabama: 1-844-248-7698 |
| Certified application counselor (CAC) | Trained and certified by the Marketplace, usually staff at a health center, hospital, or nonprofit. Same application help, no federal grant funding. | Free | Ask at your community health center, or use the HealthCare.gov locator |
| Agent or broker | Licensed to sell plans in Alabama. Can enroll you in a Marketplace plan and often handles renewals and claims questions afterward. Generally paid a commission by the insurer. | Free to you | HealthCare.gov locator, filtered to agents and brokers |
| Marketplace Call Center | Federal staff who can start, finish, or fix an application by phone, in English, Spanish, and other languages | Free | 1-800-318-2596, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except holidays |
| Alabama Medicaid district office | Not an ACA office. Handles Medicaid, including nursing home and Medicare Savings Programs. | Free | (800) 362-1504, or see the office list linked below |
The practical difference between a Navigator and a broker is who pays them. A Navigator gets a federal grant, is barred from taking money from insurers, and is required to lay out your options neutrally. An agent or broker earns a commission from the carrier whose plan you buy. Both can legitimately be free to you. Neither one should ever charge you a fee to fill out a HealthCare.gov application.
Alabama Has Exactly One Federally Funded Navigator Organization
For the budget period running August 27, 2026 to August 26, 2027, CMS funds one Navigator organization in Alabama: AIDS Alabama, Inc., which runs its enrollment program under the name Enroll Alabama. The award is $330,000 and the service area is statewide, with AIDS Alabama South, LLC as the only subawardee.
- Phone: 1-844-248-7698 (TTY 1-855-889-4325)
- Website: enrollala.com
- AIDS Alabama administrative office: 3529 7th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35222, (205) 324-9822, open Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday 8:00 a.m. to noon
Enroll Alabama has been a Navigator grantee since the program's first class in 2013. Its Navigators can work with you over the phone or schedule an in-person appointment. Call first. The Birmingham address above is an administrative office, not a walk-in enrollment center, and an appointment is how you get a Navigator's full attention during open enrollment.
CMS also lists Enroll Alabama's community relationships for this budget period: Cooper Green Mercy Health Services, Ingram State Technical College, New Seasons Treatment Centers, and UAB Hospital. Those relationships are how a statewide program with one grant reaches people outside Birmingham and Mobile.
The Navigator Network in Alabama Got Much Smaller
This matters when you are searching for help, because most online lists of Alabama enrollment sites were written when the network was larger. The federal awards tell the story plainly:
| Budget period | Award to AIDS Alabama | Subawardee, subrecipient or contracted organizations |
|---|
| August 2024 to August 2025 | $3,000,000 | 9 (The Right Place, East Alabama Medical Center, DCH Tuscaloosa, Project Say Something, AIDS Alabama South, Thrive Alabama, West Alabama Women's Center, Five Horizons, United Way 211) |
| August 2025 to August 2026 | $300,000 | 1 (AIDS Alabama South) |
| August 2026 to August 2027 | $330,000 | 1 (AIDS Alabama South) |
CMS reduced national Navigator funding to $10 million a year, split across 35 returning organizations in all federal Marketplace states. Alabama's share fell by 90 percent. If you call a number you found on a 2024 list of Alabama enrollment partners and nobody answers, that is why. Verify against the HealthCare.gov locator or Enroll Alabama's own line before you drive anywhere.
Community Health Centers: The Closest Thing to a Walk-In Office
Federally qualified health centers are the most realistic in-person option for most Alabamians, because there are far more of them than there are Navigators. HRSA funded 17 Health Center Program awardees in Alabama in fiscal year 2025, with $94,085,932 in awards, and those awardees operate clinic sites in rural counties across the state.
Health centers help in two ways. Many have certified application counselors on staff who can sit down with you and complete a HealthCare.gov application. Separately, every HRSA-funded health center must see you regardless of whether you have insurance, and must charge on a sliding fee scale based on your income. That second part is the fallback for anyone who ends up with no coverage at all.
Find yours with the official HRSA tool: findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov. Enter your address and call the site before visiting to ask two specific questions: do you have an application counselor on staff, and do I need an appointment.
Read This Before You Go: Alabama's Coverage Gap
Alabama has not expanded Medicaid. That creates a situation that an in-person assister cannot fix for you, and knowing about it in advance saves a wasted trip.
Premium tax credits on the Marketplace start at 100% of the federal poverty level. Alabama Medicaid, for a parent or caretaker relative, stops at roughly 18% of poverty, about $240 a month for a household of one and $495 for a household of four. Adults with no dependent children generally do not qualify for Alabama Medicaid at any income unless they are pregnant, disabled, or enrolled through a specific program. So an adult earning less than 100% of poverty, with no qualifying category, often qualifies for neither program.
KFF estimated 86,000 Alabama adults in that coverage gap in 2024, and about 81% of them were adults without dependent children. Congress also removed the premium tax credit exception that previously covered lawfully present immigrants under 100% of poverty, effective for 2026.
If that is your situation, these are the real options, and no enrollment appointment changes them:
- A federally qualified health center on a sliding fee scale (the HRSA finder above)
- Hospital financial assistance, also called charity care, at the hospital's own billing office
- Alabama's Plan First family planning coverage and the Breast and Cervical Cancer program through the Alabama Department of Public Health
- An SSI or SSDI disability determination through Social Security, which opens an Alabama Medicaid pathway
- ALL Kids, Alabama's CHIP program, for children, at 1-888-373-5437
If your income rises above 100% of poverty, including from a second job or seasonal work, you may become eligible for a subsidized Marketplace plan. That is worth a call to a Navigator, because the estimate depends on projected annual income rather than this month's paycheck.
2027 Open Enrollment Dates and Income Ranges
Open enrollment for 2027 coverage opens November 1, 2026. HealthCare.gov currently lists these deadlines:
| Date | What happens |
|---|
| November 1, 2026 | First day to enroll in, renew, or change a plan for 2027 |
| December 15, 2026 | Last day to enroll or change plans for coverage starting January 1, 2027 |
| January 15, 2027 | Open enrollment ends |
A court case over the December 15 deadline was still pending in late October 2026, so confirm the dates on healthcare.gov before you rely on them. Outside open enrollment you need a special enrollment period, triggered by an event such as losing job coverage, moving, marriage, or a birth.
Income ranges for the premium tax credit differ by coverage year, because each year is measured against the poverty guidelines in effect when its enrollment opened. The enhanced credits from the American Rescue Plan expired December 31, 2025, so the 400% of poverty limit applies again.
| Household size | 2026 coverage | 2027 coverage |
|---|
| 1 person | $15,650 to $62,600 | $15,960 to $63,840 |
| 4 people | $32,150 to $128,600 | $33,000 to $132,000 |
Income above those ranges means no premium tax credit, though you can still buy a Marketplace plan at full price. Premiums in Alabama rose for 2027, which makes a sit-down with an assister more valuable than usual this year.
What to Bring to an Enrollment Appointment
- Photo ID and Social Security numbers for everyone applying
- Your best estimate of 2027 household income, with pay stubs, a recent tax return, or a self-employment ledger
- Immigration documents, if anyone applying is not a US citizen
- Information on any job-based coverage offered to you, including the employee-only premium
- Your current plan ID and insurer, if you are renewing
- The names of doctors and prescriptions you want covered
How to Tell a Real Assister From a Scam
Open enrollment brings a wave of calls and ads. Three checks separate the real thing from the rest.
A Navigator, certified application counselor, or in-person assister has a 13-character alphanumeric ID number issued by the Marketplace, and you can ask to see their certification. Second, nobody certified by the Marketplace charges you a fee to complete a HealthCare.gov application. Third, Marketplace coverage is sold only through HealthCare.gov, a licensed agent or broker, or an insurer directly. A plan that is "not Obamacare but just as good" is usually a short-term or fixed-indemnity product that does not have to cover pre-existing conditions. Verify any person or organization in the official Find Local Help directory before you give out a Social Security number.
If You Turn Out to Be Medicaid Eligible Instead
When you submit a HealthCare.gov application, the Marketplace checks whether anyone in your household appears eligible for Medicaid or CHIP and forwards your information to Alabama. That handoff is not instant. Follow up with the Alabama Medicaid Recipient Call Center at (800) 362-1504 if you hear nothing within a few weeks.
Alabama Medicaid does have real walk-in locations, 11 district offices covering all 67 counties, plus more than 100 outstationed workers at county health departments, health centers, and hospitals. For addresses, phone numbers, and county assignments, see our guide to Alabama Medicaid office locations. Children, pregnant women, and parents can also apply online through Insure Alabama at insurealabama.adph.state.al.us.
For a broader look at what Alabama households may qualify for beyond health coverage, see our Alabama benefits guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an ACA office in Alabama I can walk into?
No. Alabama uses the federal Marketplace at HealthCare.gov, and no state or county agency operates a Marketplace enrollment office. In-person help comes from Enroll Alabama's Navigators, certified application counselors at health centers and hospitals, and licensed agents and brokers. Find them through healthcare.gov/find-local-help or call 1-800-318-2596.
Does Alabama have a state health insurance exchange?
No. Alabama has never built a state-based Marketplace, so residents shop at HealthCare.gov. The Alabama Department of Insurance reviews and approves premium rates for plans sold in the state, but it does not enroll consumers or take applications.
Where can I get free in-person ACA help in Alabama?
Start with Enroll Alabama, the state's only federally funded Navigator program, at 1-844-248-7698. Then check whether your nearest federally qualified health center has a certified application counselor on staff, using findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov. Both are free. Call ahead for an appointment, since assister capacity in Alabama is limited.
Can an Alabama Medicaid office help me with my Marketplace application?
Generally no. Alabama Medicaid district offices handle Medicaid eligibility, not Marketplace plans. If a Medicaid application is denied for income, the agency can refer you toward the Marketplace, but the application itself goes through HealthCare.gov.
How much does ACA enrollment help cost in Alabama?
Nothing. Navigators are paid by a federal grant, certified application counselors are staff or volunteers at their own organizations, and agents and brokers are paid commissions by insurers. If anyone asks you to pay a fee to complete a HealthCare.gov application, that is a signal to stop and verify them in the official directory.
I make too little for a subsidy and too much for Alabama Medicaid. What now?
You are in the coverage gap, which affected an estimated 86,000 Alabama adults in 2024. A federally qualified health center will see you on a sliding fee scale, and most hospitals have a financial assistance policy. Also ask about Plan First, the Breast and Cervical Cancer program, and ALL Kids for children at 1-888-373-5437. If your projected annual income for 2027 would reach 100% of poverty, a Navigator can run the numbers again with you.
Can DACA recipients enroll through HealthCare.gov in Alabama?
No. Since August 25, 2025, DACA recipients cannot buy a plan through HealthCare.gov or any state Marketplace, and cannot get premium tax credits or cost-sharing reductions. They can buy a plan directly from an insurer at full price. For 2027 coverage, the premium tax credit is also limited to citizens, green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and citizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau. Refugees, asylees, TPS holders, and parolees can still buy a Marketplace plan but no longer receive the credit.
Sources
- HealthCare.gov, Dates and Deadlines; Get help applying for health insurance; Contact us; Who's helping me complete my application
- CMS, 2026-2027 Navigator Cooperative Agreement Awardees (budget period August 27, 2026 to August 26, 2027)
- CMS, 2025-2026 and 2024-2025 Navigator Awardee Summaries
- CMS, In-Person Assistance in the Health Insurance Marketplaces
- AIDS Alabama, Enroll Alabama program pages
- HRSA, FY 2025 Alabama Fact Sheet, data as of 09/30/2025; HRSA Find a Health Center
- KFF, Characteristics of Poor Uninsured Adults Ages 19-64 in the ACA Coverage Gap, 2024
- Alabama Medicaid Agency, Form 207 Medicaid Income Limits for 2026; Medicaid Office Locations
- Rev. Proc. 2025-25 and Rev. Proc. 2026-26; 26 CFR 1.36B-1(h); P.L. 119-21
