Time is running out for Marylanders to buy new health plans from the state’s insurance marketplace.

Marylanders have until the end of the year to buy a new health plan on the state’s affordable care marketplace if they want their coverage to start on Jan. 1.

Maryland Health Connection’s open enrollment runs until Jan. 15, however, anyone who buys a plan in January will not see their coverage start until Feb. 1.

Maryland Health Connection offers insurance to people who do not get plans through their employer or through Medicare or Medicaid.

The marketplace offers plans from Aetna, Carefirst, Kaiser Permanente and United healthcare.

The state opened its exchange on Nov. 1.

“Health insurance makes an impactful difference in the lives of Marylanders every day," said Michele Eberle, executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. “With savings through Maryland Health Connection, health care is within reach. In fact, 9 out of 10 Marylanders who enroll get financial help with their health coverage.”

Last year, nearly 214,000 people signed up for insurance through Maryland Health Connection.

The enrollment numbers were a 17% increase from 2023. Maryland Health Connection also saw a 33% increase in Black residents and a 30% increase in Hispanic residents.

Dental plan enrollments also increased by 14% during the period.

This year marks the first time DACA recipients can sign up for health plans through the exchange.

DACA recipients operate in legal limbo.

They are people who were brought to the United States as children and have received a high school degree or served in the military. While they are allowed to stay in the U.S. legally, they aren’t technically citizens.

The Biden Administration is expanding who can get those plans to the 7,000 DACA recipients in Maryland and nearly 600,000 in the nation.

The DACA rule is being challenged by a handful of states in the United States District Court of North Dakota, Western Division.

Those states claim that DACA recipients are considered “aliens” under the law and therefore are not eligible for insurance benefits.

The judge in the case recently issued a stay, allowing the states challenging the rule to hold off on offering plans to DACA recipients.