CareSource Is Leaving Indiana, Ohio & West Virginia: Your 2027 Options
CareSource is withdrawing from the individual ACA marketplaces in Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia for 2027 — nearly 90,000 enrollees across the three states will need a new plan for January. Your coverage is safe through December 31, 2026, and if your CareSource card comes through Medicaid, nothing changes at all. Here's who's affected, the timeline, and how to land in a replacement plan that actually covers your doctors and prescriptions.
Quick Answer: What CareSource Members Need to Know
Your CareSource marketplace plan stays fully in force through December 31, 2026 — nothing changes mid-year. CareSource won't sell individual marketplace plans in Indiana, Ohio, or West Virginia for 2027, so you'll need to choose a new insurer during Open Enrollment (November 1 – January 15; enroll by December 15 for January 1 coverage). CareSource Medicaid and MyCare Ohio plans are NOT affected. If you do nothing, the marketplace may auto-assign you to a "similar" plan from another company — with a possibly different network, drug list, and price — so compare your options actively instead of accepting the default.
What CareSource Announced
CareSource confirmed it will withdraw from the individual ACA marketplaces in three states for plan year 2027, citing rising healthcare costs and shifting market conditions:
- Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia — a full individual marketplace exit in each
- Nearly 90,000 marketplace enrollees affected across the three states
- Medicaid and MyCare Ohio plans are not part of the announcement — this is marketplace-only
This isn't CareSource's first step back from the exchanges. The company already withdrew from the individual marketplaces in Kentucky, Michigan, and North Carolina for the 2026 plan year — the 2027 announcement continues that pullback. It still offers individual marketplace coverage in some states, including Georgia, Nevada, and Wisconsin, so this is a regional retreat rather than a full exit from the business.
CareSource isn't alone, either. At least a dozen insurers are exiting or shrinking their ACA marketplace footprints for 2027, after enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025 and with 2027 premiums rising a median of roughly 15%. For the full picture, see our guide to insurer exits in 2027.
Your Medicaid Plan Is NOT Affected
This is the single biggest point of confusion, because most people who carry a CareSource card have it through Medicaid — that's the company's core business. Nothing in this announcement touches CareSource's Medicaid plans or its MyCare Ohio plans. If your coverage comes through Medicaid, your plan continues as normal and you don't need to do anything.
The people who need to act are those who bought a CareSource plan themselves on HealthCare.gov — including anyone whose plan came through a broker but is billed as an individual marketplace policy. If you're not sure which kind you have, check how you pay: marketplace members pay a monthly premium (possibly reduced by a tax credit) and enrolled through HealthCare.gov; Medicaid members generally don't pay a premium and enrolled through their state's Medicaid program.
What's Happening in Each State
The exit works the same way in all three states — CareSource plans simply won't be on the shelf when 2027 shopping opens — but the local picture differs:
- Ohio: CareSource covered roughly 28,300 marketplace enrollees as of May 2026. And because Molina is exiting Ohio's marketplace at the same time, about 54,000 Ohioans combined must pick new plans for 2027. See our Molina exit guide and Ohio health insurance overview.
- Indiana: CareSource marketplace members will shop among the remaining carriers in their county during Open Enrollment. Start with our Indiana health insurance overview.
- West Virginia: the same applies — compare every carrier still offering plans in your county. Our West Virginia health insurance overview covers the basics.
Your Timeline From Here
- Now through October: Watch your mail. CareSource is required to send a discontinuation letter explaining that your plan won't be offered in 2027. It's official notice, not a bill or a sales pitch — but don't throw it out.
- Late October: Window-shopping typically opens on HealthCare.gov — you can preview 2027 plans and prices in your county before enrollment starts.
- November 1: Open Enrollment begins. You can enroll in any plan available in your area — CareSource's exit doesn't limit your choices.
- December 15: The deadline that matters. Enroll by this date and your new coverage starts January 1, 2027 — zero gap after your CareSource plan ends December 31.
- January 15: Open Enrollment closes. Enrollments after December 15 generally start February 1, which means a month-long gap after your CareSource coverage ends.
The auto-crosswalk trap
If you do nothing, the marketplace may "crosswalk" you into a plan from a different insurer that a matching formula considers similar to your CareSource plan. You won't wake up uninsured — but you might wake up in a plan whose network excludes your doctors and whose formulary prices your medications differently. The crosswalk is a safety net, not a recommendation — in Ohio especially, with two carriers' membership being redistributed at once, verify anything you're mapped into. Our guide on why you shouldn't auto-renew for 2027 explains what can go wrong.
How to Pick Your Replacement Plan
Losing a carrier you liked is annoying, but the replacement process is manageable if you work from your own needs instead of the marketplace's default match:
- Write down your must-haves first: every doctor, hospital, and prescription in your household. This list — not premium — is your first filter.
- Check networks before prices: the carriers remaining in your county contract with different providers than CareSource did. A cheap plan that excludes your specialist isn't cheap.
- Re-check your subsidy: with CareSource's plans gone, the benchmark plan that sets your premium tax credit may change in your county — your subsidy could be different even if your income isn't. And with enhanced credits expired and premiums rising, last year's number is a poor guide.
- Compare every carrier, not just the crosswalk match: the formula's pick is rarely the best deal in your county, especially in a year when every insurer repriced.
- Enroll by December 15: that's what guarantees your new plan starts the day after your CareSource plan ends.
The Bottom Line
CareSource's exit from Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia is a solvable problem with a hard deadline. If your plan is through Medicaid, you're not affected at all. If you bought your plan on the marketplace, your coverage runs through December 31 no matter what. Between November 1 and December 15, you choose a replacement — actively, against your own list of doctors and medications — and you start January 1 with no gap. The only losing move is assuming the system will sort it out for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CareSource really leaving the ACA marketplace?
In three states, yes. CareSource is withdrawing from the individual ACA marketplaces in Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia for the 2027 plan year, where it covers nearly 90,000 enrollees combined. The company cited rising healthcare costs and shifting market conditions. It follows CareSource's earlier withdrawal from the individual exchanges in Kentucky, Michigan, and North Carolina for the 2026 plan year.
Does this affect my CareSource Medicaid plan?
No. CareSource's Medicaid plans and its MyCare Ohio plans are not affected — this exit covers individual ACA marketplace plans only. If your CareSource card comes through Medicaid, nothing in this announcement changes your coverage, and you don't need to do anything.
When does my CareSource marketplace coverage end?
Your current plan stays fully in force through December 31, 2026 — same benefits, same network, same costs. Nothing changes mid-year. The exit affects plan year 2027: there won't be a CareSource option on the marketplace in Indiana, Ohio, or West Virginia when you shop for January coverage.
Is CareSource leaving the marketplace everywhere?
No. CareSource continues to offer individual marketplace coverage in some states, including Georgia, Nevada, and Wisconsin. The 2027 withdrawal applies to Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia, after the company already left the Kentucky, Michigan, and North Carolina exchanges for 2026.
What happens if I do nothing?
You won't be left uninsured automatically — the marketplace may 'crosswalk' you into a plan from a different insurer that a formula considers similar to your CareSource plan. But that replacement can have a different provider network, drug formulary, and price. Treat the crosswalk as a backstop, not a recommendation, and compare plans yourself.
When can I pick my replacement plan?
Open Enrollment runs November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027. Enroll by December 15, 2026 for coverage that starts January 1, 2027 with no gap. You'll also receive a discontinuation letter from CareSource this fall — that's your official notice, not a bill or a sales pitch.
Will my doctors take my new plan?
Not automatically. Networks vary by insurer, and the carriers remaining in your county may contract with different hospitals and practices than CareSource did. Before enrolling, check each candidate plan's provider directory for your specific doctors and its drug formulary for your prescriptions.
Why is CareSource leaving these states?
The company cited rising healthcare costs and shifting market conditions. It's part of an industry-wide retreat: at least a dozen insurers are exiting or shrinking their ACA footprints for 2027 after enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025, and 2027 premiums are rising a median of roughly 15%. It's a business decision about the market, not about your claims.
Losing Your CareSource Plan? Find Your Replacement
Our licensed advisors can map your current CareSource plan's benefits — network, drug coverage, and costs — against every carrier available in your county for 2027, and help you enroll before the December 15 deadline. No cost, no obligation.
About This Guide: Created by the Health Insurance Network team for CareSource marketplace members in Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia navigating the 2027 exit. Details reflect announcements as of October 2026 — confirm specifics with CareSource member services and your state's marketplace. Health Insurance Network is not affiliated with CareSource. We update this guide as new information is released.
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