Free Health Insurance Sign-Up Help in Raleigh & Durham

Verified October 2026 by Raleigh Mom Club.

According to Raleigh Mom Club, HealthCare.gov Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage starts November 1, the last day to enroll or change plans for coverage that starts January 1 is December 15, and Open Enrollment ends January 15; free help signing up is available by phone from the NC Navigator Consortium at 1-855-733-3711. If your family might qualify for NC Medicaid, you do not have to wait for Open Enrollment: you can apply year-round online through ePASS, by phone, or at your county Department of Social Services (DSS) in Wake, Durham or Orange.

Quick Answers

Open Enrollment dates: Nov 1, 2026 to Jan 15, 2027, for 2027 coverage. Enroll by Dec 15 for a Jan 1 start.

Free help by phone: NC Navigator Consortium, 1-855-733-3711. Hours are not posted as of Oct 28, 2026.

Find a certified helper near you: HealthCare.gov's find local help page.

Medicaid for kids or adults: apply any time at epass.nc.gov, or call or visit your county DSS.

Already have a plan? Rules and prices change each year, so look at your 2027 options even if you plan to re-enroll.

Walk-ins: NC Medicaid says "walk-ins are available at all local offices," and recommends calling to schedule an interview.

The dates to know

HealthCare.gov's dates and deadlines page says that starting November 1 you can apply for 2027 coverage or update your application with changes you expect for the year ahead.

November 1: Open Enrollment starts.

December 15: last day to enroll in or change plans for coverage to start January 1.

January 15: Open Enrollment ends. After that you can only enroll or change plans if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, such as a move, a new baby or losing other coverage.

The same page says you can apply for Medicaid or CHIP (the Children's Health Insurance Program) "at any time," not only in these weeks.

Free help by phone: NC Navigator Consortium

The NC Navigator Consortium is a statewide network of federally qualified health insurance navigators offering free, unbiased help with HealthCare.gov coverage. Call 1-855-733-3711. Its site says navigators also help people who are eligible for Medicaid apply year-round.

What it does not post as of Oct 28, 2026: phone hours, and any 2027 in-person events (its events list shows none). A banner on the site says changes to Medicaid and HealthCare.gov are coming. We are not going to guess what they are. The Navigator line is the place to ask.

Find certified help near you

HealthCare.gov's local help finder (titled "Local Assistance for Health Insurance Application") is the official federal page for finding certified assisters. We could not confirm how it works or whether a given helper takes walk-ins or appointments, so check with the helper before you go.

Applying for NC Medicaid (kids included), year-round

NC Medicaid's how to apply page lists these ways in:

Online: the state's ePASS site at epass.nc.gov. You need an NCID to start.

By phone: call your county DSS, or the NC Medicaid Contact Center at 888-245-0179, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed on state holidays).

In person: visit your local DSS office. The state says "walk-ins are available at all local offices," and you can also call to schedule an in-person or phone interview, which it recommends.

On paper: mail, email, fax or drop off an application at your local DSS.

The same page has a list of documents to bring "if you have them." Look at it before you go, and don't hold off applying because one paper is missing.

Wake County

Wake's Medicaid application page says online is "the easiest and most convenient way." You can also:

Apply by phone at 919-212-7000, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mail a paper application to Wake County Health & Human Services, Attn: Box 58, P.O. Box 46833, Raleigh, NC 27620-6833.

Fax it to 919-212-7028 or email FCMAIntake@wake.gov.

Drop off a paper application at one of the county's centers, 220 Swinburne St. and 10 Sunnybrook Rd. in Raleigh, 5809 Departure Drive in Raleigh, 111 James Jackson Ave. in Cary, 350 E. Holding Ave. in Wake Forest, 1002 Dogwood Dr. in Zebulon and 130 N. Judd Parkway NE in Fuquay-Varina.

The page gives no hours for the drop-off sites; it points to the county's Health & Human Services locations page for those, so check or call first.

Durham County

Durham County DSS's Medicaid page lists:

Online: the "Click to Apply" link to ePASS.

In person: apply or pick up a paper application at 414 E. Main Street, Durham. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Drop boxes are inside and outside the building.

Fax: 919-560-8501.

The page lists staff contacts, including the Family and Children Medicaid Applications Manager at 919-560-8543, but no general intake line. General questions can also go to the NC Medicaid Contact Center above.

Orange County

Orange County's Family & Children's Medicaid page says to "visit or call any Orange County DSS location." You can apply online, or ask for a paper application by mail and return it by mail or in person. The county's DSS directory lists, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.:

Hillsborough Commons, 113 Mayo Street, Hillsborough, 919-245-2800.

Southern Human Services Center, 2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill, 919-245-2800.

Orange's page lists "children through age 20" and children receiving adoption or foster care assistance among those it covers, and says a DSS worker makes the final eligibility decision. It is only a guide.

What we could not confirm

We looked at several community health centers in the three counties (Advance Community Health, Lincoln Community Health Center and Piedmont Health). None had a page of its own saying it offers marketplace or Medicaid enrollment help as of Oct 28, 2026, so we left them out. Ask your clinic whether a staff member can help.

We also do not state 2027 prices, subsidy amounts or eligibility changes. No official page we checked today spelled them out. Rules and prices change each year, so look at your 2027 options even if you are re-enrolling.

Related guides

Money tight? See our free and low-cost family resources. Need a doctor once you are covered? Try our guide to Triangle pediatricians and family doctors. Kids' shots this fall are in our free flu shots for kids guide.

The Bottom Line

Mark November 1, December 15 and January 15. For free help with a HealthCare.gov plan, call 1-855-733-3711 or use the local help finder. For Medicaid, apply any time through ePASS or your county DSS. We are signposting, not advising on which plan is right for you. This guide was researched from official sources with AI assistance and checked by Raleigh Mom Club. Hours and rules change, so confirm before you go.