Change Your Username Through Your Healthcare.gov Account Settings

You change your username on Healthcare.gov by logging into your account, opening the account settings menu, and selecting the option to update your login name. The process takes about five minutes and does not require you to create a new account or lose any saved information. Your new username takes effect when ready after you save it.

Before you start, have your current password ready — Healthcare.gov will ask you to confirm it before allowing the change. You will also need to choose a new username that is not already in use by another Healthcare.gov account. The site will tell you right away if your choice is taken.

Key Takeaways

  • Log into Healthcare.gov with your current username and password, then go to Account Settings to find the username change option.
  • Your new username must be between 6 and 20 characters and can include letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores — but not spaces or special characters like @ or #.
  • Healthcare.gov will ask you to re-enter your password to confirm the change for security reasons.
  • After you change your username, you must use the new one the next time you log in — the old one will no longer work.

Step-by-Step: Changing Your Username

Step 1: Log in to your account. Go to Healthcare.gov and click the "Sign In" button in the top right corner. Enter your current username and password, then click "Sign In".

Step 2: Open Account Settings. Once you are logged in, look for your name or a menu icon (often three horizontal lines) in the top right corner of the page. Click it and select "Account Settings" or "My Account" from the dropdown menu.

Step 3: Find the username option. In Account Settings, look for a section labeled "Login Information," "Username," or "Account Details." Click on it to expand that section.

Step 4: Enter your new username. You will see a field with your current username. Click in that field and delete the old username, then type your new one. Remember: it must be 6 to 20 characters long and can only use letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores.

Step 5: Confirm your password. Healthcare.gov will ask you to enter your password again. This is a security check to make sure you are the account owner. Type your password in the field provided.

Step 6: Save the change. Click the "Save" or "Update" button. The page will confirm that your username has been changed. You may see a message saying your new username is now active.

What Usernames Healthcare.gov Will and Will Not Accept

Healthcare.gov has specific rules about what characters and lengths are allowed in a username. Your username must be between 6 and 20 characters long. You can use uppercase letters (A–Z), lowercase letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), hyphens (-), and underscores (_). You cannot use spaces, periods, commas, or special characters like @, #, $, %, or &.

The site will also reject a username if someone else is already using it. If you see an error message saying your username is unavailable, try adding a number or underscore to make it unique. For example, if "sarah_jones" is taken, try "sarah_jones2" or "sarah_jones_22".

What Happens After You Change Your Username

Once your new username is saved, you cannot use the old one to log in anymore. The next time you visit Healthcare.gov and click "Sign In," you will need to enter your new username along with your password. Write down your new username or save it somewhere you can find it, because Healthcare.gov does not email it to you after the change.

Your insurance information, saved applications, and any documents you uploaded to your account remain exactly as they were. Changing your username does not affect your coverage, your tax information, or anything else in your account — it only changes how you log in.

If You Forget Your New Username

If you change your username and then forget what it is, you can still get back into your account. On the Healthcare.gov sign-in page, click "Forgot your username?" and enter the email address connected to your account. Healthcare.gov will send you an email with your current username so you can log in again.

If you no longer have access to that email address, you will need to contact Healthcare.gov directly. You can reach them by phone at 1-800-318-2596 (TTY 1-855-889-4325), and they can help you regain access to your account after confirming your identity.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

The username field is grayed out or will not let you type in it. This usually means you are not fully logged in, or your browser did not load the page completely. Try logging out, closing your browser completely, and logging back in. Then go to Account Settings again.

You see an error message about special characters. Healthcare.gov rejected a character you used — most likely a space, period, or symbol. Delete any characters that are not letters, numbers, hyphens, or underscores, and try again.

The system says your new username is already taken. Someone else is using that username. Add a number, underscore, or hyphen to make it different. For example, change "alex_smith" to "alex_smith_1" or "alex-smith-22".

You changed your username but cannot log in with the new one. Wait a few minutes — sometimes the change takes a moment to go into effect across Healthcare.gov's servers. If you still cannot log in after 10 minutes, try the "Forgot your username?" link to confirm what username is currently on file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my username more than once?

Yes, you can change your username as many times as you want. Each time you change it, the old username stops working when ready and you must use the new one to log in next time. There is no limit on how often you can make this change.

Will changing my username affect my insurance or my process?

No. Your username is only how you log into the website. Your insurance coverage, applications, personal information, and everything else in your account stays the same. The change only affects how you sign in.

What if I share a computer with someone else and want to keep my username private?

Changing your username will not hide it from someone who uses the same computer. If you are concerned about privacy, consider using your browser's private or incognito mode when you log in, or ask the other person to use a different user account on the computer itself.

Do I need to tell Healthcare.gov about my username change?

No. The change happens automatically in your account, and you do not need to contact Healthcare.gov or any insurance company to let them know. Your insurance company will not see your username — they only see your name and other personal details.

Can I change my password at the same time as my username?

You can, but it is easier to do them one at a time. Change your username first, log out, log back in with the new username, and then go to Account Settings again to change your password. This way you know each change worked before moving to the next one.