The health insurance marketplace is guaranteed issue: they cannot deny you or charge you more for a pre-existing condition.
Open enrollment period every year.
Your window after a life change, any time of year.
Under about 400% of the federal poverty level you may qualify for a tax credit that lowers the monthly bill. Under about 250% you may also get lower deductibles on a silver plan. Above 400%, you pay full price. One dollar over the line and the discount is gone, so estimating your income right matters more than people think.
Using a broker costs you nothing; the plan price is the same. The difference is a living, breathing person who’ll tell you which of the 40 plans on the screen actually makes sense.
Because the plans take everybody, the pool includes a lot of moderate-to-high-risk people, and the premium reflects that whether you use it or not. The extra federal credits that softened this from 2021 to 2025 expired, Marketplace rates rose 21.5% for 2026. If you’re paying full price and you’re healthy, you’re subsidizing the pool. That’s when it’s worth looking at a private plan.
Open enrollment for 2027 plans runs November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027; enroll by December 15 for coverage starting January 1. Outside that window you need a qualifying life event: losing coverage, losing Medicaid, moving, marriage, a baby, and a few others. You have 60 days.
1. Is there a maximum out-of-pocket?
2. Is it an indemnity plan?
3. Does it have any exclusions?
Marketplace plans are guarenteed with NO pre-exsisting exclusions,
NO enrollment or application fees, they include all 10 of the minimum essential health benefits; they clasify as Major Medical qualified health plans.
“Nathan was incredibly patient as he walked me through my entire health plan. He was never pushy or salesy.”
— Google review · ★★★★★ 5.0 · 400+ reviews
Subsidy eligibility depends on income, household size, age and county. Advance tax credits are reconciled on your federal tax return. Not affiliated with any government agency.
Send me an age and a zip code and I’ll send back a general idea of what’s available in your area.
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