Marketplace coverage, and every credit you qualify for.

How subsidies actually work

Premium tax credits are based on your household size and expected annual income, measured against the federal poverty level. For 2026, the enhanced pandemic era subsidies have expired, which means the original rules are back: households between 100 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level can qualify, and above that line the credit disappears entirely.

• That 400 percent line is a cliff, not a slope. A small income difference can change your cost significantly.
• Estimating income carefully matters, especially if you are self employed or your income varies.
• If you land above the cliff, private plans outside the marketplace are often cheaper. We quote both.

Metal tiers, and why silver is not what it looks like

Plans are grouped as bronze, silver, gold and platinum. The tier describes how you and the plan split costs, not the quality of care. Bronze has low premiums and high deductibles. Gold is the reverse. Silver sits between, but here is the part people miss: if your income is under 250 percent of the federal poverty level, silver plans unlock cost sharing reductions that quietly lower your deductible and copays. For many households, a silver plan ends up cheaper overall than bronze despite a higher premium.

Check before you shop

Our savings estimator tells you in about ten seconds whether households like yours typically qualify for 2026 subsidies. It asks for household size and income only, nothing else, and shows the result immediately.