Metal Tiers
Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum plans all divide up costs between premium and your care.
Affordable Care Act Coverage
Sort Out ACA Coverage for Your Household
Income, family size and timing all change what an ACA plan costs. Share a few details and I will show you where you stand.
Start Your Signup
ACA Plan Basics
Four Pieces Behind Every ACA Plan
Premium Tax Credits
A tax credit linked to your estimated household income can reduce what plans cost monthly.
Enrollment Windows
Open Enrollment comes once a year, and some life changes open a Special Enrollment Period.
Cost Sharing
Deductibles, copays and coinsurance set what you owe each time you actually use your plan.
Where People Get Stuck
Tricky Spots on an ACA Enrollment Form
Most enrollment forms slow down in the same few places: who counts as household, which income number to enter, and what happens when a job changes midyear. I go through those spots with you, so the form reflects your real situation.
- Who Counts in Your Household and Who Does Not
- Which Income Figure the Form Expects
- How a Midyear Job or Family Change Gets Reported
- What Your Eligibility Notice Is Telling You
Before You Enroll
Beyond the Premium
Two plans with the same monthly price can treat you very differently once you need care.
Run every plan on your shortlist through these four checks. They show what an ordinary year, and a rough one, might cost.
Browse the FAQsDoctor Networks
Look up your current doctors and the nearest hospital in each plan's network before anything else.
Drug Lists
Every plan carries its own list of covered medications, so search each prescription by exact name.
Yearly Spending Cap
Each plan caps yearly spending on covered care, which matters most during a difficult health year.
Preventive Visits
Many screenings, vaccines and yearly checkups cost nothing extra if you stay in your plan network.
What to Have Nearby
Gather a Few Things Before You Begin
Enrollment moves faster with the right papers on the table: birth dates and Social Security numbers for everyone who needs coverage, recent pay stubs or last year's tax return, details of any coverage offered through a job, and immigration document numbers where they are needed.
In Their Own Words
What Clients Said Afterward
Short notes from people who brought me their ACA questions and left knowing their next step.
I lost my job coverage in March and learned how long I had to enroll and which papers proved it.
Tamara V.
Client
My freelance pay jumps around a lot. Going over my last tax return gave me a figure I can trust.
Brent L.
Client
Good to Know First
Questions People Bring Me Most
You generally need to live in the United States, be a citizen or lawfully present, and not be incarcerated. A job that offers coverage does not shut you out, though it can change how much help you qualify for with the premium.