How we price health plans
In short · updated September 30, 2026
Marketplace prices come from the official CMS plan-year 2026 file (snapshot August 4, 2026), age-rated with the federal curve and your household. Tax credits are estimated from the 2025 poverty guidelines and the IRS applicable-percentage table for 2026. Private (non-ACA) ranges come from the carrier rate tables our licensed advisors quote from. Nothing is guessed, and every page shows the date it was last updated.
Who runs this site
Browse Health Plans is an independent comparison site operated by Smart Health Match LLC. Advisory services are provided by licensed health insurance advisors who write both Marketplace (ACA) and private plans. The service is free to you; advisors are paid by the insurance carrier when a policy is issued. We are not a government website and are not affiliated with HealthCare.gov or any state agency.
Marketplace prices
Every Marketplace number on this site comes from the CMS Qualified Health Plan landscape file for plan year 2026, Individual Medical, snapshot August 4, 2026. It lists every plan sold on HealthCare.gov by county, with its premium, deductible, out-of-pocket maximum, copays and network type.
- Age rating. The file gives each plan's premium at a base age. We apply the federal 3-to-1 age curve, which runs from 0.765 at age 14 to 3.0 at age 64, and the alternative curves a few states file instead. Premiums are non-tobacco rates.
- Households. Each adult is priced at their own age. Children under 21 are priced at the child rate, and only the three oldest are charged, as the Marketplace does.
- Counties. Your ZIP code is matched to a county with Census data, and the county determines which plans and rating area apply. ZIP codes that straddle counties are matched to the county with most of their population.
- States with their own marketplace. California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington run their own exchanges, which are not in the federal file. For those we show a statewide estimate built from the KFF benchmark premium and the tier spreads seen in HealthCare.gov states, clearly labelled as an estimate, and an advisor pulls the exact plans.
Premium tax credits
The Marketplace premium tax credit caps what a household pays for the benchmark plan (the second-lowest-cost Silver plan in its county) at a percentage of income. The percentage comes from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-25 for plan year 2026; the enhanced credits of 2021 through 2025 expired, so the 400% income limit applies again.
| Household income, % of poverty level | Expected contribution, % of income |
|---|---|
| 100% to 133% | 2.1% |
| 133% to 150% | 3.14% to 4.19% |
| 150% to 200% | 4.19% to 6.6% |
| 200% to 250% | 6.6% to 8.44% |
| 250% to 300% | 8.44% to 9.96% |
| 300% to 400% | 9.96% |
Credit per month = benchmark premium − (household income × applicable percentage ÷ 12), never below zero. Income is compared with the 2025 HHS poverty guidelines (90 FR 5917), which apply to 2026 coverage. In states that expanded Medicaid, households under 138% of the poverty level are generally covered by Medicaid instead.
| Household size | 100% of poverty level | 138% (Medicaid line in expansion states) | 400% (tax-credit limit) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,650 | $21,597 | $62,600 |
| 2 | $21,150 | $29,187 | $84,600 |
| 3 | $26,650 | $36,777 | $106,600 |
| 4 | $32,150 | $44,367 | $128,600 |
| 5 | $37,650 | $51,957 | $150,600 |
| 6 | $43,150 | $59,547 | $172,600 |
48 contiguous states and DC; Alaska and Hawaii use higher guidelines, which the tool applies automatically.
Private plan ranges
Private plans are not ACA (Marketplace) coverage. They are medically underwritten, can decline an applicant or exclude a condition, and carry no tax credit. In return, deductibles are usually lower, networks are typically PPO-style, and you can enroll any month. The ranges on this site come from the carrier rate tables our advisors quote from, by state, age and sex, including the membership and wellness fees the carrier adds, adjusted to what healthy applicants are actually quoted. Children add about $80 a month each. The exact price comes from the application, which is why we show a range and an advisor confirms the number.
The one rule we always follow
If a Marketplace plan would cost your household under about $150 a month after the estimated tax credit, we say so and send you to HealthCare.gov or your state marketplace to enroll yourself. No private plan beats that price, and nothing an advisor does would improve it.
How often the data changes
CMS publishes the next plan year's file each autumn, before Open Enrollment on November 1, and we rebuild every page from it. Each page shows the snapshot date of the plan file and the date the page itself was last updated. If you spot a number that looks wrong, call (269) 953-2357 and we will check it against the source.
Questions people ask
Are the Marketplace prices on this site the official prices?
They are the monthly premiums each insurer filed for plan year 2026, taken from the public CMS plan file and age-rated the same way HealthCare.gov does it. HealthCare.gov or your state marketplace always has the final word, and premiums can change before Open Enrollment.
Why is the tax credit an estimate?
The Marketplace determines the credit from the income and household you report at enrollment. We apply the same published formula to the numbers you type, so the estimate is usually close, but it is not a determination.
Why do private plan prices show as a range?
Private plans are medically underwritten: the final price depends on health answers, the deductible you choose and the carrier. The range is what healthy applicants in your state are typically quoted; your advisor confirms the exact number.
Do you sell my information?
No. The price tool stores nothing about you. If you ask for plan details, one licensed advisor receives your request, and your information is never sold or shared with other agents.
Sources: CMS QHP Landscape PY2026 Individual Medical (data.healthcare.gov, snapshot August 4, 2026); KFF marketplace benchmark premiums for state-based marketplaces; HHS 2025 poverty guidelines (90 FR 5917); IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-25; U.S. Census Bureau ZIP-to-county relationship file. Updated September 30, 2026.