Understand health insurance before you shop
Plain-language explainers on how ACA subsidies, metal tiers, ICHRA, and Medicare actually work — plus real cost data pulled from our own plan database, not industry-average estimates.
Health insurance plans by state
Plan counts, premiums, deductibles and insurers for every state on the federal Marketplace, broken down by Bronze, Silver and Gold.
Medicare Advantage plans by state
Plan counts, carriers and CMS star ratings for every state, split by HMO and PPO.
What health insurance actually costs, by state
Real benchmark premium data across our plan database — which states run cheap, which run expensive, and why the gap is so wide.
Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum: what you actually pay
The metal tiers trade premium for deductible in a very predictable way — here’s the real data on that tradeoff.
How ACA premium subsidies actually work
The premium tax credit isn’t a flat discount — it’s pegged to a benchmark plan and your income. Here’s the mechanism.
What is an ICHRA, and how is it different from a group plan?
An Individual Coverage HRA lets an employer fund individual-market coverage instead of offering a group plan. Here’s how it actually works.
ICHRA vs. QSEHRA: which one applies to your business?
Both let employers reimburse individual coverage tax-free. The eligibility rules and contribution limits are where they actually differ.
Open enrollment deadlines, and what happens if you miss one
ACA and employer open enrollment run on different clocks. Missing either one doesn’t always mean waiting a full year — but usually it does.
Medicare Advantage vs. Original Medicare: how to actually compare them
They’re not a strictly better-or-worse pair — they trade cost predictability, network freedom, and extra benefits differently.