Shop and enroll on your own, at your own pace.

Marketplace (ACA) Plans

These are Affordable Care Act plans, sold through the same marketplace system as HealthCare.gov. By law, marketplace plans have to accept you regardless of your health history, and depending on your income, you may qualify for a subsidy that lowers your monthly premium.

Often a good starting point if:

• You have a pre-existing condition
• You take regular medication
• You want guaranteed acceptance regardless of health history
• Your income may qualify you for a subsidy

If your income is too high to qualify for a subsidy, it's worth comparing private pricing too. Without a subsidy, marketplace plans aren't automatically the cheaper choice.

Private Plans (Medically Underwritten)

These plans are sold directly by private carriers rather than through the ACA marketplace. Because they are medically underwritten, the carrier asks health questions as part of applying, and your acceptance, pricing, and coverage can depend on your health history and current medications. Some medically underwritten health plans may offer lower monthly premiums depending on factors such as age, location, health history, benefits, and underwriting. However, these plans may also limit or exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions, impose waiting periods, or decline an application. Coverage varies by plan, so it's important to review the specific plan documents before enrolling.

Often a good starting point if:

• You are generally healthy
• You do not have major pre-existing conditions
• You are not on significant regular medication
• Your income is above the subsidy threshold

If you have a significant health condition or take regular medication, a marketplace plan is usually the more realistic path, since private underwriting could mean excluded conditions or a decline.

A key difference to know: some medically underwritten plans limit or exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions, sometimes for a waiting period such as the first 12 months of the policy, though this varies by carrier and plan. If you have an ongoing condition you expect to need care for soon, that's worth weighing against a marketplace plan, which cannot exclude pre-existing conditions. Plan availability, benefits, eligibility, underwriting requirements, exclusions, and limitations vary by carrier, product, and state.