New, lower costs on Marketplace coverage

You may be able to get more savings and lower costs on Marketplace health insurance coverage due to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Under the new law:

  • More people than ever before qualify for help paying for health coverage, even those who weren’t eligible in the past.
  • Most people currently enrolled in a Marketplace plan may qualify for more tax credits.
  • Health insurance premiums after these new savings will go down.

How to find out if you qualify for Marketplace savings

When you apply for Marketplace coverage, you’ll find out if you qualify for a premium tax credit that lowers your monthly premium.

The amount of your premium tax credit depends on the estimated household income for 2021 that you put on your Marketplace application.

Find out if your estimated 2021 income is in the range to qualify for a premium tax credit.

Enroll or change plans if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period

You can enroll in or change to a different plan for the rest of 2021 if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period due to a life event — like changing jobs, moving, getting married, or having a baby. You usually have 60 days from the life event to enroll in a new plan.

If you already have a Marketplace plan

  1. Log in to update your application and enrollment. Your new eligibility results will show you the extra tax credit amount.
  2. Update your plan selection with increased tax credits. If you qualify for more tax credit, reselect your current plan in order for the changes to take effect to lower your premiums for the rest of the year.

You can also wait until you file and "reconcile" your 2021 taxes next year (in 2022) to get the additional premium tax credit amount. But, we recommend you update your application and review your plan options. You may be able to choose a plan with lower out-of-pocket costs for the same price or less than what you’re currently paying.

Note: If you didn’t update your application by early August, we tried to automatically apply these savings for you, starting September 1, 2021. We weren't able to do this for everyone, so the only way to be sure you get these savings is to log in, and update your application yourself.

Preview 2021 health insurance plans & prices before you log in.

Changing plans — the deductible may reset

If you qualify to change plans, it’s important to consider the new plan’s deductible — it will likely start over. If you change plans or add a new household member, any out-of-pocket costs you already paid on your current 2021 Marketplace plan probably won’t count towards your new deductible, even if you stay with the same insurance company.

Call your insurance company before changing plans or adding a new household member to find out if you’ll need to start over to meet your new plan’s deductible. If you have already paid a lot in out-of-pocket costs toward your deductible, check with your insurance company to see how it might impact you and what options are available to keep credit toward what you’ve already paid.

If you get unemployment compensation

Starting July 1, 2021, you may be eligible for more savings and lower costs on 2021 Marketplace coverage if you get or were approved to get unemployment compensation in 2021—even if you didn’t qualify in the past because your income was low and your state hasn’t expanded Medicaid. You may also be able to enroll now if you submit an application for Marketplace coverage, even if you didn’t experience another life event. (The Marketplace will follow up with you shortly after you submit your application if you’re eligible for this Special Enrollment Period.)

If you or your spouse got unemployment income for at least one week in 2021, your whole household may be eligible for a tax credit that covers the entire monthly premium for the second lowest cost Silver plan (SLCSP) that’s available to you in your area, regardless of your household’s income. And if anyone in your household (including a dependent) got unemployment compensation in 2021, you may qualify for new cost-sharing reductions to lower your household’s out-of-pocket costs if you enroll in a Marketplace plan in the silver category.

If you have a Marketplace plan but haven’t updated your application since June 30, 2021, you should update your application. Reselect your current plan to save more on your monthly premium and out-of-pocket costs through increased tax credits and cost-sharing reductions.

Note: If you didn’t update your application by early August, we tried to automatically apply your tax credit for you, starting September 1, 2021. But, we weren’t able to do this for everyone and we couldn't increase your cost-sharing reductions. The only way to get all the savings you qualify for is to log in, and update your application yourself.

Learn more about what to include as income and how to estimate your income if you’re unemployed.

If you were eligible for COBRA premium assistance

If you qualified for COBRA continuation coverage because you or a household member had a reduction in work hours or involuntarily lost a job, you may have qualified for help paying for your COBRA premiums, even if you don’t have COBRA right now. If you qualified, you would have gotten a written notice from your former employer or insurance company and had access to COBRA without having to pay premiums. Learn more about COBRA premium assistance.

This help ended on September 30, and so you can enroll in a Marketplace plan with a Special Enrollment Period. To enroll, you can report a September 30 "loss of coverage" on your application. You can’t qualify for a premium tax credit while you’re enrolled in COBRA, so if you want to change to Marketplace coverage, make sure that your COBRA coverage ends on the last day before your Marketplace coverage starts. If you decide to keep COBRA without premium assistance, you can qualify for a Special Enrollment Period based on the end date of your COBRA coverage, which is usually 18 to 36 months after it started.

Learn more about COBRA premium assistance.

If your state doesn’t use HealthCare.gov

Visit your State Marketplace website or contact their Call Center for more information about when these additional savings will be available through your Marketplace.

Not sure which website your state uses? Select your state to find out.