The explorer compares actual ACA plans and estimates costs through age 65 using plans, prices, and subsidy rules. It does not forecast future market-price growth.
- Low / middle plan / high
- Table plans are re-ranked using the selected Cost exposure. For an even count, Middle plan uses the lower of the two central values. The projection chart shows premium only.
- Annual cost exposure
- Premium only is the annual household premium. Premium + deductible adds the applicable household deductible. Premium + OOP max adds the applicable household out-of-pocket maximum and never adds the deductible again. High-level comparisons use the primary in-network tier.
- Subsidies
- When enabled, the dashboard uses household MAGI, the actual second-lowest Silver benchmark, and rules to calculate the premium tax credit. The Benchmark Silver column keeps that SLCSP plan fixed when Cost view changes; only the displayed exposure changes. Eligible Silver plans use their actual CSR variant for deductible and OOP values.
- Household rating
- Published age and tobacco rates are combined for eligible household members. Where a state uses uniform family tiers, the matching household tier is used. No more than the three oldest children under 21 are charged, members age 65 or older are excluded, and child-only plans are excluded when the household has no children.
- Coverage start
- The selected start month affects only the projection chart. Both tables and every plan drawer always use current household ages and actual plan details.
- All U.S. markets
- Each row represents one distinct pricing and plan-availability group. Locations with the same plan IDs and published rates are combined, even when their official pricing-area numbers differ. Open a row's location details to see the included cities, counties, and ZIPs.
- City projections
- A selected city is mapped to every pricing and availability group that intersects its city geography. If options differ within the city, each group appears as a separate row with its applicable counties and ZIPs. Every visible table row appears in the premium-only chart.
- -dollar projection
- Future years reprice each Marketplace-covered household member at future ages using ACA plans, prices, and subsidy rules. MAGI remains fixed in dollars. These are planning estimates, not forecasts.
- Projection endpoint
- Adults remain in the projection until their assumed Medicare start. Children remain through the month they reach their selected coverage end age. A child is excluded from the projected tax household for that entire calendar year and subsequent years. In the transition year, their covered premiums are included at full price; shared-policy tax-credit allocations are not modeled. These are planning assumptions. Medicare is assumed to begin on the first day of the month a person turns 65; for a birthday on the first day of a month, it is assumed to begin the month before.
- Data and sources
- Plan data was last updated . Sources include CMS Federal Marketplace and State-Based Exchange Public Use Files, IRS premium-tax-credit guidance, CMS geographic rating areas, and Census place geography. Results are for planning, not enrollment or a binding quote.
