How Health Insurance Marketplace® Plans Set Your Premiums (2024)

Five factors can affect a plan’s monthly premium: location, age, tobacco use, plan category, and whether the plan covers dependents.

How premiums are set

Under the health care law, insurance companies can account for only 5 things when setting premiums.

  • Age: Premiums can be up to 3 times higher for older people than for younger ones.

  • Location: Where you live has a big effect on your premiums. Differences in competition, state and local rules, and cost of living account for this.

  • Tobacco use: Insurers can charge tobacco users up to 50% more than those who don’t use tobacco.

  • Individual vs. family enrollment: Insurers can charge more for a plan that also covers a spouse and/or dependents.

  • Plan category: There are five plan categories – Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Catastrophic. The categories are based on how you and the plan share costs. Bronze plans usually have lower monthly premiums and higher out-of-pocket costs when you get care. Platinum plans usually have the highest premiums and lowest out-of-pocket costs.

States can limit how much these factors affect premiums.

All Marketplace health plans cover the same essential health benefits. Insurance companies may offer more benefits, which could also affect costs.

Factors that can’t affect premiums

Choosing a health plan

How Health Insurance Marketplace® Plans Set Your Premiums (2024)

FAQs

How Health Insurance Marketplace® Plans Set Your Premiums? ›

Five factors can affect a plan's monthly premium: location, age, tobacco use, plan category, and whether the plan covers dependents. Notice: FYI Your health, medical history, or gender can't affect your premium.

What determines how much my insurance premiums will be? ›

Your cost will depend on a variety of factors, including your age, gender, vehicle, mileage driven, driving record, coverage amount and deductible. When Does Car Insurance Go Down? Your car insurance premiums typically go down once you turn 25 and continue to drop as you get older.

What 3 factors are health insurance premiums based on? ›

Factors affecting health insurance premiums
  • Age and Gender: Age: As individuals get older, the likelihood of needing healthcare services typically increases. ...
  • Medical History and Current Health Condition: ...
  • Coverage Type and Level: ...
  • Location and Local Healthcare Costs: ...
  • Deductibles, Copayments, and Coinsurance:
Sep 1, 2023

What do insurance companies use to decide on premiums? ›

Key Takeaways. Insurance companies use credit scores and history to determine your premium on insurance. It is very difficult to pinpoint exactly how to get the best insurance score, but it is possible to improve it.

How do health insurance premiums work? ›

Insurers set premiums based on the overall claims experience of their entire risk pool, and projected costs for the coming year. In the individual and small-group health insurance markets, insurers set an index rate and then can only vary it based on zip code, age, and tobacco use.

What are three factors that dictate how much your insurance premium will be? ›

What factors are most important for car insurance rates?
  • Age. Age is a very significant rating factor, especially for young drivers. ...
  • Driving history. This rating factor is straightforward. ...
  • Credit score. ...
  • Years of driving experience. ...
  • Location. ...
  • Gender. ...
  • Insurance history. ...
  • Annual mileage.

What are 4 factors that are used to determine the cost of insurance premiums? ›

Some factors that may affect your auto insurance premiums are your car, your driving habits, demographic factors and the coverages, limits and deductibles you choose.

Why are ACA plans so expensive? ›

Administrative overhead. Administrative costs are on the rise. This is partially due to new rules put in place by the Affordable Care Act. The U.S. healthcare system has separate funding sources, rules, out-of-pocket cost, and enrollment dates for various private and public insurance providers.

What is basic premium factor in insurance? ›

The basic premium factor is the acquisition expenses, underwriting expenses, profit, and loss conversion factor adjusted for the insurance charge for a policy. The basic premium factor is used in the calculation of retrospective premiums and does not consider account taxes or claims adjustment expenses.

Is HealthCare.gov worth it? ›

Consumers who went on HealthCare.gov, compared plans, and selected the plan that best fit their health and financial needs paid 38 percent less per month on average than the consumers whose plans were automatically renewed. Plans purchased on HealthCare.gov are comprehensive and guaranteed to cover the essentials.

Can I negotiate insurance premiums? ›

Although you can't negotiate your car insurance rate, you're not contractually obligated to stay with your insurance company. If you find a cheaper rate elsewhere, you can switch insurance providers.

Why did my health insurance premium double? ›

Most insurance premium increases are due to rising pharmacy costs, government regulations, and insurance company profits.

What determines your insurance premium or deductible? ›

A plan with lower premiums for health care coverage will result in a higher deductible. A high deductible plan will likely provide adequate protection for your medical expenses. On the other hand, if you rely on insurance frequently, consider a higher monthly premium and lower deductible health benefit.

Are health insurance premiums based on income? ›

Federal laws cap the amount you have to pay for individual and family health insurance at a percentage of your household's annual income. The government accomplishes this via the health insurance premium tax credit, which your state's Health Insurance Marketplace facilitates on behalf of the IRS.

How much is Obamacare a month for a single person? ›

How much does the average person pay for Obamacare? Obamacare costs an average of $584 per month for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan. Your age affects your monthly rates. A 20-year-old pays an average of $443 per month for a Silver plan, while a 60-year-old pays an average of $1,240 per month, before subsidies.

What is an example of a premium? ›

premium noun [C] (EXTRA)

something extra given or an extra amount charged: You get a lipstick as a premium with the purchase of this makeup. Our customers are willing to pay a premium for a superior product. If you get something at a premium, you pay a high price for it, esp.

What are 3 factors that may affect your life insurance premium? ›

Your age, sex, smoking status and overall health come into play and have an impact on your premiums. While it's important that your premium fits within your budget, there are other things you should consider as well.

What are the three costs associated with health care insurance? ›

Your total costs for health care: Premium, deductible & out-of-pocket costs.

What are three factors that might make your insurance premium higher or lower? ›

Common factors include:
  • Driving record. ...
  • Garaging of the vehicle. ...
  • Gender and age of drivers. ...
  • Marital status. ...
  • Prior insurance coverage. ...
  • Miles driven and use of vehicle. ...
  • Make and Model of vehicle. ...
  • Licensed drivers in your household.

What are the three main components of an insurance policy? ›

Three components of any insurance type are the premium, policy limit, and deductible.

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