Full-Price Marketplace Coverage in 2026: What Unsubsidized Plans Cost
With enhanced credits gone, average full-price premiums run about $741 a month and same-plan payments rose 114% for many. Here are the real numbers and your…
Topic
Health Insurance
Easy guides about health insurance, medical costs, and coverage options. Learn how to understand your healthcare costs and find ways to save money.
72 guides
How Much Employer Family Coverage Really Costs: The $26,993 Breakdown
Employer family coverage averaged $26,993 in 2025 and workers paid $6,850 of it. Here is how the split works and the comparisons worth running before you…
Switching Health Plans? Your Deductible Starts Over
Deductible progress does not transfer when you change plans. Here is what a mid-year reset costs, the rare exceptions, and how to time a switch to…
Short-Term Health Insurance Cost vs ACA Plans: The Full Price Comparison
Short-term plans average about $235 a month against $625 to $752 for ACA coverage. Compare premium, subsidies, and worst-case exposure before you buy the cheaper plan.
The Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction, Explained
You can deduct premiums you pay for your own coverage, capped by net profit and reduced by any premium tax credit. Here are the rules, the…
Splitting COBRA and Marketplace Coverage: One Spouse on Each
Each family member elects COBRA separately. Putting one person on COBRA at about $793 a month and the rest on a marketplace plan can beat $2,294…
FSA Money Left Over? Carryover, Grace Period, and What You Lose
Unused health FSA money is forfeited by default. For 2026 you may be able to carry over $680 or use a grace period to March 15,…
How Marketplace Premiums Rise With Age: The 3-to-1 Curve Explained
Federal rules let premiums triple between age 21 and age 64. Here is what the age curve does to a $625 benchmark plan at 40, 60,…
Marketplace Health Insurance Cost by State: Cheapest and Most Expensive in 2026
The lowest-cost silver plan for a 40-year-old averages $394 a month in New Hampshire and $1,289 in Vermont. Here is why state prices differ so much…
Gold vs Silver Health Plans: Which Costs Less in Total?
Gold premiums run higher than silver, but deductibles run thousands lower. Here is the total-cost math, plus the cost-sharing reduction exception that makes silver win for…
Medicaid Spend-Down for Nursing Home Care: How the 5-Year Lookback Works
Medicaid requires spending down to about $2,000 — and reviews five years of transfers. How spend-down works and the mistakes that cost families dearly.
Zero-Premium Health Plans: When $0/Month Is Real
Zero-premium plans are real: your tax credit can wipe out a Bronze premium entirely. But the deductible stays -- when $0/month is a bargain and when…
