Inside or Outside of the Exchange?  Most plans are only available inside the exchange, some outside, and some are in and out.  If you believe you are subsidy or Apple Health eligible (see calculator), your only option is exchange enrollment.  If you are not subsidy eligible, avoiding the exchange and enrolling directly with carrier is usually preferable.  Please use links for direct enrollment as there is no added cost inside or outside of the Exchange when using a broker for assistance.

 Three Types of Individual Plans:

Cascade Plans:  If a carrier is offering plans on the exchange, they must offer Cascade plans (Gold, Bronze & Silver).  Benefits are established by the state and are identical regardless of carrier.   For example, a Cascade Gold plan from Premera is identical in benefits to a Cascade Gold plan from Kaiser, the only difference is rate and provider access.  Cascade plans are not considered competitively priced.

Public Option Plans:  There is at least one Public Option Plan available in each county.  These plans only reimburse doctors and hospitals at 160% of Medicare rates making them very unpopular with providers.  It is presumed few facilities will be accepting this insurance.  Rates are not competitive and enrollment is anticipated to be minimal.

Traditional Plans:  All other plans are considered traditional and vary in benefits, networks and pricing.  The vast majority of enrollees will be enrolled in traditional plans that are available inside and outside of the Exchange.  The range of benefits is broad, from low deductible/copay plans to high deductible HSA plans.