More financial help available than ever before
Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or have been here before and didn’t qualify for financial help to pay for health insurance at the time, it’s worth a look now. Here’s what you should know:
• There’s no income cap to qualify for financial help, and Coloradans of most income ranges are eligible for reduced premiums.
• People with income below a certain amount can qualify for plans with $0 premiums.
• More families who have access to employer health insurance can now qualify for financial help through our marketplace.
• Coloradans with income below a certain amount can qualify for even more cost-sharing reductions than in previous years.
There are two types of financial help you can qualify for:
Premium tax credits that lower your monthly premiums
Cost-sharing reductions that give you healthcare discounts when you go to the doctor, pick up a prescription, or if you need to pay your deductible.
Depending on your income range and household size, you can qualify for lower monthly premiums OR for BOTH lower monthly premiums and cost-sharing reductions.
Lower Your Monthly Premiums (Advanced Premium Tax Credits)
The financial help you can get to lower your monthly payment is called a Premium Tax Credit. Every family is unique. You can get financial help based on your family’s specific needs and situation including:
- Your family size;
- Where you live; and
- Your family’s estimated annual income.
You can use the financial help in two different ways:
- Apply the savings in advance to lower your monthly premiums.
- Wait until you file your taxes to get a premium tax credit added to your tax refund.
Healthcare Discounts (Cost-Sharing Reductions)
If you do qualify for lower out-of-pocket costs AND you sign up for a silver plan, healthcare discounts are applied automatically when you go to the doctor or fill a prescription. Plans with healthcare discounts also have a lower out-of-pocket maximum – the total amount you’d have to pay for covered medical services per year. These healthcare discounts are called Cost-Sharing Reductions.
Learn more about how Healthcare Discounts work »
