Health Insurance Guides

Choosing a broker or agent

• Health Insurance Broker vs. Agent: What's the Difference?
  Brokers and agents both sell health insurance. Here's what actually separates them and why it matters when you're comparing plans.
• How to Choose a Health Insurance Broker
  What a health insurance broker does, what it costs, and the questions to ask before you let one shop plans for you.
• How to Verify a Health Insurance Agent's License
  A quick way to confirm that the agent or broker you're talking to is licensed in your state.
• 12 Questions to Ask a Health Insurance Agent
  The questions that separate a helpful agent from a quick sale, before and after you enroll.
• What Does a Health Insurance Broker Do?
  From quoting plans to fixing billing problems after you enroll, here's what a health insurance broker actually does for you.

Costs and subsidies

• ACA Subsidies Explained: Premium Tax Credits for 2027
  How premium tax credits work for 2027, who qualifies now that the enhanced subsidies have ended, and how to avoid paying money back.
• Health Insurance for Self-Employed People
  Your coverage options as a freelancer, 1099 worker or business owner with no employees, and how to keep the cost down.
• How Much Does Health Insurance Cost in 2027?
  Average 2027 marketplace premiums by state, what drives the price, and how premium tax credits change what you actually pay.

Enrollment

• Health Insurance After Losing Your Job
  COBRA, marketplace plans and Medicaid compared, with the deadlines that matter after a job loss.
• Open Enrollment for 2027 Health Coverage
  When open enrollment for 2027 coverage starts and ends, what happens if you miss it, and how to get ready.
• Special Enrollment Periods: Getting Coverage Outside Open Enrollment
  The life events that let you buy health insurance outside open enrollment, and how long you have to act.

Plan types

• HMO vs. PPO vs. EPO: Which Plan Type Is Right for You?
  How HMO, PPO, EPO and POS networks differ, what they mean for your costs, and how to choose.
• Short-Term Health Insurance vs. ACA Plans
  What short-term plans cover, what they don't, and when they make sense compared with an ACA-compliant plan.

Small business

• What Is an ICHRA? Individual Coverage HRAs for Employers
  How an individual coverage HRA works, who it suits, and what employers and employees need to know.
• Small Business Health Insurance Options
  Group plans, ICHRAs and QSEHRAs compared for businesses with 1 to 50 employees.