Estimate next year's income
Not last year's — the coming year's, for everyone on your tax return. This is the number the whole credit hangs on, and getting it roughly right matters more than getting it precisely right.
Open Enrollment · 1 November – 15 January
Most people who buy their own coverage qualify for help paying for it.
A great many households across Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa are eligible for a premium tax credit and never claim it — usually because they assumed they earned too much, or looked once years ago. It is worth ten minutes to find out.
- Our help is free. We are paid by the insurance company, not by you.
- Every Marketplace plan is guaranteed issue — no health questions, ever.
- You can do all of this yourself at HealthCare.gov, free. We will say so.
The number that matters
Not the sticker premium. What you actually pay after the tax credit — which for many households is a fraction of it.
The thing most people get wrong
"I checked once and I earned too much."
This is the single most common reason people go without coverage they could afford. The eligibility rules for premium tax credits have changed more than once, and the income ranges have widened considerably from where they started.
If you last looked more than a couple of years ago, you looked under different rules. Households well into the middle of the income range now qualify for something, and self-employed people in particular are frequently surprised.
It is also worth knowing the credit is based on your estimated income for the coming year, not last year's tax return. If your work is seasonal or your income varies — farming, contracting, commission — that distinction matters a great deal, and it is where we spend most of our time.
How subsidies actually workThe metal tiers
Four tiers, and the trade is always the same.
Every Marketplace plan covers the same ten essential health benefits. The tier tells you how the cost is split between your monthly premium and what you pay when you use care — nothing more.
Tier
Monthly
When you use it
Who it tends to suit
Bronze
Lowest
Highest
People who rarely see a doctor and want protection against a catastrophic year — provided the deductible is genuinely payable.
SilverRead this row twice
Middle
Middle — or much lower
Silver is the only tier that carries cost-sharing reductions. Under certain incomes a Silver plan quietly becomes far better than its tier suggests — better than Gold, sometimes. Choosing Bronze to save money can cost you this without your knowing.
Gold
Higher
Lower
People with a chronic condition, a planned procedure, or regular prescriptions — where you know in advance you will use the coverage.
Platinum
Highest
Lowest
Rarely offered in our four states, and rarely the best value where it is. We mention it for completeness.
How it goes
Three steps, and the first one is arithmetic.
Check your doctors and drugs
Networks in rural counties can be narrow, and a plan that looks cheap is expensive if your hospital is out of network. We check each doctor by name before you enroll.
Enroll, then tell us when things change
A raise, a new baby, a job change — report it during the year and your credit adjusts. Leave it and you may owe money back at tax time. This is the part nobody warns people about.
Who comes to us
Four situations we see constantly.
Self-employed & farming
Variable income makes the estimate hard and makes it matter. Frequently eligible for more help than expected.
Estimate carefully
Between jobs
Losing employer coverage opens a special window. Marketplace coverage is often far cheaper than COBRA once the credit is applied.
60-day window
Early retirees
Retired before 65 and bridging to Medicare. Controlling taxable income in these years directly controls the credit.
Bridge to 65
Families with mixed eligibility
Children eligible for CHIP while parents use the Marketplace. Common, and easy to get wrong on your own.
Check CHIP first
You can do all of this yourself, for free
Everything we do, you can do without us. HealthCare.gov shows every plan available where you live — including the ones no agency represents — and lets you apply directly. The Marketplace Call Center is open 24 hours, every day, on 1-800-318-2596 (TTY 1-855-889-4325).
There is also free local help from Navigators and certified application counselors, who are trained, unbiased, and not paid by insurance companies. We say all of this out loud because an agency that hides it is telling you something about itself.
Find out in ten minutes whether you qualify.
We need a rough income estimate and how many people are on your tax return. That is genuinely all it takes to get a real answer.