How Health Insurance Marketplace® Plans Set Your Premiums (2024)

Five factors can affect a plan’s monthly premium: location, age, tobacco use, plan category, and whether the plan covers dependents.

How premiums are set

Under the health care law, insurance companies can account for only 5 things when setting premiums.

  • Age: Premiums can be up to 3 times higher for older people than for younger ones.

  • Location: Where you live has a big effect on your premiums. Differences in competition, state and local rules, and cost of living account for this.

  • Tobacco use: Insurers can charge tobacco users up to 50% more than those who don’t use tobacco.

  • Individual vs. family enrollment: Insurers can charge more for a plan that also covers a spouse and/or dependents.

  • Plan category: There are five plan categories – Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Catastrophic. The categories are based on how you and the plan share costs. Bronze plans usually have lower monthly premiums and higher out-of-pocket costs when you get care. Platinum plans usually have the highest premiums and lowest out-of-pocket costs.

States can limit how much these factors affect premiums.

All Marketplace health plans cover the same essential health benefits. Insurance companies may offer more benefits, which could also affect costs.

Factors that can’t affect premiums

Choosing a health plan

How Health Insurance Marketplace® Plans Set Your Premiums (2024)

FAQs

How Health Insurance Marketplace® Plans Set Your Premiums? ›

Five factors can affect a plan's monthly premium: location, age, tobacco use, plan category, and whether the plan covers dependents. Notice: FYI Your health, medical history, or gender can't affect your premium.

What determines how much my insurance premiums will be? ›

Your cost will depend on a variety of factors, including your age, gender, vehicle, mileage driven, driving record, coverage amount and deductible. When Does Car Insurance Go Down? Your car insurance premiums typically go down once you turn 25 and continue to drop as you get older.

How are insurance premiums set? ›

Insurance premiums are set by the likelihood of the insured having a loss or a setback out of their control and are based on specific attributes of risk that are deemed to be predictive of loss. Companies that take measures to reduce their risks have a good chance of also reducing their premiums.

What are the three main factors used in determining health insurance premiums? ›

Factors affecting health insurance premiums
  • Age and Gender: Age: As individuals get older, the likelihood of needing healthcare services typically increases. ...
  • Medical History and Current Health Condition: ...
  • Coverage Type and Level: ...
  • Location and Local Healthcare Costs: ...
  • Deductibles, Copayments, and Coinsurance:
Sep 1, 2023

How is the proper premium for health insurance calculated? ›

Insurers set premiums based on the overall claims experience of their entire risk pool, and projected costs for the coming year. In the individual and small-group health insurance markets, insurers set an index rate and then can only vary it based on zip code, age, and tobacco use.

What determines the cost of your premium? ›

An insurance premium is the amount of money that you pay for an insurance policy. You pay insurance premiums for policies that cover your health, car, home, life, and others. Insurance premiums vary depending on your age, the type of coverage, the amount of coverage, your insurance history, and other factors.

How do insurers decide how much to charge in premiums? ›

While many companies use proprietary formulas to calculate the scores, the factors used in the calculation include the customer's outstanding debt, length of credit history, payment history, amount of revolving credit versus the amount of credit in the form of loans, available credit, and monthly account balance.

What factors determine your insurance premium? ›

Some factors that may affect your auto insurance premiums are your car, your driving habits, demographic factors and the coverages, limits and deductibles you choose.

Why is my healthcare.gov premium so high? ›

This is due partly to inflation - how much more services cost one year versus the next. Costs also go up when individuals use more health care services than expected or when they require expensive care.

How do health insurance premiums work? ›

The amount you pay for your health insurance every month. In addition to your premium, you usually have to pay other costs for your health care, including a deductible, copayments, and coinsurance. If you have a Marketplace health plan, you may be able to lower your costs with a premium tax credit.

How is the insurance premium calculated? ›

Q: How is insurance premium calculated? Insurance premium is determined by several factors, including an insured's age, health, coverage amount, and risk profile. Premiums are determined by actuarial data and statistical models.

What are three factors that dictate how much your insurance premium will be? ›

What factors are most important for car insurance rates?
  • Age. Age is a very significant rating factor, especially for young drivers. ...
  • Driving history. This rating factor is straightforward. ...
  • Credit score. ...
  • Years of driving experience. ...
  • Location. ...
  • Gender. ...
  • Insurance history. ...
  • Annual mileage.

What are 5 factors that are used to determine the cost of insurance premiums? ›

Five factors that affect your auto insurance payment are how often you pay your premium, your vehicle, your driving history, your credit history and your state's coverage requirements. Insurance companies use most of these factors to determine how likely you are to file a claim and thus how risky you are to insure.

What are insurance premiums based on? ›

What Are the Key Factors Affecting Insurance Premiums? Insurance premiums depend on a variety of factors, including the type of coverage being purchased by the policyholder, the age of the policyholder, where the policyholder lives, the claim history of the policyholder, and moral hazard and adverse selection.

How are insurance rates determined? ›

The car you drive – The cost of your car is a major factor in the cost to insure it. Other variables include the likelihood of theft, the cost of repairs, its engine size and the overall safety record of the car. Automobiles with high quality safety equipment might qualify for premium discounts.

What percent of my income should I pay for health insurance? ›

No one eligible for our coverage will have to pay more than 8.5 percent of their overall household income for health insurance (unless you choose to sign up for a plan with richer benefits, like a Gold or Platinum plan).

How is insurance premium calculated? ›

Q: How is insurance premium calculated? Insurance premium is determined by several factors, including an insured's age, health, coverage amount, and risk profile. Premiums are determined by actuarial data and statistical models.

How are car insurance premiums determined? ›

Unlike the law in most states, California law bars insurers from using credit scores and other secretive info to set their rates. Instead, companies are required to give the greatest weight in determining rates to three factors: how long you've been driving, your driving record, and how much you drive each year.

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