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Two ways to get health coverage.
If a job is not covering you, there are two paths. This page explains how they differ.
What is the ACA Marketplace?
Marketplace plans at HealthCare.gov have to accept you without health questions. They include a broad set of benefits, including maternity and mental health.
- Income can change the premium. Help paying the premium, if you qualify, is estimated on HealthCare.gov. This page does not estimate it.
- Enrollment is on a calendar. For 2027 coverage, HealthCare.gov lists open enrollment as November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027. Enroll by December 15, 2026 for a January 1, 2027 start. Confirm the dates on HealthCare.gov. They can change.
- Some life events open a special enrollment period. Losing job coverage is one example. HealthCare.gov decides which events count. Do not guess.
- If job coverage is ending, read the employer notice about continuation coverage and compare those dates with HealthCare.gov.
- Children on an ACA plan can generally stay on a parent's plan until age 26. Confirm that on the plan you are considering.
Need an ACA plan? We can help with that too. Start at HealthCare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596.
What are private plans that ask health questions?
You answer health questions. The carrier can accept you, offer a higher rate, or decline you. You can usually apply in any month. The carrier sets the date coverage would start.
What to expect
- These plans are not ACA plans.
- Fixed benefit and short-term plans generally do not cover maternity, mental health, substance use treatment, or pediatric dental.
- A fixed indemnity plan pays a set cash benefit for a covered service. People choose it for predictable benefits, a lower premium, and flexibility. Fixed indemnity plans.
- A private major medical PPO shares the cost of covered care through a PPO network. The carrier asks health questions. Private major medical PPO plans.
- The carrier reviews the application. A conversation with Seth is not an approval.
Fit, not price
- You need maternity, mental health, substance use treatment, or pediatric dental.
- You have ongoing treatment, a regular prescription, or a test coming up, and you need a plan that does not ask health questions.
- You want to check income-based Marketplace savings on HealthCare.gov.
- You are on Medicare, or you are getting close to it. We can help with that too.
- A plan you already have is doing the job, including an employer plan or a spouse's plan.
If you do not qualify for a private plan, there may be other options. Ask Seth. This page is not a recommendation for your household.
We also place life insurance. Book a life call. Disability insurance is for people 55 and under. See the disability page.
Which guide should you read next?
Open the guide that matches the kind of coverage you want to understand.
Private major medical PPO
Full major medical coverage, a PPO network, and pricing based on your health.
Read →Fixed indemnity
Predictable cash benefits, a lower premium, and flexibility.
Read →Short-term medical
A bridge with an end date, including multi-year terms.
Read →Accident and critical illness
Limited add-on policies. Not a medical plan.
Read →Dental and vision
Waiting periods, annual maximums, and a cash-price check.
Read →Compare yearly cost
How to add premium and a bad year. No winner is declared.
Read →How buying works
What Seth does, what an assistant can do, and what you sign.
Read →After you buy
The first visit, the EOB, and claims paperwork.
Read →Questions
Straight answers where a general answer is enough. The rest go to Seth.
Read →Questions about your own coverage go to Seth. This page cannot answer them.