As of 2019, over 204,000 people in Connecticut lacked health insurance, which is just under 6% of the state’s population. That’s according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). In 2021, the nonprofit also found that of the people who still didn’t have insurance this year, about 94,000 could qualify for marketplace health insurance.
Marketplace plans meet all the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the country’s current healthcare law. That means they cover pre-existing conditions and 10 essential health benefits. They also allow people with low to moderate incomes better afford coverage.
Tax credits, aka premium subsidies, make this possible. Under the ACA, anyone earning between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level may qualify for a tax credit to lower the cost of monthly premiums for marketplace plans.
Since Connecticut is among the 14 states (and D.C.) that has its own health insurance marketplace, you may find subsidies to lower your health insurance costs by visiting the exchange at AccessHealthCT.com.
KFF found that 28% of the people who qualify for marketplace health insurance in Connecticut may be able to get a bronze plan for free (i.e., no premium) in 2021 thanks to subsidies.
Kaiser also found that the average lowest cost premiums by metal type in Connecticut for this year are: $368 for a bronze plan, $523 for a silver one and $489 for gold. These averages don’t include tax credits, but note that a gold plan may cost less than a silver in Connecticut.
On our own marketplace, we’ve estimated that a 40-year-old in Hartford earning $37,000 a year might find an unsubsidized bronze plan for $411.49 a month in 2021.
How much you’ll pay for coverage, not to mention the plans available to you, will depend on where you live. There are at least two marketplace health insurers in Connecticut in 2021: Anthem and ConnectiCare.
Sources
Kaiser Family Foundation, “Health Insurance Coverage of the Total Population”
Kaiser Family Foundation, “Marketplace Eligibility Among the Uninsured: Implications for a Broadened Enrollment Period and ACA Outreach” (January 27, 2021)
Kaiser Family Foundation, “Average Marketplace Premiums by Metal Tier, 2018-2021”
Kaiser Family Foundation, “Insurer Participation on the ACA Marketplaces, 2014-2021” (November 23, 2020)