As of 2019, just over 600,000 people lacked health insurance in Missouri. That’s according to a report from Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and represents about 10.1% of the state’s population. In 2021, KFF looked at the uninsured rate again and found that of the people still without coverage this year, around 256,700 people would qualify for marketplace coverage.
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), marketplace coverage is the kind of health insurance that covers pre-existing conditions and 10 essential health benefits. The law also includes certain consumer protections and lays out advance premium tax credits.
These tax credits, also called subsidies, are available to people earning between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level. For people with low to moderate incomes, premium subsidies help lower the cost of marketplace health insurance.
In fact, KFF estimates that of the people still without health insurance in Missouri in 2021, about 27% could get a bronze plan for free (no premiums) after applying premium subsidies. Most people qualify for tax credits.
The Kaiser Family Foundation also looked at premiums for 2021 in Missouri. They found that the average lowest cost health insurance premiums by plan type were $347 for bronze plans, $467 for silver and $530 for gold. These are averages, of course, and don’t include the tax credits that might otherwise lower the monthly cost.
When we used our own marketplace site to estimate costs, we found that a 40-year-old living in Branson, MO, with an income of $37,000 a year could find a bronze plan for $222.60 a month. And that does include tax credits to lower the cost.
How much you pay for coverage — not to mention coverage options — depends on where you live in the state. There are at least 8 insurers in Missouri offering marketplace plans in 2021. Among them are Oscar, Molina, BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas City, Anthem and Centene.
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)