Health and life insurance, explained plainly

Because the monthly premium is only part of what you pay. When you actually use the insurance, there are out-of-pocket costs: the deductible, what you pay before the plan starts covering certain services; the copay, a fixed amount per visit or prescription; and the coinsurance, a percentage of the bill that is your share. Plans with lower premiums almost always come with higher deductibles and copays. That is why “cheap” can end up expensive if you use your insurance a lot.

Every plan works with a network: the doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and urgent care centers the insurer has contracts with. The network changes from plan to plan, even within the same insurer. Before you enroll, look up your doctors in the network directory of the specific plan you are considering (not the insurer in general). If your doctor is out of network, you have two options: pay more (out-of-network usually costs double or more), or ask the doctor if they will treat your case as in-network.

Agents are paid by the insurer, not the client. The price of the plan is exactly the same if you buy it on your own through HealthCare.gov as it is if I help you pick it. The difference is that I explain what each plan covers, compare your doctors networks, and help with the paperwork. If you enroll without my help, I do not get paid and you do not lose any discount.

The Open Enrollment Period (OEP) for 2027 runs from November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. (Dates confirmed by HealthCare.gov in October 2026.) Enroll by December 15 and your coverage starts January 1. Enroll between December 16 and January 15 and it starts February 1. Outside those dates you can only enroll if you have a qualifying life event (losing job-based coverage, getting married, moving to a new state, having a baby, etc.), and you typically have 60 days from the event.

It depends where you fall relative to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Below that threshold you qualify for premium tax credits that lower your monthly bill. (That is the law as it stands for 2027: the expansion that removed the cap expired on December 31, 2025.) Above it, there is no tax credit. And to be clear: there is no penalty for going without coverage. The federal penalty has been $0 since 2019 and Florida has no state penalty, so nobody is going to charge you for not buying. A marketplace plan can still make sense if your employer does not offer affordable coverage, for a simple reason: an emergency without insurance is paid in full, out of your pocket. I can help you run the math with your actual income, not your estimate.

If you underestimate, you receive more tax credit during the year than you should, and you owe money at tax time. If you overestimate, the opposite happens: you owe the IRS or get a refund. Starting in 2026, the repayment caps are eliminated: previously there was a maximum on what you could owe back, now the full credit comes back with no ceiling. That is why it pays to estimate carefully and tell me if your situation changes (new job, overtime, bonus, freelance income).

It is worth reviewing every year. Prices and benchmark plans change, and many people in 2026 switched to bronze and ended up with a much higher deductible without realizing it. Open enrollment is your window to switch plans without justifying anything. I help you compare what you have against next year options and we decide together whether to stay or move.

It depends on the plan, your age, income, and county, and it changes every year. So you have a real reference point: in Florida, in 2026, for a 40-year-old, the cheapest bronze plan in the state runs about $505 a month and the cheapest silver about $674, before any credit is applied. Those are KFF figures drawn from the official CMS files, not my estimate. For 2027, Florida insurers have filed increases ranging from -1% to +54%, still pending approval. That is the sticker price before the discount, though: what you actually pay depends on the tax credit you qualify for, and there the difference is large. Many people with moderate income qualify to pay considerably less. The exact number comes out of the HealthCare.gov calculation using your real income, and we can look at it together.

If you already have Medicare (by age, disability, or ESRD), the marketplace does not apply to you: Medicare is your primary coverage and you cannot have an ACA plan at the same time, with rare exceptions. If you are close to 65 but do not have Medicare yet, you have a 7-month enrollment window around your birthday (3 months before, the month of, and 3 months after) to enroll. Watch out for an exception many people miss: if you are still working and have active employer coverage (yours or your spouse’s), you can delay Part B with no penalty at all, and once that coverage ends you get 8 months to enroll. If that is not your situation and you miss the window, your Part B premium goes up permanently. Before you turn 65 we talk through your situation, and to compare all of your Medicare options the complete and impartial source is 1-800-MEDICARE or Florida SHIP, which counsels for free.

Losing job-based coverage is a qualifying life event (QLE): you have 60 days from termination to enroll in a marketplace plan, outside open enrollment. The window also opens 60 days before: if you already know the date your coverage ends, tell me ahead of time and the new plan starts without leaving you a month uncovered. Coverage usually starts the first of the following month. If you wait longer than 60 days, you must wait for the next OEP. If the layoff was a mass termination or the company closed, you may also qualify for a longer Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Tell me as soon as possible after the event so you do not miss the window.

The process depends on the plan type. For ACA marketplace plans, first appeal internally with the insurer (they have 30 days to respond). If they deny again, escalate to the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS), the state regulator, or to the CMS Federal Marketplace Appeals Center. For Medicare Advantage or Medigap, complaints go to the Florida SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program), which offers free counseling. For life insurance, complaints also go to DFS. If you are not sure where to start, write to me and I will point you in the right direction.