How Do I Get Health Insurance Quotes?
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COSTA MESA, Calif. - Californer -- What's a Marketplace Health Insurance Plan?

If you purchase your health insurance through a state, federal or private health insurance marketplace like healthcare.gov or a Marketplace/Exchange then you have a marketplace plan. These plans are often called Obamacare. If you buy a plan from the Marketplace, you may get premium tax credits or savings, depending on your income.

In 38 states, people enroll through the federal exchange, healthcare.gov. The remaining 13 states have their own state exchange and can be found on healthcare.gov. These plans are also considered marketplace health plans.

If you try to buy insurance from healthcare.gov but your state has its own marketplace, healthcare.gov will redirect you to the appropriate website for your state.

Healthcare.gov is also where you can find out if you qualify for public health insurance programs that are subsidized by the state. You can only enroll in public health programs like Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) by using the marketplace. You cannot do it on the private health exchange.

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Do I Have to Be Low Income to Apply Through the Marketplace?

No, but if you are low income, you may qualify for a lower-cost health plan if you apply through the Marketplace.

Which States Have Their Own Marketplace?

California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

What's the Difference Between State and Federal Marketplaces?

The two are almost identical, but states with the local exchange are states that have more control over health insurance plans on their exchange. Often states set quality standards and pricing limits. They may also have other, or additional, qualifying events for people enrolling outside of the open enrollment period.

What is a Private Health Exchange?

Private exchanges are very similar to the marketplace except they show you plans that are not sold through the exchange as well. By law, these plans meet the same requirements as marketplace health plans, but these health insurance companies are not obligated to offer plans across all four tiers (bronze, silver, gold, and platinum). For instance, a health insurance carrier selling privately can offer just bronze or just gold plans. This is the main difference between private health exchange plans and the marketplace health plans, which need to offer all tiers according to the law. You can shop and compare health insurance quotes from the private health exchange. Note that you have more options on the private health exchange.

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What Do Marketplace and Private Health Exchanges Have in Common?

You can check which medications are covered, which doctors are in the network, premium prices, copay breakdowns, and deductibles for each on both types of exchanges.