With an uninsured tally of 561,600 as of 2019, Michigan’s uninsured rate (5.8%) falls below the national average. That data is thanks to Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), which also looked at the uninsured rate again in 2021 and found that of the people without health insurance in Michigan, about 298,200 of them were marketplace eligible.
That means they qualify for the kind of coverage that’s regulated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Marketplace plans cover pre-existing conditions and 10 essential health benefits. They also include certain other protections for consumers.
In the same report from 2021, KFF also estimated that of the people in Michigan without health insurance who were eligible for marketplace plans, about 15% of them could get a bronze plan for free — meaning no monthly premium.
That’s thanks to the advance premium tax credits available under the ACA. Also known as subsidies, these tax credits help lower the cost of insurance for people earning between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level.
Most people qualify for ACA premium subsidies.
In 2021, KFF found that the average lowest cost plans in Michigan by tier are as follows: $255 for a bronze plan, $340 for a silver one and $370 for gold. These averages don’t include premium subsidies. If you qualify, you may save money on your health insurance in Michigan.
Using our own marketplace, we found that a 40-year-old living in Ann Arbor with an annual income of $37,000 could find a bronze plan for $239.11 a month. That figure does include tax credits.
Costs and coverage options depend on where you live. Michigan has at least 8 insurers offering ACA-compliant plans in 2021. Among them are Oscar, Molina, BlueCross BlueShield of Michigan, Spectrum and Meridian.
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)