What you'd actually pay
The government helps most people pay for Obamacare. How much help you get depends on two things: how many people are in your household, and what you expect to earn this year.
Not what you earned last year. What you expect this year. If your hours change, if you drive or clean or do hair on the side, if you had a slow spring — that all counts, and it all matters.
Roughly what people pay
These are real numbers for 2027, based on the rules the IRS published in July 2026. They assume you pick the mid-priced Silver plan in your area. A cheaper plan costs less. A better one costs more.
One person earning $15,960 a year — about $29 a month
One person earning $23,940 a year — about $86 a month
One person earning $31,920 a year — about $180 a month
A family of four earning $49,500 a year — about $177 a month
Your own number depends on your age, your county, and which plan you pick. We will not guess at it. We will look it up with you.
The part almost nobody tells you
If your household earns less than about two and a half times the poverty line, you qualify for a second kind of help. It lowers your deductible — the amount you pay out of your own pocket before the plan starts covering things.
This second kind of help only works on a Silver plan. If you pick Bronze, you lose it completely.
Here is what that means in 2027:
A single person earning $23,000 who picks Silver has their yearly out-of-pocket costs capped at $4,000.
The same person who picks Bronze to save a little each month has theirs capped at $12,000.
Bronze looks cheaper on the monthly bill. It is not cheaper if you get sick. Every year, people in this income range pick Bronze, save about $40 a month, and give up thousands of dollars of protection they already qualified for.
If your income is in this range, we will tell you so, and we will show you the Silver plans first. That is most of what a good agent is for.
Where the help stops
Above four times the poverty line, the help stops completely. Not gradually — completely. In 2027 that line is $63,840 for one person and $132,000 for a family of four.
A dollar over that line and you pay the entire bill yourself. This rule came back in 2026 after four years off. If you are anywhere near that number, talk to us before you guess at your income.
We will not promise you zero
Some sites promise free health insurance. As of 2027 nobody gets a free Silver plan. Even at the very bottom of the income scale, you owe about 2% of what you earn.
We would rather tell you that now than after you have given us your Social Security number.