How to Get Free or Low-Cost Health Insurance

2. Affordable Care Act Subsidy

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides government subsidies to make health insurance affordable for people who buy their own health insurance through the exchange/marketplace. This coverage is also called Obamacare.

The law includes premium tax credits (premium subsidies) that offset some or all of the monthly premiums.

There are also cost-sharing reductions (CSR) that reduce the out-of-pocket costs that some enrollees have to pay when they need medical care.

Premium tax credits and CSR are both federal benefits, so they're available nationwide. Some states also offer additional premium subsidies and/or cost-sharing subsidies, on top of the federal subsidies.