ASPE

ISSUE BRIEF

Health Insurance Marketplace Premiums for 2014

On October 1, 2013, a Health Insurance Marketplace will open in each state, providing a new, 

simplified way to compare individual market health insurance plans. Americans will be able to 

use the Health Insurance Marketplace to shop for and purchase health insurance coverage, which 

will begin January 1, 2014. 1 In addition, individuals and families with household incomes 

between 100 percent and 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) who are not eligible for 

certain other types of coverage may qualify for tax credits to make premiums more affordable.2

This report summarizes the health plan choices and premiums that will be available in the Health 

Insurance Marketplace. It contains new information, current as of September 18, 2013, on 

qualified health plans3in the 36 states in which the Department of Health and Human Services 

(HHS) will support or fully run the Health Insurance Marketplace in 2014. Plan data is in final 

stages but is still under review as of September 18 and may be revised in HHS systems before 

being displayed for consumers, so this information is subject to change. This analysis also 

includes similar information that is publicly available from 11 states and the District of Columbia 

that are implementing their own Marketplace.4This report focuses on the plans with the lowest 

premiums in each state, as consumers are expected to shop for low-cost plans. 

Nearly all consumers (about 95%) will have a choice of 2 or more health insurance issuers (often 

many more) and nearly all consumers (about 95%) live in states with average premiums below 

earlier estimates.5 Other key findings include:

 

1 To be eligible to purchase coverage in a Marketplace, you must be a US citizen or legal resident and not be 

incarcerated. 

2 Tax credit eligibility is dependent on several factors in addition to income, including whether an individual is 

eligible for Minimum Essential Coverage through their employer, Medicaid, or CHIP. 

3 A qualified health plan is a plan certified to be offered in a Marketplace. A health insurance issuer may offer 

multiple qualified health plans. For example, a silver plan and a bronze plan from Blue Cross and Blue Shield would 

be considered two qualified health plans. 

4 The three states missing from this analysis, Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Kentucky, had not released premium 

information as of September 16, 2013. Idaho and New Mexico, while State-Based Marketplaces, will be using 

federal systems to display plans, and are therefore included in the 36 states with data submitted to CMS. 

5

See http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/MarketCompetitionPremiums/ib_premiums_update.cfm for a 

description of the earlier estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.
ASPE Issue Brief Page 2

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

Individuals will have an average of 53 qualified health plan choices in states where HHS 

will fully or partially run the Marketplace6

Individuals and families will be able to choose from a variety of bronze, silver, gold, and 

platinum plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace, as well as catastrophic plans for 

young adults and those without affordable options.7 Health insurance issuers can offer 

multiple qualified health plans, including multiple qualified health plan choices within a 

single metal level. In the 36 states in this analysis, the number of qualified health plan 

choices available in a rating area ranges from a low of 6 to a high of 169 plans.8 On 

average, individuals and families will have 53 qualified health plans to choose from in 

their rating area. Young adults will have an average of 57 qualified health plans to 

choose from, including catastrophic plans. The average number of choices will likely 

increase after including final data from state-based Marketplaces, which tend to have 

greater issuer participation. 

On average, there are 8 different health insurance issuers9participating in each of the 36 

Marketplaces included in this analysis. This ranges from a low of 1 issuer to a high of 13 

issuers within a state. About 95 percent of the non-elderly population in these 36 states 

lives in rating areas with 2 or more issuers. Roughly one in four issuers is offering health 

plans in the individual market for the first time in 2014.10

Premiums before tax credits will be more than 16 percent lower than projected

The weighted average second lowest cost silver plan for 48 states (including DC) is 16 

percent below projections based on the ASPE-derived Congressional Budget Office 

 

6 This total excludes catastrophic plans, which are not available to all enrollees. This analysis includes only the 36 

states that submitted data directly to CMS, as that data contains a complete accounting of the number of qualified 

health plans offered in each rating area in each state.

7 The Affordable Care Act requires that qualified health plans offered on the Marketplace must be one of four tiers, 

or “metal levels,” based on actuarial value (catastrophic plans are exempt from this requirement). Actuarial value is 

a measure of health plan generosity. A bronze plan has an actuarial value of approximately 60 percent, a silver plan 

has an actuarial value of approximately 70 percent, a gold plan has an actuarial value of approximately 80 percent, 

and a platinum plan has an actuarial value of approximately 90 percent.

8 Rating areas are state-defined pricing regions for issuers. They overlap with the issuer service areas in many, but 

not all, cases. In general, the number of issuers or plans available in a rating area will be the number of choices 

available to all individuals and families living in that rating area. Issuers are not required to offer a qualified health 

plan in every rating area within a state, however, so the number of available issuers and qualified health plans varies 

by rating area. These totals exclude catastrophic plans, which are not available to all enrollees. 

9 A health insurance issuer is a company that may offer multiple qualified health plans. For example, a hypothetical 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensed company would be a health insurance issuer, while its $2000 deductible silver 

plan would be a qualified health plan. An enrollee may have fewer issuers participating in his or her rating area than 

the total number participating in that state, because issuers are not required to offer a qualified health plan in every 

rating area.

10 McKinsey & Company. Emerging exchange dynamics: Temporary turbulence or sustainable market disruption? 

September 2013. 
ASPE Issue Brief Page 3

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

premiums.11 In 15 states, the second lowest cost silver plan will be less than $300 per 

month – a savings of $1,100 a year per enrollee compared to expectations. Overall, 95% 

of the uninsured potentially eligible for the Marketplaces live in states with average 

premiums below ASPE-derived CBO projected premiums (see Figure 1).12

Young adults will pay lower premiums and also have the option of a catastrophic plan 

that covers prevention, some primary care, and high costs in cases of major accident or 

illness.13 The weighted average lowest monthly premiums for a 27-year-old in 36 

states14 will be (before tax credits): $129 for a catastrophic plan, $163 for a bronze plan, 

and $203 for a silver plan. More than half of the uninsured potentially eligible for the 

Marketplaces live in a state where a 27-year-old can purchase a bronze plan for less than 

$165 per month before tax credits. There are an estimated 6.4 million uninsured 

Americans between the ages of 25 and 30 who may be eligible for coverage through 

Medicaid or the Marketplaces in 2014.15

Premiums after tax credits

Tax credits will make premiums even more affordable for individuals and families. For 

example, in Texas, an average 27-year-old with income of $25,000 could pay $145 per 

month for the second lowest cost silver plan, $133 for the lowest cost silver plan, and $83 

for the lowest cost bronze plan after tax credits. 16 For a family of four in Texas with 

income of $50,000, they could pay $282 per month for the second lowest cost silver plan, 

$239 for the lowest silver plan, and $57 per month for the lowest bronze plan after tax 

credits.17 

 

11 For a discussion of methodology, see 

http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/MarketCompetitionPremiums/ib_premiums_update.cfm. 

12 Based on analysis of the the 2011 American Community Survey (ACS), available at http://cms.gov/Outreach-andEducation/Outreach/HIMarketplace/Census-Data-.html?no_redirect=true. Eligible uninsured is defined as uninsured 

Americans who are citizens or legal residents under the age of 65 and therefore eligible for coverage either in the 

Marketplace or through Medicaid. We define Marketplace eligible as the eligible uninsured with incomes above 

138% of the Federal Poverty Level in Medicaid expansion states or above 100% of the Federal Poverty Level in 

non-expansion states. These estimates do not take into account the eligibility requirements relating to other 

minimum essential coverage. 

13 Tax credits are not available for catastrophic plans. 

14 This analysis includes only the 36 states that submitted data directly to CMS, as not all 12 of the State-based 

Marketplaces with available premium data have released catastrophic premiums. 

15 Estimated using the 2011 American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample. This estimate 

includes US citizens and legal residents between the ages of 25 and 30 who are uninsured and may be eligible for 

the Marketplace or Medicaid in 2014. The estimates do not take into account whether an individual may have access 

to Minimum Essential Coverage through an employer. 

16 This analysis concerns only tax credits and premium costs, but we note that cost sharing reductions are not 

available in bronze plans except for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Cost sharing reductions are available to 

individuals and families with incomes below 250 percent of the FPL who enroll in silver plans, and to American 

Indians and Alaska Natives enrolled in metal level. These cost sharing reductions reduce consumer costs (such as 

out-of-pocket maximums, copays, and coinsurance) at the point of service, whereas tax credits reduce only 

premiums. 

17 Because the tax credit is calculated as the difference between the cost of the second lowest cost silver plan 

premium and the maximum payment amount determined by income, those with higher premiums get larger tax 
ASPE Issue Brief Page 4

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

After taking tax credits into account, fifty-six percent of uninsured Americans (nearly 6 

in 10) may qualify for health coverage in the Marketplace for less than $100 per person 

per month, including Medicaid and CHIP in states expanding Medicaid.18

Premiums tend to be lower in states where there is more competition and transparency

In the 36 states included in this analysis, states with the lowest average premium tend to 

have a higher average number of issuers offering qualified health plans. There are, on 

average, 8 issuers participating in the Marketplace in the states with average premiums in 

the lowest quartile, compared to an average of 3 issuers in states with average premiums 

in the highest quartile.

 

credits. Therefore, using tax credits to purchase a bronze plan may yield lower net bronze premiums in higher-cost 

states or for older individuals and families. 

18 See http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/Uninsured/ib_uninsured.cfm. 
ASPE Issue Brief Page 5

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

Figure 1: Percent of Uninsured Potentially Eligible for the Marketplaces by Second Lowest 

Cost Silver Premium Relative to ASPE-Derived CBO Estimate, 48 States

The following figure shows the distribution of uninsured Americans potentially eligible to enroll 

in the Marketplaces in the 48 states with available premium information, as compared to the 

ASPE-derived CBO premium estimate of $392 per month. 

NOTE: This figure uses weighted average second lowest cost silver premiums as depicted in 

Table 4, before tax credits. States are weighted by the number of uninsured potentially eligible 

for the Marketplaces. 

39%

32%

23%

6%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Percent of Eligible Uninsured

Premiums Above ASPE-derived 

CBO estimate

Premiums Up to 10% below ASPEderived CBO estimate

Premiums 10%-20% below ASPEderived CBO estimate

Premiums 20% or more below 

ASPE-derived CBO estimate
ASPE Issue Brief Page 6

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

Figure 2: Percent of Uninsured Potentially Eligible for the Marketplaces by Lowest Cost 

Bronze Premium for a 27 Year Old, 36 States19

The following figure shows the distribution of uninsured Americans potentially eligible to enroll 

in the Marketplaces by bronze premiums for a 27-year-old. 

NOTE: This figure uses weighted average lowest cost bronze premiums for a 27-year-old as 

depicted in Table 1, before tax credits. States are weighted by the number of uninsured 

potentially eligible for the Marketplaces. 

 

19 The 36 states included in this analysis are the Supported State-based Marketplaces, State Partnership 

Marketplaces, and Federally-facilitated Marketplaces, for which ASPE has complete data. We do not include Statebased Marketplace data here. 

37%

53%

9%

1%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Percent of Eligible Uninsured

Premiums Over $250 per month

Premiums $200-$250 per month

Premiums $150-$200 per month

Premiums Under $150 per month
ASPE Issue Brief Page 7

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

Table 1: Premiums and Qualified Health Plan Choices, 36 States (Weighted average across entire state)

State

Average 

Number 

of QHPs20

27-Year-Old, Before Tax Credits 27-Year-Old with an Income of $25,000

Family of Four with an Income of 

$50,00021

Lowest 

Bronze

Lowest 

Silver

Lowest 

Gold

Lowest 

Catastrophic

Second 

Lowest Silver 

Before Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest Silver 

After Tax 

Credit

Lowest 

Bronze 

After Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver Before 

Tax Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver After 

Tax Credit

Lowest 

Bronze 

After Tax 

Credit22

AK23 34 $254 $312 $401 $236 $312 $107 $48 $1,131 $205 $0

AL 7 $162 $200 $248 $138 $209 $145 $98 $757 $282 $112

AR 28 $181 $231 $263 $135 $241 $145 $85 $873 $282 $64

AZ 106 $141 $164 $187 $107 $166 $145 $120 $600 $282 $192

DE 19 $203 $234 $282 $137 $237 $145 $111 $859 $282 $158

FL 102 $169 $200 $229 $132 $218 $145 $96 $789 $282 $104

GA 50 $179 $208 $242 $142 $221 $145 $103 $800 $282 $132

IA 39 $139 $175 $203 $95 $189 $145 $96 $683 $282 $103

ID 42 $150 $182 $211 $134 $188 $145 $107 $680 $282 $144

IL 58 $134 $180 $210 $134 $188 $145 $90 $682 $282 $84

IN 34 $200 $258 $332 $168 $265 $145 $80 $961 $282 $46

KS 37 $130 $171 $192 $87 $171 $145 $104 $619 $282 $133

LA 40 $175 $235 $253 $142 $249 $145 $71 $902 $282 $15

ME 20 $216 $255 $336 $182 $265 $145 $96 $961 $282 $104

MI 43 $146 $178 $218 $118 $202 $145 $89 $731 $282 $80

MO 17 $162 $211 $242 $110 $220 $145 $87 $798 $282 $72

MS 22 $225 $265 $321 N/A $295 $145 $75 $1,069 $282 $28

 

20 Not including catastrophic plans. 

21 For the purposes of this analysis, a family of four is defined as one 40-year-old adult, one 38-year-old adult, and two children under the age of 18. 

22 After tax credits, bronze premiums for a family of four may be below those for a single individual. This occurs because the tax credit is calculated as the 

difference between the cost of the second lowest cost silver plan premium and the maximum payment amount determined by income. Because premiums for 

older individuals and families are higher than those for younger individuals, tax credits are larger for older individuals and families. Therefore, using tax credits 

to purchase a bronze plan may yield lower bronze premiums for older individuals and families than for younger individuals. 

23 Alaska has an alternate Federal Poverty Level, which is used to calculate tax credits here.
ASPE Issue Brief Page 8

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

State

Average 

Number 

of QHPs20

27-Year-Old, Before Tax Credits 27-Year-Old with an Income of $25,000

Family of Four with an Income of 

$50,00021

Lowest 

Bronze

Lowest 

Silver

Lowest 

Gold

Lowest 

Catastrophic

Second 

Lowest Silver 

Before Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest Silver 

After Tax 

Credit

Lowest 

Bronze 

After Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver Before 

Tax Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver After 

Tax Credit

Lowest 

Bronze 

After Tax 

Credit22

MT 26 $165 $204 $222 $149 $208 $145 $102 $753 $282 $126

NC 22 $186 $237 $283 $123 $243 $145 $88 $880 $282 $74

ND 24 $185 $230 $259 $142 $232 $145 $98 $841 $282 $111

NE 40 $159 $196 $232 $122 $206 $145 $98 $744 $282 $113

NH 12 $186 $236 $281 $157 $237 $145 $94 $859 $282 $96

NJ 29 $219 $253 $303 $186 $260 $145 $103 $943 $282 $131

NM 52 $143 $181 $204 $120 $186 $145 $102 $672 $282 $128

OH 46 $177 $200 $243 $131 $212 $145 $110 $768 $282 $156

OK 53 $114 $169 $203 $105 $175 $145 $84 $634 $282 $63

PA 56 $151 $170 $205 $125 $187 $145 $109 $675 $282 $152

SC 26 $176 $219 $259 $146 $223 $145 $97 $809 $282 $109

SD 32 $196 $225 $272 $169 $235 $145 $106 $852 $282 $141

TN 59 $119 $155 $205 N/A $161 $145 $103 $584 $282 $128

TX 54 $139 $189 $225 $139 $201 $145 $83 $727 $282 $57

UT 82 $153 $183 $212 $116 $203 $145 $95 $656 $282 $122

VA 47 $156 $213 $253 $118 $221 $145 $80 $799 $282 $48

WI 97 $189 $227 $280 $150 $238 $145 $96 $861 $282 $106

WV 12 $185 $218 $266 $169 $218 $145 $112 $789 $282 $161

WY 16 $286 $324 $365 $259 $342 $145 $90 $1,237 $282 $81

Average, 

36 States 53 $163 $203 $240 $129 $214 $145 $93 $774 $282 $95

NOTE: Premiums shown above are a weighted average of the lowest cost plans in each rating area within a state. Weights are derived 

from county-level population under the age of 65, projected by the Census Bureau. The average across all 36 states is based on the 

number of uninsured eligible for the Marketplaces. 
ASPE Issue Brief Page 9

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

Table 2: Premiums and Qualified Health Plan Choices, 36 States (Largest City in State)

State City Name

Number 

of 

QHPs24

27-Year-Old, Before Tax Credits

27-Year-Old with an Income of 

$25,000

Family of Four with an Income of 

$50,00025

Lowest 

Bronze

Lowest 

Silver

Lowest 

Gold

Lowest 

Catastrophic

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

Before 

Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

After 

Tax 

Credit

Lowest 

Bronze 

After 

Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

Before 

Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

After 

Tax 

Credit

Lowest 

Bronze 

After 

Tax 

Credit26

AK27 Anchorage 34 $254 $312 $402 $236 $312 $107 $48 $1,131 $205 $0

AL Birmingham 10 $170 $209 $239 $140 $211 $145 $104 $765 $282 $134

AR Little Rock 38 $190 $241 $276 $124 $251 $145 $84 $909 $282 $60

AZ Phoenix 111 $139 $159 $181 $105 $161 $145 $123 $584 $282 $202

DE Entire State 19 $203 $234 $282 $137 $237 $145 $111 $859 $282 $158

FL Miami 137 $163 $202 $239 $109 $221 $145 $87 $799 $282 $72

GA Atlanta 68 $166 $188 $214 $127 $205 $145 $105 $744 $282 $138

IA Cedar Rapids 45 $132 $171 $193 $90 $189 $145 $88 $683 $282 $77

ID Boise 46 $145 $179 $208 $128 $189 $145 $101 $685 $282 $122

IL Chicago 73 $125 $172 $202 $141 $174 $145 $96 $628 $282 $106

IN Indianapolis 31 $204 $278 $348 $170 $279 $145 $70 $1,011 $282 $11

KS Wichita 36 $121 $162 $179 $81 $162 $145 $104 $587 $282 $134

LA New Orleans 52 $170 $209 $238 $139 $242 $145 $74 $875 $282 $23

ME Portland 17 $192 $233 $306 $162 $242 $145 $96 $876 $282 $103

 

24 Not including catastrophic plans.

25 For the purposes of this analysis, a family of four is defined as one 40-year-old adult, one 38-year-old adult, and two children under the age of 18. 

26 After tax credits, bronze premiums for a family of four may be below those for a single individual. This occurs because the tax credit is calculated as the 

difference between the cost of the second lowest cost silver plan premium and the maximum payment amount determined by income. Because premiums for 

older individuals and families are higher than those for younger individuals, tax credits are larger for older individuals and families. Therefore, using tax credits 

to purchase a bronze plan may yield lower bronze premiums for older individuals and families than for younger individuals. 

27 Alaska has an alternate Federal Poverty Level, which is used to calculate tax credits here. 
ASPE Issue Brief Page 10

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

State City Name

Number 

of 

QHPs24

27-Year-Old, Before Tax Credits

27-Year-Old with an Income of 

$25,000

Family of Four with an Income of 

$50,00025

Lowest 

Bronze

Lowest 

Silver

Lowest 

Gold

Lowest 

Catastrophic

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

Before 

Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

After 

Tax 

Credit

Lowest 

Bronze 

After 

Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

Before 

Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

After 

Tax 

Credit

Lowest 

Bronze 

After 

Tax 

Credit26

MI Detroit 50 $138 $156 $181 $105 $184 $145 $99 $665 $282 $115

MO St. Louis 20 $147 $196 $213 $100 $216 $145 $76 $782 $282 $32

MS Jackson 22 $199 $226 $258 $150 $336 $145 $8 $1,216 $282 $0

MT Bozeman 26 $163 $201 $219 $147 $206 $145 $102 $744 $282 $126

NC Charlotte 28 $183 $247 $285 $115 $251 $145 $77 $910 $282 $36

ND Fargo 24 $175 $217 $242 $128 $222 $145 $98 $805 $282 $110

NE Omaha 50 $162 $210 $252 $114 $222 $145 $84 $805 $282 $62

NH Entire State 12 $186 $236 $281 $157 $237 $145 $94 $859 $282 $96

NJ Entire State 29 $219 $253 $303 $186 $260 $145 $103 $943 $282 $131

NM Albuquerque 55 $126 $155 $186 $110 $159 $145 $112 $577 $282 $162

OH Columbus 29 $205 $196 $245 $151 $207 $145 $142 $751 $282 $273

OK Oklahoma City 61 $105 $158 $204 $107 $165 $145 $85 $597 $282 $66

PA Philadelphia 42 $195 $210 $250 $171 $246 $145 $94 $891 $282 $96

SC Columbia 28 $166 $218 $244 $113 $220 $145 $90 $798 $282 $84

SD Sioux Falls 32 $196 $207 $251 $164 $217 $145 $124 $785 $282 $207

TN Nashville 72 $114 $148 $197 $131 $154 $145 $104 $559 $282 $135

TX Houston 46 $138 $195 $233 $132 $201 $145 $81 $728 $282 $52

UT Salt Lake 85 $143 $162 $188 $110 $197 $145 $91 $635 $282 $109

VA Fairfax County 56 $144 $213 $258 $124 $223 $145 $66 $807 $282 $0

WI Milwaukee 84 $200 $247 $300 $169 $258 $145 $86 $935 $282 $70

WV Huntington 12 $176 $208 $253 $161 $208 $145 $113 $753 $282 $167

WY Cheyenne 16 $271 $307 $346 $245 $324 $145 $92 $1,171 $282 $92
ASPE Issue Brief Page 11

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

Table 3: Premiums and Qualified Health Plan Choices, 25 Metropolitan Statistical Areas in 36 States (Largest Rating Area in 

MSA)

MSA Name

Number 

of 

QHPs28

27-Year-Old Rates

27-Year-Old with an Income of 

$25,000

Family of Four with an Income of 

$50,00029

Lowest 

Bronze

Lowest 

Silver

Lowest 

Gold

Lowest 

Catastrophic

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

Before 

Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

After 

Tax 

Credit

Lowest 

Bronze 

After 

Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

Before 

Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

After 

Tax 

Credit

Lowest 

Bronze 

After Tax 

Credit30

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 43 $153 $217 $266 $173 $223 $145 $74 $808 $282 $26

Houston-Brazoria, TX 46 $138 $195 $233 $132 $201 $145 $81 $728 $282 $52

Atlanta, GA 68 $166 $188 $214 $127 $205 $145 $105 $744 $282 $138

Chicago, IL 73 $125 $172 $202 $141 $174 $145 $96 $628 $282 $106

Miami-Hialeah, FL 137 $163 $202 $239 $109 $221 $145 $87 $799 $282 $72

Tampa-St. PetersburgClearwater, FL 102 $167 $189 $218 $129 $199 $145 $113 $721 $282 $165

Phoenix, AZ 111 $139 $159 $181 $105 $161 $145 $123 $584 $282 $202

Philadelphia, PA 42 $195 $210 $250 $171 $246 $145 $94 $891 $282 $96

New York-Northeastern NJ 29 $219 $253 $303 $186 $260 $145 $103 $943 $282 $131

Orlando, FL 98 $182 $207 $238 $141 $225 $145 $102 $816 $282 $126

Detroit, MI 50 $138 $157 $181 $105 $184 $145 $100 $665 $282 $118

San Antonio, TX 58 $138 $168 $192 $109 $196 $145 $87 $710 $282 $73

Fort LauderdaleHollywood-Pompano 

Beach, FL 132 $128 $174 $189 $86 $199 $145 $74 $722 $282 $24

 

28 Not including catastrophic plans.

29 For the purposes of this analysis, a family of four is defined as one 40-year-old adult, one 38-year-old adult, and two children under the age of 18. 

30 After tax credits, bronze premiums for a family of four may be below those for a single individual. This occurs because the tax credit is calculated as the 

difference between the cost of the second lowest cost silver plan premium and the maximum payment amount determined by income. Because premiums for 

older individuals and families are higher than those for younger individuals, tax credits are larger for older individuals and families. Therefore, using tax credits 

to purchase a bronze plan may yield lower bronze premiums for older individuals and families than for younger individuals. 
ASPE Issue Brief Page 12

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

MSA Name

Number 

of 

QHPs28

27-Year-Old Rates

27-Year-Old with an Income of 

$25,000

Family of Four with an Income of 

$50,00029

Lowest 

Bronze

Lowest 

Silver

Lowest 

Gold

Lowest 

Catastrophic

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

Before 

Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

After 

Tax 

Credit

Lowest 

Bronze 

After 

Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

Before 

Tax 

Credit

Second 

Lowest 

Silver 

After 

Tax 

Credit

Lowest 

Bronze 

After Tax 

Credit30

St. Louis, MO 20 $147 $196 $213 $100 $216 $145 $76 $782 $282 $32

Indianapolis, IN 31 $204 $278 $348 $170 $279 $145 $70 $1,011 $282 $11

Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock 

Hill, NC 28 $183 $247 $285 $115 $251 $145 $77 $910 $282 $36

Cleveland, OH 45 $152 $201 $245 $121 $204 $145 $93 $738 $282 $94

Washington DC Metro 

Area, VA 56 $144 $213 $258 $124 $223 $145 $66 $807 $282 $0

Pittsburgh, PA 36 $119 $134 $169 $104 $139 $139 $119 $505 $282 $209

Austin, TX 76 $144 $169 $193 $109 $205 $145 $85 $741 $282 $64

Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT 85 $143 $162 $188 $110 $197 $145 $91 $635 $282 $109

West Palm Beach-Boca 

Raton-Delray Beach, FL 132 $147 $167 $193 $109 $220 $145 $72 $797 $282 $18

McAllen-Edinburg-PharrMission, TX 30 $109 $153 $174 $98 $155 $145 $99 $560 $282 $117

Jacksonville, FL 86 $137 $186 $202 $92 $210 $145 $72 $760 $282 $19

Greensboro-Winston 

Salem-High Point, NC 17 $167 $224 $260 $105 $228 $145 $84 $826 $282 $62

NOTE: For MSAs that include multiple rating areas, this table shows only the largest rating area within that MSA. Rating area 

population is derived from county-level population under the age of 65, projected by the Census.
ASPE Issue Brief Page 13

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

Table 4: Weighted Average Premiums, 48 States

State

Lowest Cost 

Silver

Second Lowest 

Cost Silver

Lowest Cost 

Bronze

Alabama $303 $318 $247

Alaska $474 $474 $385

Arizona $248 $252 $214

Arkansas $351 $366 $275

California $341 $373 $278

Colorado $305 $305 $232

Connecticut $397 $436 $340

Delaware $356 $360 $308

District of Columbia $293 $297 $204

Florida $304 $328 $257

Georgia $304 $317 $265

Idaho $276 $285 $227

Illinois $274 $286 $203

Indiana $392 $403 $304

Iowa $266 $287 $212

Kansas $260 $260 $197

Louisiana $356 $374 $265

Maine $388 $403 $328

Maryland $266 $299 $197

Michigan $271 $306 $222

Minnesota $192 $192 $144

Mississippi $403 $448 $342

Missouri $318 $334 $245

Montana $309 $316 $251

Nebraska $298 $312 $241

Nevada $295 $297 $227

New Hampshire $359 $360 $282

New Jersey $382 $385 $332

New Mexico $275 $282 $217

New York31 $319 $349 $276

North Carolina $361 $369 $282

North Dakota $350 $353 $281

Ohio $304 $321 $263

Oklahoma $256 $266 $174

Oregon $241 $250 $205

Pennsylvania $259 $286 $229

Rhode Island $341 $366 $264

South Carolina $333 $339 $267

 

31 New York premiums are the same for all ages. 
ASPE Issue Brief Page 14

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

State

Lowest Cost 

Silver

Second Lowest 

Cost Silver

Lowest Cost 

Bronze

South Dakota $341 $357 $298

Tennessee $235 $245 $181

Texas $287 $305 $211

Utah $239 $266 $201

Vermont32 $395 $413 $336

Virginia $323 $335 $237

Washington $350 $352 $264

West Virginia $331 $331 $280

Wisconsin $344 $361 $287

Wyoming $489 $516 $425

Weighted Average, 48 

States $310 $328 $249

NOTE: Premiums shown above are a weighted average of the lowest cost silver plan, the second lowest cost silver 

plan, and the lowest cost bronze plan in each rating area within the 36 Supported State-based Marketplaces, State 

Partnership Marketplaces, and Federally-Facilitated Marketplaces as of September 18, 2013, as well as 12 Statebased Marketplaces. The rating area weights are constructed based on county-level population under the age of 65. 

For State-based Marketplaces, premiums are a weighted average across all rating areas for California and New 

York, and are for the entire state in DC, Rhode Island, and Vermont. For the remaining states, premiums are for the 

following rating areas: Denver, Colorado; Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven, Connecticut; Baltimore, Maryland; 

Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota; Las Vegas, Nevada; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington. Age weighting 

for all states is based on expected age distribution in the Marketplaces, estimated by the RAND Corporation. 

 

32 Vermont premiums are the same for all ages. 
ASPE Issue Brief Page 15

ASPE Office of Health Policy September 25, 2013 

Methodology

These analyses are based on data submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 

(CMS) from 36 states, as well as publicly available premium information from 12 State-based 

Marketplaces. As Supported State-based Marketplaces, Idaho and New Mexico submitted plan 

data to CMS for display using Federal web architecture and are included in the 36 state analysis. 

The data used in this brief are current as of September 18, 2013. At that time, not all issuers’ data 

had been completely verified in CMS systems. In addition, as of that date, three State-based 

Marketplaces had not yet published any premium information, and other states had published 

estimates or incomplete information. Therefore, the premiums presented in this paper should be 

considered illustrative, not final. 

Some State-based Marketplaces have not published all premiums for each issuer. In Maryland, 

we display the silver plans from the lowest cost issuer and the second lowest cost issuer rather 

than for the second lowest cost silver plan. For all other states, we display the lowest cost silver 

plan and the second lowest cost silver plan. The ASPE-derived CBO estimate used for 

comparison to silver plans is based on the latest CBO premium estimates, adjusted as described 

in prior ASPE issue briefs.33

We use several different types of weighting in these analyses. To develop an age-weighted 

average premium within a single rating area, we used the expected age distribution of individual 

market enrollees in 2014 from the RAND COMPARE Microsimulation model. To develop a 

statewide average premium across rating areas, we weighted each rating area within a state by 

the total population under age 65 within that rating area. These population weights were 

developed using Census projections of county-level population for 2012.34 To develop a 

nationwide average including all states, we weighted by the number of uninsured potentially 

eligible for the Marketplace in each state, developed from the 2011 American Community 

Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample.35 These estimates represent non-elderly US 

citizens and legal residents who are uninsured and have incomes above 138% of the Federal 

Poverty Level in Medicaid expansion states or above 100% of the Federal Poverty Level in nonexpansion states. These estimates do not take into account the eligibility requirements relating to 

other minimum essential coverage. 

All premium tax credits presented in this issue brief are calculated based on the 2013 Federal 

Poverty Guidelines.36 These Guidelines represent the Federal Poverty Levels that will be used for 

the 2014 plan year. 

 

33 See http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/MarketCompetitionPremiums/ib_premiums_update.cfm

34 See http://www.census.gov/popest/data/counties/asrh/2012/CC-EST2012-ALLDATA.html. 

35 For data and further methodological details, see http://cms.gov/Outreach-andEducation/Outreach/HIMarketplace/Census-Data-.html?no_redirect=true. 

36 See http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/13poverty.cfm.