When you begin shopping for a Marketplace health plan, you’ll see plan options with different metal tiers such as Gold, Silver and Bronze plans. But the only difference between these plans is how much premium you’ll pay each month and how much you’ll pay for certain medical services.

  Remember, your Essential Health Benefits are covered and will be equal across all plans.

A Bronze plan typically gives you lower monthly premium payments, but potentially higher out-of-pocket costs – if you end up needing a lot of care. And a Gold plan may have higher monthly premiums, but that helps you limit your out-of-pocket costs later.

If you’re looking for a balance on your monthly premium payments and your out-of-pocket costs, Silver plans provide just that. And, Silver plans are the only plans with additional out-of-pocket payment reductions (cost sharing reductions)! This helps lower the costs of your copays, deductibles and coinsurance.

So, if you are eligible for a subsidy and cost sharing, Silver plans offer the highest value.

The information above represents the way typical plans at each metal level work. How much you pay will depend on your specific plan.