Interactive Calculator Estimates Premiums and Subsidies Available in 2014

The Kaiser Family Foundation has updated its health reform subsidy calculator to illustrate how government assistance for insurance premiums could work under the health reform law enacted this year. Beginning in 2014, tax credits will be available for moderate-income people under age 65 who are not covered through their employer, Medicare or Medicaid, and instead purchase coverage on their own in a health insurance exchange.

Users can examine the expected impact of the law for individuals and families at different income levels and ages by entering the relevant information into the calculator. The tool estimates the premiums and subsidies available in 2014, once relevant provisions in the health reform law take effect. It also illustrates the generosity of the coverage at different income levels, and displays the maximum out-of-pocket costs that people would face.

In many cases, coverage will be more comprehensive and accessible than what is typically available today in the non-group market, so premiums cannot easily be compared to what people buying insurance on their own are now paying. The subsidies do not apply to people with coverage available through an employer, where the firm is generally paying for a substantial portion of the insurance premium.

The updated calculator is the latest resource available through the Foundation’s health reform gateway, which includes summaries, explanations and analysis of the health reform law and its impact, as well as polling data, relevant research, and news from Kaiser Health News, the editorially independent news service established by the Foundation.