If your consumer wishes to see available plans and prices prior to beginning the subsidy portion of their application, you may leverage the Quote button.

How it works:

Click “Quote” in the upper right corner. 

Input client’s zip code, age or date of birth, and household information. Their initial subsidy eligibility estimate will show up on the right. Eligibility can consist of both estimated savings and cost sharing reduction (CSR).

Estimated savings, or advance premium tax credit (APTC), refers to the amount a customer may be able to have applied to their monthly health insurance premium.

CSR is a discount applied to silver level plans that lowers deductibles and out-of-pocket costs for care and prescription drugs.

Note: *Plan results will populate after all client information is entered*

Plan results can be filtered to ensure you're finding the strongest plan to meet your client's needs. Filter by max premium or max deductible if your client has a specific budget. You can also filter by metal level and network type.

Reminder: customers must enroll in a silver level plan if they would like to take advantage of CSR eligibility

From the plan results page, you can save your quote as a lead to come back to later, email the list of available plans to your client, compare plans and share, or proceed to the application portion to enroll your client. 

To create a lead from quote, click “Save Lead”, enter the client's basic info, and they will save in your "Leads" page. 

You may share a quote with your consumer at any time by selecting the the "Share" button. 

You have the ability to share the quote directly from the pop-up window, or you may choose to copy the link to share from an alternate email.

Consumers will need to create a HealthSherpa log in to view customized quotes. Alternatively, you have the option to select the 'Don't require login' box if you'd like to share an anonymous version of the quote with your consumer. Note: you will not receive lead updates on consumers who are sent an anonymous quote until the consumer manually saves their progress or starts an application.

To view a side-by-side comparison of plans, select the "Compare" checkbox on the bottom of each plan card you'd like to view. You may choose "compare x plans" to compare up to 5 plans at a time.

You may send the side-by-side comparison view to your client by selecting "Share."

You can begin an enrollment at any time directly from the quoter by clicking "Enroll" or "Enroll Now" by the desired plan.

Customers currently in the quoting or applying process can be found in the “Leads” page of your dashboard.

Customers who have chosen a plan and submitted their application will be shown in the “Clients” page.

Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans fall into four different categories which are referred to as "metal levels." Metal levels consist of Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum plans. The main difference between each metal level is how costs for covered services are shared between the insurance carrier and the consumer. Learn more here.

There are also Catastrophic plans available to certain consumers.

Catastrophic plans cover the same 10 essential health benefits as the other metal levels, and typically have low monthly premiums coupled with high deductibles. APTCs and CSRs may not be used towards Catastrophic plans. Learn more here.

No. Catastrophic plans are only available to consumers under 30 years old and to individuals who qualify for “an exemption.” Learn more here.

If a consumer is over 30 years old and would like to purchase a Catastrophic plan, they will need to qualify for “an exemption." Consumers who are under 30 years old do not need an exemption to purchase a Catastrophic plan.

There are two types of exemptions available to consumers over 30 years old seeking Catastrophic coverage:

To apply for an exemption, consumers should complete an exemption application form. Hardship exemptions based on being ineligible for APTC or CSRs due to projected annual household income may also be automatically calculated during the subsidy application process.

The Federal Poverty Level (FPL) is a measure of income updated each year that is used to determine eligibility for certain programs and benefits such as ACA subsidies, Medicaid, and CHIP.

The 2025 FPL chart will be used to determine subsidy eligibility during plan year 2026 OEP.

Subsidies are dollars that can make health insurance more affordable for consumers, and eligibility is largely based on where a consumer's household income falls within the FPL chart. There are two types of subsidies:

Additional benefits and protections may be available to members of

federally recognized tribes or Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Corporation shareholders. Learn more here.

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a pre-tax savings account used to pay for qualified medical expenses like deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance. HSAs may earn tax-free interest and are typically offered by banks, credit unions, or other financial institutions.

Though HSA funds can be used at any time for eligible expenses, you can only contribute to an HSA if you have a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). Effective January 1, 2026, all Bronze and Catastrophic plans automatically qualify as HDHPs.

Consumers with HDHPs are not required to open an HSA account or make HSA contributions; they simply have the option if desired.

Have questions? Contact our Agent Support Team at (888) 684-1373 or agent_support@healthsherpa.com.