Data Sources & Methodology

Data Sources

Policymage aggregates health insurance plan data directly from official sources:

• Federal ACA Marketplace: Used for all states that participate in the federal exchange (HealthCare.gov). This is the same underlying data powering the official federal marketplace.
• State-Based Exchanges: Used for states that operate their own exchanges (California, New York, Washington, Colorado, and others). We aggregate state-based exchange data to provide a unified comparison tool.

Premium Calculations

State overview pages (e.g., Texas health insurance plans) display benchmark premium estimates with the following assumptions:

• Single adult, age 30
• Non-tobacco user
• No income-based subsidies applied
• Representative ZIP code near the state's most populous city

County pages (e.g., Dallas County) use the same assumptions with a ZIP code inside that county, so they list the plans actually sold there. Neighboring counties whose plans and prices are identical share one page that names every county it covers, rather than repeating the same table on several URLs.

Personalized compare tool (/get-quotes): When you enter your actual ZIP code, ages, household size, and annual income, premiums are fetched for your specific profile. APTC (Advance Premium Tax Credit) subsidies are estimated and applied to show your actual expected monthly cost.

Prices by Age and Household

Under the ACA, an insurer can vary a plan's price only by age, tobacco use, and family size, and the age ratio follows a fixed curve published by CMS. That lets us convert a price for one 30-year-old to any other age exactly. We use the federal default curve, the state curves for Alabama, D.C., Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oregon, and Utah, and family tiers for New York and Vermont, which do not price by age. At most the three oldest children under 21 are counted, as the rules require. Prices are for non-smokers.

Subsidy Examples on State and County Pages

The "what you would pay" examples apply the IRS applicable percentage table for the plan year (for example, Rev. Proc. 2025-25 for 2026) to that year's HHS poverty guidelines. The credit equals the benchmark (second-cheapest Silver) premium minus your required contribution. Where we have the benchmark premium we show an exact figure; where we don't yet, we show an upper bound labeled "or less". Above 400% of the poverty level there is no credit.

APTC Subsidy Estimates

APTC estimates are calculated using the federal eligibility endpoint from official marketplace data. Inputs used: household size, ages, annual income, and county FIPS code. Subsidy amounts are based on the federal Federal Poverty Level (FPL) guidelines published annually by HHS.

Disclaimer: APTC estimates are informational only and may differ from final IRS calculations at tax time. Consult a licensed insurance professional or tax advisor for personalized guidance.

Data Freshness

State and county pages are built from plan data we download from the federal and state marketplaces and store with the site. We refresh it when insurers publish new plans or prices, at minimum once per plan year. Personalized results from the compare tool are fetched live at the time of your search. The "Last updated" date on a page is the last time its content or data changed, not the time you loaded it.

Plan availability and premiums are set annually during the ACA plan year. Mid-year changes are uncommon but possible. Always verify current plan details on the official marketplace before enrolling.

How These Pages Are Built

State and county pages are generated by code from the data above. Every price, plan count, and subsidy figure is calculated from marketplace data and published federal tables; none of it is written by hand or by an AI model. The explanatory text around the numbers comes from templates we write and check once, then reuse, so a correction reaches every page at the same time. Automating the pages is what lets us cover every county without the figures drifting out of date.

How Blog Articles Are Made

Articles on our blog are different from the state and county pages. They are drafted with the help of AI tools. AI models can state things that are wrong, so we do not publish a draft as written. Every date, dollar figure, income threshold, and rule must trace to an official source (CMS, HealthCare.gov, the IRS, HHS, a state exchange, or KFF research) that is linked in the text. A person reviews each article before it goes live and can send it back for changes or reject it.

Examples that use made-up people or numbers are labeled hypothetical. Articles never recommend a specific plan, carrier, or metal tier. If you spot an error, tell us and we will correct it.

Quality Ratings

Official quality star ratings (1–5 stars) are sourced directly from the federal marketplace API. Ratings assess clinical quality, member experience, and plan efficiency using methodology from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Not all plans have quality ratings; newer plans and some regional plans may show as "not rated."

What Policymage Does Not Do

• We do not recommend, rank, or endorse any specific plan or insurance carrier.
• We do not process enrollments. Enrollment is completed on the official marketplace.
• We do not sell or share your personal data with insurers or brokers.
• We are not a licensed insurance broker, agent, or advisor.

Limitations

• Premium data for state overview pages reflects a 30-year-old benchmark; your actual premium will differ based on age.
• State overview pages use one representative ZIP, so they can miss plans sold only in other counties. County pages list each county's own plans.
• Dental and vision benefits, where listed, reflect the plan's ACA Essential Health Benefits. Standalone dental plans may appear alongside medical plans from federal and state marketplaces.

Last updated: October 10, 2026. Data sourced from official federal and state marketplaces. For questions, visit our contact page.