Iowa's Health Insurance Marketplace
Authored By:
Iowa Legal Aid
Information
What is Iowa’s Health Insurance Marketplace?
Iowa’s Health Insurance Marketplace was created by the Affordable Care Act as a way to find health coverage that fits your budget and meets your needs. With one application, you can see all your health insurance options and enroll. The insurance plans are offered by private companies, but the Iowa Marketplace is run as a partnership by the state and federal governments.
What you’ll learn when you apply for health insurance in the Marketplace
When you use the Health Insurance Marketplace, you will fill out an application and see all of the health plans available in your area. You will find out if you can get lower costs on your monthly premiums for private insurance plans. You will learn if you qualify for lower out-of-pocket costs when you see a doctor or go to a hospital.
The Marketplace will also tell you if you qualify for free or low-cost coverage available through Iowa’s Health and Wellness Plan or Iowa’s Hawki insurance plan for children.
The Marketplace simplifies your search for health coverage by gathering the options available in your area in one place. You can compare plans based on price, benefits, quality, and other features important to you before you make a choice.
The Marketplace information about prices and benefits will be written in simple language. You get a clear picture of what premiums you will pay and what benefits and protections you will get before you enroll. You will be able to compare plans based on what is important to you, and choose the combination of price and coverage that fits your needs and budget.
Compare options in the Health Insurance Marketplace
Insurance plans in the Marketplace are offered by private companies and they cover the same core set of essential health benefits. No plan can turn you away or charge you more because you have an illness or medical condition. They must cover treatments for these conditions. Plans cannot charge women more than men for the same plan.
Apply online, by mail, or in-person
You can apply for health insurance from the Marketplace in three ways: online, by mail, or in person with the help of an assister or other qualified helper. Apply by telephone by calling 1-800-318-2596, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (TTY: 1-855-889-4325). Apply online atwww.healthcare.gov. The website will also have a list of qualified organizations that can help you apply at no cost.
Last Review and Update: Jul 05, 2023