08/25/2026
Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum. On the Health Insurance Marketplace, metal tiers have nothing to do with quality of care. Every plan, no matter the tier, covers the same 10 essential health benefits, things like hospitalization, prescription drugs, maternity care, and mental health services. The tiers are really about one thing: how you and your plan split the cost.
Here's how that split generally breaks down:
💲Bronze: the plan pays about 60%, you pay about 40%. Lower premiums, higher deductibles.
💲Silver: the plan pays about 70%, you pay about 30%. A middle ground on both.
💲Gold: the plan pays about 80%, you pay about 20%. Higher premiums, lower costs at the doctor.
💲Platinum: the plan pays about 90%, you pay about 10%. The highest premiums, the lowest costs when you need care.
Silver deserves a deeper look, because it's the only tier where you can access cost-sharing reductions if you qualify based on income. Those savings can push a Silver plan's cost coverage as high as 96%, all while keeping a Silver level premium.
Not sure which tier fits your situation? We're happy to walk through your options and help you compare plans side by side.
