Can I get a Marketplace plan if my job offers insurance?

Having an offer of employer coverage never blocks you from buying on the Marketplace. What it affects is whether you can get financial help there. The test is affordability: if your share of the premium for the employer’s lowest-cost self-only plan comes in under a set percentage of your household income, and the plan meets a minimum value standard, the offer is considered affordable — and that disqualifies you from a premium tax credit on a Marketplace plan.

If the employer offer is unaffordable by that standard, you may qualify for subsidies on the Marketplace instead. A recent fix also matters for families: affordability for your spouse and children is now judged against the cost to cover the family, not just the employee, which opened up subsidies for some households that were previously shut out by the so-called family glitch. Because the math turns on specific numbers, it’s worth running both options before you decide.