This is very interesting to those of us who will not be eligible for subsidies or tax credits in 2026. I am anxiously awaiting the opportunity to compare the premiums, deductibles, and max OOP for bronze vs catastrophic plans. My current (2025) bronze plan functions somewhat like a catastrophic plan in that the deductible is very high ($7500 individual/$15000 family), so unlikely to meet that deductible unless one of us is hospitalized.https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheet ... plans-2026
Access to catastrophic health coverage is expanded, age restriction is removed and includes people who don't qualify for ACA subsidies due to high income. If you live in an FFE state (CA isn't, unfortunately for us), it may be worth comparing catastrophic health coverage vs bronze plans.
Edit to add that catastrophic plans are now also considered HDHP, thus HSA eligible
https://www.whitehouse.gov/research/202 ... nd-access/
Statistics: Posted by techbud — Fri Oct 03, 2025 4:37 pm — Replies 301 — Views 38948