Tool

Plan Navigator for ACA

Free account · 2027 plan year · 29 HealthCare.gov states · Updated November 2026

Compare ACA plans by what you'll really pay in a year, not just the monthly premium.

What this tool does

Visuary Plan Navigator for ACA is a free tool that ranks the ACA Marketplace plans available where you live by estimated total yearly cost: the premium after any tax credit, plus what you're likely to pay out of pocket for your own doctors, prescriptions, conditions and planned care. It works in the 29 states that use HealthCare.gov. It requires a free account, and Visuary does not sell insurance.

Create a free account →

Your account opens with the example below already loaded, so you can look around before entering anything about yourself.

Not the government Navigator program. For free, in-person help applying, visit localhelp.healthcare.gov.

See an example

Here is what Plan Navigator found for Amy, an example 35-year-old in Dallas County, Texas (Dallas), with an income of $80,000. Amy sees a therapist once a month, takes sertraline (a common antidepressant) and plays sports, so the estimate allows for a possible sports injury. Amy wants to keep the therapist and Methodist Dallas Medical Center in network.

At $80,000, Amy earns more than 400% of the federal poverty level, the cutoff for a premium tax credit in 2027, so the premiums below are full price.

132 plans were available. 84 didn't fit Amy's must-haves: 62 leave out Amy's therapist, 14 leave out Methodist Dallas Medical Center, and 8 leave out both. That left 48.

Plan Network rating Yearly premium Estimated out-of-pocket Estimated total
Ranked #1 by total cost
Bronze HMO		 3 of 5 $5,793 $1,525 $7,318
Ranked #2, broader network
Bronze EPO		 4 of 5 $6,256 $1,525 $7,781
Best Gold plan (ranked #3)
Gold HMO		 3 of 5 $7,270 $731 $8,001
Best Silver plan (ranked #22)
Silver HMO		 3 of 5 $8,630 $1,125 $9,755

What the ranking shows:

  • Keeping the therapist narrowed the field the most. 70 of the 84 plans ruled out don't include Amy's therapist in their network.
  • The #2 plan has a broader network, but cost decided. It has a network rating of 4 out of 5 to the #1 plan's 3, and it doesn't require referrals to see specialists. The estimated out-of-pocket is the same on both, but its premium is $463 higher. When plans cost about the same, Plan Navigator ranks the one with the broader network first; a $463 gap was enough that cost decided.
  • Gold came close. The best Gold plan ranked #3. Its estimated out-of-pocket costs are $794 lower, but its premium is $1,477 higher, so it costs $683 more over the year.
  • The spread is large. Across the 48 plans that fit, estimated totals ranged from $7,318 to $14,563, a difference of $7,245 a year.

Example person, not a real customer. Uses real 2027 plan prices for Dallas County, Texas, from HealthCare.gov plan data (generated November 2026). Premiums are for the year after any tax credit; out-of-pocket figures are Plan Navigator's estimates for this person's expected care. Your results will depend on your own household and care.

Create a free account to explore this example in Plan Navigator →

What you get

  • Every plan available to you, ranked by estimated total yearly cost, with the premium and expected out-of-pocket costs shown separately.
  • A plain-language reason for each top plan: why it ranks where it does, and what you give up compared with the others.
  • Doctor and drug checks for every plan, with the option to rule out plans that don't cover the ones you need.
  • A network rating for every plan, out of 5, showing how broad its network of doctors and hospitals is.

What to have ready

  • Your ZIP code, and the ages of everyone who needs coverage.
  • Your expected household income for next year, so it can estimate your tax credit.
  • Any ongoing conditions and care you expect, such as a planned surgery or a baby on the way.
  • Your prescriptions, and the doctors or hospitals you want to keep.

Your comparison is saved to your account, so you don't need everything at once.

How it works

  1. Tell it about your household. Where you live, who needs coverage, your income, and the care you expect: conditions, planned procedures, medications and doctors. You pick most things from lists, and can describe anything unusual in your own words.
  2. It checks every plan. It pulls every Marketplace plan in your county from HealthCare.gov with your estimated tax credit applied, checks which plans cover your doctors and medications, and estimates what you would pay out of pocket on each.
  3. It ranks and explains. Plans are ranked by estimated total yearly cost. When plans cost about the same, the one with the broader network, no referral requirement or a higher quality rating comes first. Each top plan comes with the reasons behind its rank. Change an input, and the ranking updates.

Compared with HealthCare.gov

Plan Navigator doesn't replace HealthCare.gov. You still apply and enroll there. It adds a personal cost estimate on top of the same plan data.

HealthCare.gov Plan Navigator for ACA
Every Marketplace plan in your county, with your tax credit applied Yes Yes
Shows whether each plan covers your doctors and drugs Yes Yes
Estimates what your household would pay over the year, from your own conditions, planned care and medications Not for your specific situation Yes
Explains why each plan ranks where it does No Yes
Apply and enroll Yes No, you enroll on HealthCare.gov

How the estimate works

Estimated total yearly cost = yearly premium (after your tax credit) + estimated out-of-pocket costs.

To estimate out-of-pocket costs, Plan Navigator builds an expected year of care for each person in your household: visits, tests, prescriptions and any planned procedures. It prices that care with Visuary's cost model, adjusted for where you live, then applies each plan's own rules (deductible, copays, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum) to work out your share.

Plan details, premiums, tax credit estimates, drug lists and provider networks come from HealthCare.gov's Marketplace data for your county.

Where it works

Plan Navigator works in the 29 states that use HealthCare.gov, shown in blue on the map. If your state runs its own Marketplace, compare and enroll on your state's site; the list below the map links to each one.

Plan Navigator works in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Alabama — enroll at HealthCare.gov AL Alaska — enroll at HealthCare.gov AK Arizona — enroll at HealthCare.gov AZ Arkansas — enroll at HealthCare.gov AR California — enroll at Covered California CA Colorado — enroll at Connect for Health Colorado CO Connecticut — enroll at Access Health CT CT Delaware — enroll at HealthCare.gov DE District of Columbia — enroll at DC Health Link DC Florida — enroll at HealthCare.gov FL Georgia — enroll at Georgia Access GA Hawaii — enroll at HealthCare.gov HI Idaho — enroll at Your Health Idaho ID Illinois — enroll at Get Covered Illinois IL Indiana — enroll at HealthCare.gov IN Iowa — enroll at HealthCare.gov IA Kansas — enroll at HealthCare.gov KS Kentucky — enroll at Kynect KY Louisiana — enroll at HealthCare.gov LA Maine — enroll at CoverME.gov ME Maryland — enroll at Maryland Health Connection MD Massachusetts — enroll at Massachusetts Health Connector MA Michigan — enroll at HealthCare.gov MI Minnesota — enroll at MNSure MN Mississippi — enroll at HealthCare.gov MS Missouri — enroll at HealthCare.gov MO Montana — enroll at HealthCare.gov MT Nebraska — enroll at HealthCare.gov NE Nevada — enroll at Nevada Health Link NV New Hampshire — enroll at HealthCare.gov NH New Jersey — enroll at Get Covered NJ NJ New Mexico — enroll at BeWellNM NM New York — enroll at NY State of Health NY North Carolina — enroll at HealthCare.gov NC North Dakota — enroll at HealthCare.gov ND Ohio — enroll at HealthCare.gov OH Oklahoma — enroll at HealthCare.gov OK Oregon — enroll at Explore Health OR Pennsylvania — enroll at Pennie PA Rhode Island — enroll at HealthSourceRI RI South Carolina — enroll at HealthCare.gov SC South Dakota — enroll at HealthCare.gov SD Tennessee — enroll at HealthCare.gov TN Texas — enroll at HealthCare.gov TX Utah — enroll at HealthCare.gov UT Vermont — enroll at Vermont Health Connect VT Virginia — enroll at Virginia's Insurance Marketplace VA Washington — enroll at Washington HealthPlanFinder WA West Virginia — enroll at HealthCare.gov WV Wisconsin — enroll at HealthCare.gov WI Wyoming — enroll at HealthCare.gov WY Uses HealthCare.gov Runs its own Marketplace

States that run their own Marketplace

Every other state (and most people) enrolls through HealthCare.gov.

Your account and privacy

  • Why there's an account. Running your comparison uses AI estimates, and your comparison is saved so you can come back, change your inputs and compare again.
  • Free, with email or Google. No credit card.
  • Your health information is used to estimate your costs and is saved with your comparison. You can delete a saved comparison at any time.
  • Never sold. We don't sell your information or share it with insurers or brokers.

Read the Plan Navigator privacy policy.

What it won't do

  • Tell you which plan to buy. It ranks and explains; the choice is yours.
  • Enroll you. You apply and enroll on HealthCare.gov.
  • Earn a commission. Visuary doesn't sell insurance.
  • Cover employer plans, Medicare or Medicaid. It compares individual Marketplace (ACA) plans only.
  • Guarantee your costs. Estimates depend on the care you end up needing.

Keep reading

Frequently asked questions

Is Plan Navigator for ACA free?

Yes. It is free to use. You need a free account (email or Google) to use it, and no credit card is required.

Why do I need an account?

Running a comparison uses AI to turn what you tell it into an expected year of care, and your comparison is saved so you can come back, change your inputs, and compare again. An account lets us do both and keeps your saved comparisons private to you.

Can I see how it works before signing up?

Yes. The worked example on this page shows a full comparison for an example person in Dallas County, Texas. When you create your account, Plan Navigator opens with that same example loaded, so you can look around before entering anything about yourself.

Which states does it work in?

The 29 states that use HealthCare.gov. If your state runs its own Marketplace, such as California or New York, compare and enroll on your state's site instead. The map on this page links to each one.

Is this the government’s ACA Navigator program?

No. Navigators are trained, government-funded helpers who assist people with Marketplace applications for free. Plan Navigator for ACA is a separate comparison tool from Visuary. To find a Navigator or other free local help, visit localhelp.healthcare.gov.

Does Visuary sell insurance or earn commissions?

No. Visuary does not sell insurance or earn enrollment commissions, and no insurer pays to change where its plans rank. When you are ready to enroll, you do it on HealthCare.gov.

Will it tell me which plan to buy?

No. It ranks plans by estimated total yearly cost and explains the trade-offs so you can decide. It is decision support, not insurance advice.

How is it different from HealthCare.gov?

HealthCare.gov is where you apply and enroll, and it shows every plan with your tax credit and whether each plan covers your doctors and drugs. Plan Navigator adds an estimate of what your household would pay over the year, based on your own conditions, planned care and medications, and ranks plans by that total.

How accurate is the estimate?

It is an estimate, not a quote. Premiums, tax credits and plan rules come from HealthCare.gov, but your actual costs depend on the care you end up needing and what your providers charge. It is most useful for comparing plans against each other.

What happens to my health information?

It is used to estimate your costs and is saved with your comparison so you can come back to it. You can delete a saved comparison at any time. We do not sell your information or share it with insurers or brokers.

Plan Navigator for ACA is for education and planning. It is not a quote, insurance advice, or medical advice.