Health insurance
ACA health insurance in Miami, Broward and the Palm Beaches
Marketplace plans for individuals and families — what people call Obamacare. A wrong choice costs you for twelve months, so it is worth an hour of getting it right. We check your doctors and your prescriptions before you enroll, and our help is free.
How the metal levels really differ
Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum do not describe how good a plan is. They describe how the cost is split between you and the insurer, and that changes which one is right for you.
- Bronze — lowest premium, highest deductible. Fine if you rarely see a doctor and want protection from disaster.
- Silver — the middle, and the only level that can carry extra cost-sharing help if your income qualifies.
- Gold — higher premium, much lower costs when you actually use care. Often the best value if you have a chronic condition.
- Platinum — highest premium, lowest costs at the point of care. Rarely the right math.
- A Silver plan with cost-sharing help can beat a Gold plan outright. That is the single most missed opportunity we see.
Subsidies, and the cliff that came back
The enhanced subsidies of recent years have expired. For 2027 the original rule returns, and it is unforgiving: go one dollar over the limit and the help does not shrink, it stops.
- Assistance is based on your estimated income for the year ahead, not last year's tax return.
- Cross 400% of the federal poverty level by any amount and the subsidy ends completely.
- What counts as income, and who counts as your household, is more flexible than most people assume.
- Families land on the wrong side of that line for fixable reasons. It is worth checking before you file, not after.
- Benchmark premiums are expected to rise for 2027, which makes the estimate matter more, not less.
The change almost nobody is telling you about
There used to be a cap on how much subsidy you could be asked to pay back if you earned more than you estimated. Depending on income, repayment was limited to a few hundred or a couple of thousand dollars. That cap is gone. From the 2026 plan year onward, every dollar of excess advance credit is repaid in full.
Here is what that looks like. You estimate $30,000 and receive $400 a month in advance credits, $4,800 across the year. You have a good year and actually earn $45,000, which entitles you to about $2,400. Under the old cap you would have repaid $975. Now you repay the full $2,400 — roughly $1,425 more, for the crime of doing well.
The timing is what makes this urgent: it applies to 2026 coverage, and it is settled when you file in spring 2027. If you are on a Marketplace plan right now, you are already exposed, and most people have not been told.
There are three ways to protect yourself, and we will walk you through all of them: estimate honestly or slightly high, report income changes during the year so the credit adjusts as it goes, and — the one almost no agent offers — deliberately take less advance credit than you qualify for. Your monthly premium is higher, and April holds no surprise.
Enrollment dates for 2027 coverage
Open Enrollment is the one stretch of the year when anyone can sign up or change plans without needing a qualifying reason.
- November 1 — Open Enrollment begins for 2027 coverage.
- December 15 — the deadline to enroll if you want coverage starting January 1.
- January 15 — Open Enrollment ends. Enroll after December 15 and your coverage starts February 1.
- Outside those dates you need a Special Enrollment Period, which is more common than people think.
- Marriage, a birth or adoption, moving, losing job coverage, or aging off a parent's plan all qualify. Most carry a 60-day window.
Eligibility rules have changed, and Miami feels it first
The rules on which immigration statuses qualify for premium assistance narrowed for 2027, and the list of who still qualifies is much shorter than the one it replaced. Categories that were eligible for years — including many people holding a valid work permit — are affected.
If you are Cuban or Haitian, do not assume you have lost eligibility. There is a specific and broad carve-out for Cuban and Haitian entrants that continues to apply, and it reaches further than most people expect. We see families give up on coverage they still qualify for.
A work permit is not a status. The category code printed on the card is what determines eligibility, and two people holding what looks like the same card can be in completely different positions. Bring the card to the conversation and we will look at it with you.
We are insurance agents, not immigration attorneys, and we will say so plainly when a question belongs with one. What we can do is tell you what the Marketplace will and will not accept, and make sure nobody in your household walks away from help they are entitled to.
Questions we get asked most
Does it cost more to use an agent?
No. The premium is set by the insurance company and is identical whether you enroll through us, through healthcare.gov yourself, or through a call center. Our help is free to you.
I am self-employed and my income moves around. What do I put?
Estimate honestly, and if you are unsure, lean slightly high. Then tell us when things change during the year so the credit can be adjusted. With the repayment cap gone, this matters far more than it used to.
Can I keep my doctor?
Only if that doctor is in the plan's network, which is why we check each one by name before you enroll rather than after. Networks in South Florida vary a lot between plans.
I missed Open Enrollment. Is that it?
Not necessarily. Life events like marriage, a new baby, a move, or losing coverage through a job open a Special Enrollment Period, usually 60 days. Call us and we will work out whether you qualify.
What happens if I just do nothing?
Most Marketplace plans auto-renew, which sounds convenient and often is not. Your plan's price, network and drug list all change each year, and so does the benchmark your subsidy is calculated from. An unreviewed renewal is how people end up overpaying.
Do you help in Spanish?
Yes, every day. You speak directly with a licensed agent in Spanish or English, whichever you prefer.
Talk to a licensed agent
Call whichever number suits you, or send a note and we'll call you back — usually the same day. There is no charge for our help.
Or email TheHealthAgents@Gmail.com · Everything is handled by phone · Hablamos español