People under 30 and some people with limited incomes may buy what is called a "catastrophic" health plan. It protects you from very high medical costs.

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A catastrophic plan generally requires you to pay all of your medical costs up to a certain amount, usually several thousand dollars. Costs for essential health benefits over that are generally paid by the insurance company.

These policies usually have lower premiums than a comprehensive plan, but cover you only if you need a lot of care. They basically protect you from worst-case scenarios.

Marketplace catastrophic plans cover prevention

In the Marketplace, catastrophic policies cover 3 primary care visits per year at no cost. They also cover free preventive benefits.

If you have a catastrophic plan in the Marketplace, you can’t get lower costs on your monthly premiums or on out-of-pocket costs based on your income.

Catastrophic plans for people with limited incomes

People 30 and over with low incomes for whom other insurance is not considered affordable or who have received a hardship exemption from the fee may be able to buy these catastrophic plans in the Marketplace.

Learn if you qualify in the Marketplace

When you fill out a Marketplace application you'll see catastrophic plans listed as options if you qualify for them. If you don’t qualify for a catastrophic plan, you won’t see them as an option.