HHSMetalLevel

Plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace are presented in 4 “metal” categories: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. (“Catastrophic” plans are also available to some people.) Metal categories are based on how you and your plan split the costs of your health care. They have nothing to do with quality of care.

Possible enumeration values:

Name	Value	Description
Platinum	0	Highest monthly premium and lowest costs when you get care. Deductibles are very low, meaning your plan starts paying its share earlier than for other categories of plans. Good choice if: You usually use a lot of care and are willing to pay a high monthly premium, knowing nearly all other costs will be covered.
Gold	1	High monthly premium and low costs when you need care Deductibles — the amount of medical costs you pay yourself before your plan pays — are usually low. Good choice if: You’re willing to pay more each month to have more costs covered when you get medical treatment. If you use a lot of care, a Gold plan could be a good value.
Silver	2	Moderate monthly premium and moderate costs when you need care Silver deductibles — the costs you pay yourself before your plan pays anything — are usually lower than those of Bronze plans. Good choice if: You qualify for “extra savings” — or, if not, if you’re willing to pay a slightly higher monthly premium than Bronze to have more of your routine care covered.
Bronze	3	Lowest monthly premium and highest costs when you need care Bronze plan deductibles — the amount of medical costs you pay yourself before your insurance plan starts to pay — can be thousands of dollars a year. Good choice if: You want a low-cost way to protect yourself from worst-case medical scenarios, like serious sickness or injury. Your monthly premium will be low, but you’ll have to pay for most routine care yourself.
Catastrophic	4	People under 30. People of any age with a hardship exemption or affordability exemption (based on Marketplace or job-based insurance being unaffordable). Monthly premiums are usually low, but you can’t use a premium tax credit to reduce your cost. If you qualify for a premium tax credit based on your income, a Bronze or Silver plan is likely to be a better value. Be sure to compare. Deductibles — the amount you have to pay yourself for most services before the plan starts to pay anything — are very high. For 2019, the deductible for all Catastrophic plans is $7,900. After you spend that much, your insurance company pays for all covered services, with no copayment or coinsurance.