The federal health law's individual marketplaces are scheduled to start enrollment on October 1. Nearly all Americans will be required to have health insurance starting January 1, 2014, or else they will be liable for a tax penalty. There is considerable confusion about the law. People aren't sure if they qualify and they have no clear idea of how much insurance might cost.
To help listeners determine possible changes in their own health insurance costs, NPR and the Kaiser Family Foundation have developed a Subsidy Calculator to illustrate health insurance on premiums and subsidies for people purchasing insurance on their own in new health insurance exchanges (or "Marketplaces") created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). You can enter different incomes, ages, and family sizes to get an estimate of your eligibility for subsidies and how much you could spend on health insurance. For more information on methodology and to read answers to frequently asked questions, click here.