Bronze vs Silver ACA Plans for 2027: Which Costs Less?

Bronze and silver are the two most popular ACA metal levels, and the right one depends almost entirely on your income. The premium is only half the question: the other half is what you pay when you actually use care, and for lower incomes the government changes that answer completely.

Open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027 on HealthCare.gov (enrol by December 15 for coverage starting January 1). The numbers below are for 2027 coverage, which uses the 2026 poverty guidelines.

The short answer, by income

Work out your percentage of the poverty line with the ACA income limits page, and your subsidy with the ACA subsidy calculator.

What the metal levels actually cover

A metal level is the share of covered medical costs the plan pays for an average person — the “actuarial value”:

The metal level says nothing about which doctors are in network or which drugs are covered — those vary by plan, not by metal.

Cost-sharing reductions: why silver wins at lower incomes

Cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) are only available on silver plans, and only if your household income is between 100% and 250% of the poverty line. They lower your deductible, copays and out-of-pocket maximum, and they raise the share of costs the plan covers:

The deductible and out-of-pocket figures are 2026 averages from KFF — your plan’s exact numbers will differ, but the pattern holds for 2027: under 200% of the poverty line, a silver plan covers far more of your care than any bronze plan can, for a similar or lower premium after subsidies. Pick bronze at that income and you give up the reductions entirely.

In states that expanded Medicaid, most people under 138% of the poverty line qualify for Medicaid instead. In states that did not expand it, the 100% to 138% range is where marketplace subsidies start.

Silver loading: why bronze can be free and gold can beat silver

Your premium tax credit is worked out from the price of the second-cheapest silver plan where you live — the benchmark — but you can spend that dollar amount on any metal level. Insurers load the cost of the reductions they must give low-income silver enrollees onto silver premiums, so silver premiums rise faster than bronze and gold. That has two consequences:

• Free bronze: if your subsidy is bigger than a bronze plan’s premium, the bronze plan costs $0 a month. That is common for people under 250% of the poverty line, and it happens even at higher incomes where silver premiums are high.
• Cheap gold: in many areas a gold plan costs the same as, or less than, a silver plan after the subsidy, because the subsidy is based on the inflated silver price. A gold plan at silver’s price is a better deal than silver itself when you do not qualify for cost-sharing reductions.

So above 250% of the poverty line, compare all three: bronze, silver and gold, on total yearly cost — 12 months of premium plus what you expect to pay for care. Bronze wins when you expect little care; gold wins when you expect a lot and its premium is close to silver’s.

Bronze with an HSA: the other reason to pick bronze

Since 2026, every bronze and catastrophic plan sold through a Marketplace counts as a high-deductible health plan, so anyone in one can open and fund a health savings account (HSA). For 2027 the HSA limits are $4,500 for self-only coverage and $9,000 for family coverage. HSA money goes in pre-tax, grows tax-free and comes out tax-free for medical costs — which makes a bronze plan more attractive if you are healthy, can afford to fund the account, and are above the income range for cost-sharing reductions.

Below 200% of the poverty line, the silver plan’s reductions are still worth more than the HSA’s tax break for most people.

Three worked comparisons

These use typical 2027 numbers. Your area’s premiums will differ — run your own through the ACA subsidy calculator.

• Single, income $25,000 (157% of the poverty line). You qualify for a subsidy and for cost-sharing reductions at the 87% level. A silver plan covers 87% of your costs with a deductible in the hundreds, not thousands. Bronze would leave you with a $6,000-plus deductible and no reductions. Silver, clearly.
• Single, income $35,000 (219% of the poverty line). You still get reductions at the 73% level, with a lower out-of-pocket maximum than bronze. If you expect a hospital stay or regular prescriptions, silver wins; if you expect almost no care, compare bronze’s $0-or-near premium against silver’s lower deductible. Silver, usually.
• Single, income $50,000 (313% of the poverty line). No cost-sharing reductions. Your subsidy is the benchmark silver premium minus 10.22% of your income (about $426 a month). If that subsidy covers a bronze premium entirely, bronze costs $0 and you keep the rest of the subsidy unused — bronze wins if you are healthy. But check gold: if a gold plan costs less than silver after the subsidy, gold gives you an 80% plan for a bronze price. Bronze or gold — never pay silver’s price for a 70% plan when gold is cheaper.

What changed for 2027

• The 400% cliff is back. Enhanced premium tax credits expired on December 31, 2025. For 2027, help stops at 400% of the poverty line: $63,840 for one person, $132,000 for a family of four. Earn $1 over it and you lose the whole credit.
• Your share of the benchmark premium is 2.15% to 10.22% of income, depending on where you fall between 100% and 400% of the poverty line (IRS Revenue Procedure 2026-26).
• No cap on paying back extra subsidy. Starting with 2026 coverage, if your actual income ends up higher than you estimated, you repay all of the extra advance credit on your tax return — there is no repayment cap any more. Estimate your income carefully, and update it on HealthCare.gov if it changes during the year.
• Cost-sharing reductions are unchanged for 2027. The formula that turns silver into a 94%, 87% or 73% plan still applies.

How to choose, in order

1. Work out your income as a percentage of the poverty line (ACA income limits).
2. If you are under 200%, take a silver plan. Compare silver plans on deductible and drug costs, not just premium.
3. If you are over 250%, price bronze, silver and gold after your subsidy, and add your expected care costs to each. The cheapest premium is rarely the cheapest year.
4. Check whether your doctors and drugs are covered by the specific plan — metal level does not tell you that.
5. If you pick bronze, open an HSA if you can fund it; if you pick silver, confirm the cost-sharing reductions are applied — they are automatic when you enrol in silver through the Marketplace at a qualifying income.

Sources

• HealthCare.gov: Health plan categories — Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum
• Bipartisan Policy Center: Explaining cost-sharing reductions
• HealthInsurance.org: What is a cost-sharing reduction?
• IRS: Revenue Procedure 2026-26 (2027 applicable percentages)

Key terms

• Premium tax credit

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