District of Columbia
Cheapest ACA plans in District of Columbia for 2026
Cheapest Bronze plan in District of Columbia, before subsidies: CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield BlueChoice HMO HSA Bronze 6350 in District of Columbia County at $583/month for a 40-year-old non-tobacco user; CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield BlueChoice HMO HSA Bronze 6350 in District of Columbia County at $1,823/month for a family of four (two 40-year-olds and two kids under 14). DC runs its own SBE (DC Health Link), expanded Medicaid in 2014, and also funds local programs (DC Healthy Families, DC Alliance) for residents who fall outside Medicaid eligibility.
Cheapest plans by metal tier
Lowest 2026 monthly premium for a single 40-year-old non-tobacco user, on-exchange, before any subsidy. Per-age figures derived from the CMS QHP Landscape file using the HHS standardized age-rating curve (45 CFR 147.102).
| Tier | Cheapest age 40 monthly | Plans statewide |
|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | $322 | 2 |
| Expanded Bronze | $583 | 7 |
| Silver | $652 | 5 |
| Gold | $749 | 10 |
| Platinum | $958 | 3 |
The actual cheapest plan in major counties
Same data the search returns: carrier, plan name, monthly premium, individual deductible, individual MOOP. Computed for a single 40-year-old non-tobacco user, before any subsidy. Catastrophic plans excluded because adults 30+ typically need a hardship-exemption certificate to enroll.
District of Columbia County
$583/moCareFirst BlueCross BlueShield · BlueChoice HMO HSA Bronze 6350
The actual cheapest plan for a family of four
Two 40-year-old adults and two kids in the 0-14 age band, before any subsidy. Carrier, plan name, premium, deductible, and MOOP exactly as the search would return them.
District of Columbia County
$1,823/moCareFirst BlueCross BlueShield · BlueChoice HMO HSA Bronze 6350
Subsidies: federal APTC plus local safety-net coverage
The District does not fund a supplemental premium subsidy layered on top of APTC on DC Health Link, but the city does fund locally-financed coverage programs that extend the safety net below and alongside Medicaid:
- Federal Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC). Households 100-400% FPL on the PY2026 standard ACA contribution curve, applied through DC Health Link. The ARPA / IRA enhanced subsidies expired 2025-12-31 and are not in effect for 2026, so the hard 400% FPL cliff is back.
- Federal cost-sharing reductions (CSRs). Households 100-250% FPL enrolled in a Silver plan receive reduced deductibles, copays, and out-of-pocket maximums automatically.
- DC Healthy Families and DC Alliance. DC-funded programs provide coverage for lower-income residents who are not eligible for Medicaid (including immigration-status-ineligible residents under the DC Alliance). These are administered by the DC Department of Health Care Finance, not through DC Health Link enrollment.
DC adopted Medicaid expansion on day one (January 1, 2014) and was among the first jurisdictions to do so. Adults up to 215% FPL may qualify for DC Medicaid (an income ceiling higher than the 138% FPL federal expansion minimum), so there is no coverage gap in the District.
Catastrophic plans in DC follow federal rules
DC Health Link follows the federal ACA default for Catastrophic plans: eligibility is limited to enrollees under age 30, or at any age with a hardship / affordability exemption. The PY2026 federal auto-expansion applies. APTC does not apply to Catastrophic plans.
Tobacco surcharges follow the federal 1.5x default in DC
DC applies the federal ACA default (45 CFR 147.102): carriers may charge tobacco users up to 50% more than non-users (a 1.5-to-1 rate ratio). The DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) reviews rate filings. No DC-specific cap below the federal 1.5x ceiling has been identified. Federal APTC does not offset the tobacco portion of the premium.
Carriers selling 2026 plans in District of Columbia
2 carriers, 27 plans across 1 counties. 27 sold on DC Health Link, 0 off-exchange-only direct from carriers. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic historically dominate the DC Health Link individual market. DC is a single-county jurisdiction, so every enrollee sees the same lineup; plan counts and network breadth (HMO vs PPO) differentiate the offerings rather than geography.
| Carrier | Plans (on + off exchange) |
|---|---|
| Kaiser Permanente | 14 |
| CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield | 13 |
Enrollment
Open Enrollment for 2026 coverage on DC Health Link runs November 1, 2025 through January 31, 2026 (the District typically extends a few weeks past the federal January 15 deadline). Enroll by December 15 for a January 1 effective date. Special Enrollment is available year-round for qualifying life events.
Direct enrollment: dchealthlink.com.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest ACA plan in District of Columbia for 2026?
The cheapest Bronze-tier plan a 40-year-old non-tobacco user can enroll in without paperwork is CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield BlueChoice HMO HSA Bronze 6350 in District of Columbia County at $583 per month before subsidies. Data refreshed 2026-04-19T08:08:55.462Z.
Does DC use Healthcare.gov?
No. The District of Columbia runs its own state-based exchange, DC Health Link, launched October 2013. Healthcare.gov does not serve DC.
Has DC expanded Medicaid?
Yes, effective January 1, 2014 — DC was among the first jurisdictions to adopt ACA Medicaid expansion. DC Medicaid also covers adults to 215% FPL, higher than the 138% FPL federal expansion floor, so the coverage gap does not exist in the District.
What are DC Healthy Families and DC Alliance?
DC Healthy Families is a DC-funded program for low-income families who may not qualify for Medicaid under federal rules. DC Alliance provides coverage to DC residents who are ineligible for Medicaid due to immigration status. Both are administered by the DC Department of Health Care Finance, not through DC Health Link enrollment.
Why does DC only have one county?
The District of Columbia is a single federal jurisdiction (FIPS 11001). Unlike states, DC has no county subdivisions, so every DC Health Link enrollee sees the same plan lineup. Differences across plans come from carrier, metal tier, and network type (HMO vs PPO) rather than geography.
Does DC offer a state premium subsidy on top of federal APTC?
DC does not currently fund a premium subsidy layered on APTC through DC Health Link. It does fund parallel safety-net programs (DC Healthy Families, DC Alliance) for residents outside federal Medicaid eligibility. Marketplace financial help is federal APTC and CSRs only.
Sources
- DC Health Link for SBE enrollment, OEP dates, and APTC application.
- DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) for rate review, carrier filings, and consumer guidance.
- DC Department of Health Care Finance — Medicaid for DC Medicaid, DC Healthy Families, and DC Alliance eligibility.
- KFF — DC State Health Facts for Medicaid expansion, enrollment, and benchmark premium context.
- CMS 2026 OEP National Snapshot for federal Marketplace enrollment context.
- CMS QHP Landscape Individual Medical 2026 for plan availability context (DC plan data ingests via DC Health Link separately).
Plan year 2026, last refreshed 2026-04-19T08:08:55.462Z. Methodology and full data attribution at about.