How Much Is Covered California for a Single Person?

Covered California for a single person costs anywhere from $0 a month to several hundred dollars, and your income does most of the work in deciding where you land. Earn under about $21,597 and you are generally routed to Medi-Cal at no monthly cost. Earn between roughly $15,650 and $62,600 and federal premium tax credits cap what you owe at a sliding percentage of income.¹ Earn above $62,600 in 2026 and you pay the full sticker price, which for a 40-year-old on a benchmark Silver plan can run roughly $400 to over $700 a month depending on your county.

Where Your Income Puts You

The single biggest factor in your monthly bill is which income band you fall into. Covered California uses the 2025 federal poverty level of $15,650 to set 2026 brackets for a one-person household.²

Below $21,597 (under 138% FPL): generally directed to Medi-Cal, no monthly premium.
$21,597 to $23,475 (138%–150% FPL): federal tax credits, California state subsidy, and Enhanced Silver 94 cost-sharing.
$23,476 to $31,300 (over 150%–200% FPL): federal tax credits and Enhanced Silver 87.
$31,301 to $39,125 (over 200%–250% FPL): federal tax credits and Enhanced Silver 73.
$39,126 to $62,600 (over 250%–400% FPL): federal tax credits only.
Above $62,600 (over 400% FPL): full price with no federal help.

The 400% cliff returned for 2026 after the enhanced premium tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act expired at the end of 2025. The U.S. House passed a bill in early 2026 to restore the enhanced credits, but Senate action is still pending. Under current law, financial help ends at $62,600 for one person.

How the Premium Tax Credit Sets Your Monthly Bill

If you qualify for the premium tax credit, your monthly cost is not driven by the plan’s sticker price. It is driven by a required contribution — a percentage of your income the IRS says you should pay toward the second-lowest-cost Silver plan in your area, known as the benchmark plan.³ The government pays the difference between that contribution and the benchmark plan’s full price straight to your insurer each month.

For 2026, the required contribution percentages run as follows:⁴

Below 133% FPL: 2.10% of income
133%–150% FPL: 3.14% to 4.19%
150%–200% FPL: 4.19% to 6.60%
200%–250% FPL: 6.60% to 8.44%
250%–300% FPL: 8.44% to 9.96%
300%–400% FPL: 9.96%

A single person earning $25,000 (around 160% FPL) would owe roughly 4% to 5% of income — about $85 to $105 a month — toward the benchmark Silver plan. If that benchmark costs $500, the tax credit covers roughly $400 of it.

You can apply the credit to any metal tier. Put it against a Bronze plan with a lower sticker price and the credit may cover most or all of your premium. Put it against Gold or Platinum and you pay the difference above the credit yourself.

California’s State Subsidy on Top

Starting in 2026, California adds its own subsidy on top of the federal credit for single filers earning up to 165% of the poverty level, about $25,823 a year.⁵ The state uses the same calculation method as the federal credit and layers it over the federal amount.

For single filers between 150% and 165% FPL, the state subsidy reduces the required income contribution to between 3.19% and 3.91%. For those at or below 150% FPL, the combined federal and state help can bring the required contribution to as little as 0% of income toward the benchmark plan.⁵ You reconcile the state portion with the California Franchise Tax Board when you file your state return.

Metal Tiers and What You Pay When You Use Care

The monthly premium is only one piece of the cost. Every Covered California plan covers the same essential health benefits — doctor visits, hospital stays, prescriptions, preventive care — but the four tiers split costs with you differently.

Bronze: covers about 60% of medical costs. Lowest premium, highest out-of-pocket costs when you use care.
Silver: covers about 70%. Moderate premium, and the only tier eligible for cost-sharing reductions.
Gold: covers about 80%. Higher premium, lower copays and deductibles.
Platinum: covers about 90%. Highest premium, lowest costs at the point of care.

Silver is often the best deal for lower-income single enrollees because of the cost-sharing reductions attached to it. If your income falls between 100% and 250% FPL and you pick Silver, you are automatically upgraded to an Enhanced Silver plan with lower deductibles, copays, and out-of-pocket maximums.¹

Silver 94 (100%–150% FPL, up to $23,475): covers about 94% of medical costs. Deductibles can drop to $0 and the annual out-of-pocket maximum is capped around $3,500.
Silver 87 (over 150%–200% FPL, $23,476–$31,300): covers about 87%, out-of-pocket maximum around $3,500.
Silver 73 (over 200%–250% FPL, $31,301–$39,125): covers about 73%, out-of-pocket maximum around $8,450.

Choose Bronze, Gold, or Platinum and you keep your premium tax credit but lose the reduced deductibles and copays. A standard Silver plan without the enhancements has an out-of-pocket maximum of up to $10,600 for 2026.⁶ For a single person with modest income, Silver 94 often delivers the lowest combined monthly cost and point-of-care cost of any option on the exchange.

Medi-Cal If You Earn Less Than About $21,597

When you enter your income on the Covered California application and it falls at or below 138% FPL (roughly $21,597 a year, or $1,801 a month, using the thresholds Covered California applies), the system routes you to Medi-Cal instead of showing marketplace plans.¹ Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program and carries no monthly premium and minimal out-of-pocket costs.

Medi-Cal uses the same income rules as the marketplace but calculates its threshold against the current year’s poverty level, slightly higher at $22,025 based on the 2026 figure of $15,960.⁷ Medi-Cal enrollment is open year-round; no open enrollment window applies.

If Your Employer Offers Coverage

An employer offer can block you from subsidies even if a Covered California plan would be cheaper. If your job offers health insurance that is both “affordable” and meets the “minimum value” standard, you cannot receive premium tax credits.⁸

For 2026, employer coverage counts as unaffordable only if the premium for the cheapest self-only plan that meets minimum value exceeds 9.96% of your household income. Minimum value means the plan covers at least 60% of total medical costs with substantial hospital and physician coverage. If the plan fails either test, you can shop and get subsidies on Covered California. If it passes both, you cannot. The affordability test looks only at the self-only premium, not the cost of adding dependents.

Reconciling at Tax Time

Your subsidy is calculated from the income you estimate when you apply. If your actual income ends up higher, you may have to pay back the extra credit you received.⁹ For the 2026 plan year, there is no cap on that repayment — you owe back the full difference.¹⁰ If your actual income is lower, the extra credit comes back to you as part of your refund.

The practical takeaway: estimate your annual income as accurately as you can when you apply, and update Covered California as soon as something changes — a raise, a job loss, a new freelance client.¹¹ Covered California sends you Form 1095-A at year-end, which you use with IRS Form 8962 to reconcile the federal credit. The state subsidy is reconciled separately on your California return.

When You Can Enroll

Open enrollment for 2026 coverage runs from November 1, 2025 through January 31, 2026, a longer window than most other states.¹² Outside that window, you need a qualifying life event — losing other coverage, moving, marriage, gaining a dependent, gaining lawful immigration status, leaving military service, release from incarceration, or domestic abuse or spousal abandonment — to open a special enrollment period.¹³ Members of federally recognized American Indian or Alaska Native tribes can enroll any time and change plans monthly. Medi-Cal applicants face no enrollment window at all.

1
Covered California. Program Eligibility by Federal Poverty Level for 2026
2
HealthCare.gov. Federal Poverty Level (FPL) – Glossary
3
Internal Revenue Service. The Premium Tax Credit – The Basics
4
Internal Revenue Service. Revenue Procedure 2025-25
5
Covered California. Financial Help Basics for Enrollers Quick Guide
6
HealthCare.gov. Out-of-Pocket Maximum/Limit – Glossary
7
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. 2026 Poverty Guidelines – 48 Contiguous States
8
CMS. How Is Affordability Determined for Offers of Employer-Sponsored Coverage
9
Internal Revenue Service. Reconciling Your Advance Payments of the Premium Tax Credit
10
CMS. Are There Limits to How Much Excess Advance Payments of the Premium Tax Credit Consumers Must Pay Back
11
HealthCare.gov. Reporting Income, Household, and Other Changes
12
Covered California. Covered California’s Open Enrollment 2026
13
Covered California. Major Life Changes