If you need health insurance in Utah, this guide, including the FAQs below, is for you. You may find that an Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plan – commonly referred to as an Obamacare plan or exchange – may be an affordable choice.
In Utah, the exchange (Marketplace) is operated at the federal level, meaning individuals and families enroll in health plans through HealthCare.gov or authorized enhanced direct enrollment entities. 1
The Marketplace serves individuals and families who need to purchase their own health insurance. This includes self-employed individuals, people who have retired early and are not yet eligible for Medicare, and employees of small businesses that do not provide health benefits. Enrolling in a plan on the exchange is the only way Utah residents can access financial assistance for their individual market plan coverage.
For the 2024 plan year, two new insurers joined Utah’s marketplace: Imperial Health Plan of the Southwest, Inc. and Aetna Health of Utah, Inc. And enrollment reached a significant new record high, with nearly 367,000 people selecting 2024 Marketplace plans during the open enrollment period. 2
Most of Utah’s Marketplace insurers will continue to offer coverage in 2025, but Cigna is exiting the Utah market at the end of 2024 3 (details below).
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Learn about Utah's Medicaid expansion, the state’s Medicaid enrollment and Medicaid eligibility.
Use our guide to learn about Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medigap coverage available in Utah as well as the state’s Medicare supplement (Medigap) regulations.
Short-term health plans provide temporary health insurance for consumers who may find themselves without comprehensive coverage. Learn more about short-term plan availability in Utah.
Most people in Utah can buy health insurance through the exchange. Marketplace health coverage is available if you meet the following criteria: 4
Whether or not you qualify for financial assistance with your premium, deductible, or out-of-pocket costs depends on your income and how it compares with the cost of the second-lowest-cost Silver plan in your area.
Additionally, to qualify for financial assistance, you must:
In Utah, the open enrollment window to sign up for ACA Marketplace individual and family health plans runs from November 1 to January 15. 7
For coverage to start on January 1, enroll by December 15. Enrolling between December 16 and January 15 will push your coverage start date to February 1.
Outside of open enrollment, you can only sign up for coverage (through the exchange or directly through an insurance company) if you have a special enrollment period (SEP). In most cases, this means you need to have a qualifying life event, but there are some SEPs that don’t require specific qualifying events, such as:
You have a few ways to enroll in a Marketplace health plan in Utah:
No matter which of the above methods you use, you’ll still purchase your health plan through HealthCare.gov since Utah uses the federally-facilitated Marketplace. The website will walk you through the application process and determine your eligibility for financial assistance.
People in Utah who enroll in a Marketplace plan (accessed at HealthCare.gov) can be eligible for two different types of financial assistance, depending on their household income:
Medicaid: Check if you’re eligible for Medicaid by going online to HealthCare.gov or through medicaid.utah.gov. 12
Short-term health insurance: Short-term health insurance is a lower-cost option in Utah, where five insurers offer short-term plans. Short-term health insurance is generally only a reasonable option if you’re not eligible for any financial assistance through the exchange, or if you’re trying to enroll outside of open enrollment and don’t have a SEP.
Utah’s exchange has eight insurers providing health plans in 2024, including two newcomers (Aetna Health and Imperial Health Plan of the Southwest). 13
Coverage areas vary from one insurer to another, with just one or two insurers offering plans in several counties, and five or more insurers offering plans in the northern part of the state. 14
For 2025, seven insurers will offer Marketplace coverage in Utah. But Cigna is exiting the Utah individual market, so enrollees with 2024 coverage from Cigna will need to select a new plan during the open enrollment period that begins in November 2024. 3
According to Utah’s Health Insurance Transparency webpage, the following average rate changes have been proposed for 2025 by Utah’s individual market insurers: 15
Source: Utah Health Insurance Transparency 16
The Utah Health Insurance Transparency website indicates how many policyholders each carrier has, 16 although the number of members isn’t specified for some enrollees (a policy can cover multiple family members). But the weighted average proposed rate increase based on the number of policyholders is about 10.2% (calculated before any subsidies are applied; subsidies change to keep pace with the cost of the second-lowest-cost Silver plan in each area).
The rates are under review by state regulators and will be finalized before open enrollment begins in November 2024.
For perspective, here’s how average full-price premiums have changed in Utah’s individual/family market in previous years:
During the open enrollment period for 2024 coverage, 366,939 people enrolled in private plans through Utah’s health insurance Marketplace. 27
This was a substantial record high, far exceeding the previous record high when 295,196 people enrolled for 2023. 28
The chart below shows enrollment over time in Utah’s exchange. The sharp increase in enrollment in recent years has been driven in large part by the subsidy enhancements under the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act, which made Marketplace plans more affordable. The enrollment increase for 2024 is also partially driven by Medicaid disenrollments, which resumed in 2023. Some people who are no longer eligible for Medicaid have obtained coverage in the Marketplace instead.
Source: 2014, 29 2015, 30 2016, 31 2017, 32 2018, 33 2019, 34 2020, 35 2021, 36 2022, 37 2023, 28 2024 38
HealthCare.gov
The official federal website where you can sign up for health insurance plans through the ACA Marketplace.
Utah Insurance Department
Oversees and licenses health insurance companies, brokers, and agents, offering information and help for various health insurance concerns.
Utah Health Insurance Transparency; Latest Rate Changes
Shows rate and plan filings that insurers have submitted for review by state regulators.
Utah Senior Services
Supports Medicare beneficiaries by providing assistance, information, and valuable resources.
Take Care Utah
An initiative aimed at helping Utah residents understand and access health insurance options, including the ACA Marketplace and Medicaid.
Louise Norris is an individual health insurance broker who has been writing about health insurance and health reform since 2006. She has written dozens of opinions and educational pieces about the Affordable Care Act for healthinsurance.org.
