It replaced HealthCare.gov here
Pennsylvania built its own marketplace under Act 42 of 2019 and moved off the federal website. If you live in Pennsylvania and buy your own coverage, you use Pennie.
Pennie · Pennsylvania
Pennie, Pennsylvania's own marketplace
Pennie is run by the Commonwealth. Not by an insurance company, and not by the federal government. It is where the ACA's rules and Pennsylvania residents actually meet.
Pennie is the state-run website where Pennsylvanians buy their own health coverage. It is the only place in Pennsylvania a tax credit can lower the price.
Looking for something else?
A federal programMedicareHealth coverage from the federal government, mostly for people 65 and older. You sign up through Social Security. Pennie has nothing to do with it.A federal lawThe Affordable Care ActA 2010 law, not a plan you can buy. It set the rules individual health plans have to follow, and it created the marketplaces and the financial help.
The basics
What you actually need to know
It is the only door to the tax credit
You can buy a plan straight from an insurer in Pennsylvania. But the premium tax credit only applies to a plan bought through Pennie. Buy outside it and you pay the full premium no matter what you earn.
Help is free either way
Pennie certifies both assisters and brokers. Assisters are grant-funded and sell nothing. Brokers, including this agency, are paid a commission by whichever insurer you choose. Never by you, and never at a higher premium than you would pay on your own.
One application covers everything
A single Pennie application checks your household against Medical Assistance and CHIP as well as marketplace plans. A family whose members qualify for different programs does not have to apply three times.
Path to Pennie
There is a box on the Pennsylvania tax return for people without insurance. Check it and Pennie follows up with an estimate of what you qualify for, plus a chance to enroll outside the normal calendar.
Common questions
The questions people actually ask
Does a plan cost more if I use a broker?
No. Premiums are set by the insurer and filed with the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. The same plan is the same price whether you enroll yourself on Pennie, use a free assister, or work with a certified broker. What changes is who helps you compare, not what you pay.
Can I have Medicare and a Pennie plan at the same time?
This is the trap worth knowing about. Once you qualify for premium-free Medicare Part A, you generally cannot get a premium tax credit for a marketplace plan. Keeping one anyway can leave you paying full price for coverage that duplicates what Medicare already does. If you are approaching 65 and you are on a Pennie plan, have that conversation before your birthday, not after.
What if I move out of Pennsylvania?
A Pennie plan follows Pennsylvania residency. Moving out of state is itself a qualifying life event, and you would enroll through your new state's marketplace or through HealthCare.gov. Moving within Pennsylvania can change your options too, because which plans are available is set county by county.
Which one is yours?
A rough map, not a recommendation
Enough to tell you which system you are dealing with and which official source to read. It is not advice about your situation, and nobody should treat it as such.
Under 65, buying your own coverage
PennieThis is the main case the marketplace was built for. Start a Pennie application and it will tell you what help you qualify for.
Turning 65 within the next year
MedicareYour seven-month window opens three months before your birthday month. If you are on a Pennie plan now, sort out the switch before it closes.
Under 65, on Social Security disability for 24 months
MedicareMedicare is not only about age. Enrollment is usually automatic at the 25th month.
Offered coverage at work
Usually your employer's planIf the offer counts as affordable under the law, premium help is generally off the table, which usually makes the work plan cheaper even when it is unremarkable.
Low income, or you have children
Medical Assistance or CHIPPennsylvania's Medicaid program and CHIP take applications all year. A Pennie application screens you for both automatically.
Between jobs, or you just lost coverage
Pennie, on the clockLosing coverage opens a special enrollment period, generally 60 days from the day it ends. That clock runs whether or not you have decided anything.
Fact-check us
Every claim above, sourced
None of this is our opinion about how the program works. It is what the agencies that run it publish. If this page and one of these disagree, believe them.
Official sources
- Pennie: Pennsylvania's official health insurance marketplace (opens in a new tab)Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority
- Pennie: learn how coverage works (opens in a new tab)Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority
- Pennie: frequently asked questions (opens in a new tab)Pennie
- Pennie: Path to Pennie (opens in a new tab)Pennie
- Pennsylvania CHIP: coverage for children (opens in a new tab)Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
Additional resources
We are a broker, and a broker earns a commission when you enroll. These organizations do not, and every one of them will help you for nothing.
- PA MEDI: free, unbiased Medicare counseling from the Commonwealth (opens in a new tab)Pennsylvania's own Medicare counselors. Free one-to-one help by phone or in person, and they sell nothing.Pennsylvania Department of Aging
- 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227): the federal Medicare help line (opens in a new tab)Medicare's own line, open 24 hours a day, for questions about your coverage, your card, or a claim.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Find your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (opens in a new tab)The national directory of state counseling programs. Use it if you are helping someone outside Pennsylvania.SHIP National Technical Assistance Center
- Pennsylvania Insurance Department: consumer help and complaints (opens in a new tab)The regulator. Check a producer's licence, ask a coverage question, or file a complaint against an insurer or a broker.Commonwealth of Pennsylvania