Bronze vs Gold vs Platinum vs Silver: standard health-plan cost shares (reference 2026)
Platinum has the highest standard insurer share among these categories: 90%. Bronze: 60%; Gold: 80%; Platinum: 90%; Silver: 70%. These are population-level actuarial shares, not percentages guaranteed on your bills.
What is held constant?
Every column uses the API reference year 2026, standard actuarial values, and no Silver cost-sharing reductions. No age, income, ZIP, medical condition or personal information was submitted. Compare the shares to see the standard insurer share of each category, highest first: Platinum 90%; Gold 80%; Silver 70%; Bronze 60%. The calculation table reports the original API fractions; multiply a fraction by one hundred to express it as a percentage.
What does the ranking cover?
The ranking sets one number side by side, the standard insurer share: Platinum 90%; Gold 80%; Silver 70%; Bronze 60%. Platinum leads Gold by 10 percentage points. The highest standard insurer share is the sole ranking objective. Premiums, deductibles, provider networks, medications and individual eligibility are not compared; this ranking does not select the best plan for you. Standard Silver is shown without cost-sharing reductions. If eligible, Silver extra savings can change the comparison; check Marketplace eligibility and actual plan terms before choosing.
Calculation provenance
One live defaults response supplies all columns, matched by key and reference year. Only bronze, silver, gold and platinum actuarial-value constants are admitted; the premium, subsidy, inflation and county tables are excluded from this comparison. The API labels each constant with its statute paragraph, 42 U.S.C. 18022(d)(1)(A) to (D), and reference year 2026. The standard values were checked against the statute and HealthCare.gov on 2026-10-11. The API provides no collection/update date or empirical sample size; request time is not data vintage. Sample size UNAVAILABLE. Inspect the API defaults. More Pelandri comparisons. Read the standard category definitions. Response hashes and retrieval times are retained separately in the calculation record.
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Calculation data
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| reference_year | 2026 |
| Measure | Bronze | Gold | Platinum | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard insurer actuarial share (fraction) | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Distance from winning value (fraction) | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.2 |
| Decision | Alternative value | Alternative value | Winning value | Alternative value |
Winner: Platinum. Objective: maximize. Margin to next option: 0.1 fraction. Assumption: Highest standard insurer actuarial share only; no premium, personal cost, quality or best-plan recommendation. Standard Silver excludes cost-sharing reductions.
- winner
- platinum
- objective
- maximize
- metric
- insurerShare
Source and assumptions
- Compare standard metal categories using the same reference year. Values are actuarial shares for a standard population, not the share of any individual bill or a prediction of personal spending.
- One live defaults response supplies all columns, matched by key and reference year. Only bronze, silver, gold and platinum actuarial-value constants are admitted; the premium, subsidy, inflation and county tables are excluded from this comparison.
- The highest standard insurer share is the sole ranking objective. Premiums, deductibles, provider networks, medications and individual eligibility are not compared; this ranking does not select the best plan for you.
- Standard Silver is shown without cost-sharing reductions. If eligible, Silver extra savings can change the comparison; check Marketplace eligibility and actual plan terms before choosing.
- The API labels each constant with its statute paragraph, 42 U.S.C. 18022(d)(1)(A) to (D), and reference year 2026. The standard values were checked against the statute and HealthCare.gov on 2026-10-11. The API provides no collection/update date or empirical sample size; request time is not data vintage.
Bronze. Data layer: Pelandri plan_defaults, statutory standard metal constants only. Source: 42 U.S.C. 18022(d)(1); HealthCare.gov standard categories. Vintage: API reference year 2026; collection/update date unavailable. Sample size: UNAVAILABLE.
Fetched: 2026-10-28T20:15:20.834Z
Source updated: Unreported
Cache: Unreported
Response SHA-256
cbc569d1a46b9f7d95c34ac72d19f2f44e601dc523a498264f1049f279c485b2Gold. Data layer: Pelandri plan_defaults, statutory standard metal constants only. Source: 42 U.S.C. 18022(d)(1); HealthCare.gov standard categories. Vintage: API reference year 2026; collection/update date unavailable. Sample size: UNAVAILABLE.
Fetched: 2026-10-28T20:15:20.834Z
Source updated: Unreported
Cache: Unreported
Response SHA-256
cbc569d1a46b9f7d95c34ac72d19f2f44e601dc523a498264f1049f279c485b2Platinum. Data layer: Pelandri plan_defaults, statutory standard metal constants only. Source: 42 U.S.C. 18022(d)(1); HealthCare.gov standard categories. Vintage: API reference year 2026; collection/update date unavailable. Sample size: UNAVAILABLE.
Fetched: 2026-10-28T20:15:20.834Z
Source updated: Unreported
Cache: Unreported
Response SHA-256
cbc569d1a46b9f7d95c34ac72d19f2f44e601dc523a498264f1049f279c485b2Silver. Data layer: Pelandri plan_defaults, statutory standard metal constants only. Source: 42 U.S.C. 18022(d)(1); HealthCare.gov standard categories. Vintage: API reference year 2026; collection/update date unavailable. Sample size: UNAVAILABLE.
Fetched: 2026-10-28T20:15:20.834Z
Source updated: Unreported
Cache: Unreported
Response SHA-256
cbc569d1a46b9f7d95c34ac72d19f2f44e601dc523a498264f1049f279c485b2Questions about this comparison
Which category has the highest standard insurer share?
Platinum has the highest standard insurer share among these categories: 90%. Bronze: 60%; Gold: 80%; Platinum: 90%; Silver: 70%. These are population-level actuarial shares, not percentages guaranteed on your bills.
What is held constant?
Every column uses the API reference year 2026, standard actuarial values, and no Silver cost-sharing reductions. No age, income, ZIP, medical condition or personal information was submitted.
Does this identify the cheapest plan for me?
The highest standard insurer share is the sole ranking objective. Premiums, deductibles, provider networks, medications and individual eligibility are not compared; this ranking does not select the best plan for you. Standard Silver is shown without cost-sharing reductions. If eligible, Silver extra savings can change the comparison; check Marketplace eligibility and actual plan terms before choosing.
How can I explore my own situation?
Enter your own profile in the calculator to explore plans that fit your situation. Confirm current plans and eligibility through the Marketplace.