Guides
Plain-English guides on private plans, the marketplace, subsidies and taxes for Californians.
What Californians actually pay for health insurance in 2026 — marketplace vs. private, with and without a subsidy, by age.
Read →A plain-English comparison of marketplace (ACA) plans and private shared-network plans for California residents who don't qualify for a subsidy.
Read →The options that actually work for self-employed Californians in 2026, ranked by situation — not by carrier marketing.
Read →What 1099 contractors in California need to know about buying their own coverage — subsidies, private PPOs, taxes, and timing.
Read →Sometimes dramatically, sometimes not at all. Here's exactly when private plans beat the marketplace in California — and when they don't.
Read →The 2026 subsidy cliff explained for California households — where it is, what happens above it, and what to do.
Read →The three reasons full-price marketplace premiums in California got so high — and the option most people were never shown.
Read →Yes. Here's what exists outside Covered California in California, what's legitimate, and what to avoid.
Read →Every legitimate alternative to a marketplace plan in California, ranked by how much real coverage it provides.
Read →How the self-employed health insurance deduction works for California business owners, and the mistakes that cost people money.
Read →What actually happens between 'I want a quote' and 'my coverage is active' for self-employed Californians.
Read →Why a healthy 50-year-old in Los Angeles can be quoted $900 on one plan and $450 on another for comparable coverage.
Read →Three moves that lower health insurance costs for self-employed Californians who make too much for a subsidy.
Read →A checklist for Californians who suspect they're paying too much — with the questions to ask before you renew.
Read →Why PPO plans disappeared from the California marketplace and where self-employed people can still get one.
Read →Why real estate agents in California overpay for health insurance, and the two options that fix it.
Read →Yes — here's how the deduction works for California real estate agents, including the S-corp wrinkle.
Read →A head-to-head for real estate agents in California: which market fits a commission income.
Read →Four structural reasons real estate agents overpay — and the fix for each.
Read →Representative examples of California agents who cut their premiums — and exactly what changed.
Read →The five numbers to compare — in order — before you pick a plan in California.
Read →What freelancers and creatives in California should know about coverage beyond the marketplace default.
Read →How working with a California-licensed independent agency compares to the national call-center brokers.
Read →Five things about California health insurance that would change what most people buy.
Read →No sales pitch — the real trade-offs between private plans and Obamacare in California.
Read →The right coverage path for California business owners at each size — solo, two lives, and small group.
Read →