The ACA Marketplace, also known as the "Health Insurance Marketplace" or "Exchange," is a platform created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to help individuals and families shop for and enroll in health insurance plans.

Who can use it: People who don't have health insurance through an employer or another program can use the marketplace.

Medicaid unwinding refers to the process of states reviewing Medicaid eligibility for people who enrolled during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Now, states are reviewing eligibility for everyone enrolled during the pandemic. This may result in some people losing coverage if they no longer qualify based on income, family size, or other factors.

In health insurance, "aging out" refers to losing coverage under a parent's plan when you reach a certain age, typically 26. This is because most employer-sponsored and Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans define dependents as unmarried children under 26.

The yearly period when people can enroll in Individual and Marketplace health insurance plans.

Outside Open Enrollment, you may still be able to enroll in coverage if you have certain life events, like getting married, having a baby, or losing other health coverage, or based on your estimated household income.

A change in your situation — like getting married, having a baby, or losing health coverage — can make you eligible for a Special Enrollment Period, allowing you to enroll in health insurance outside the yearly Open Enrollment Period.

The law provides consumers with subsidies ("premium tax credits") through the ACA marketplace offering lower costs for households with incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level(FPL).

Premium subsidies can significantly lower your monthly premium costs, if you qualify making health insurance more affordable for individuals and families.