An independent ACA marketplace brokerage and agent platform
Individuals & familiesLicensed agentsPlan year 2026
Ledger & Co is an independent ACA brokerage that publishes the comparison before it sells anything. Metal tiers, networks, subsidies and total annual cost - in one table, with the arithmetic shown. There is no consumer fee, because broker compensation is filed inside the carrier's rate.1
Ledger & Co is the platform independent agents run a book of business on. Household records, side-by-side quoting with the subsidy applied live, commission reconciled against the carrier statement, and compliance gates that do not have an override.2
Or talk to the desk: (888) 555-0142Mon-Fri 8:00-20:00 ET, Sat 9:00-15:00 ET during Open Enrollment
Carrier
Keystone Mutual
Harrisburg, PA · est. 1948
Maximum out-of-pocket
$6,400
after cost-sharing reduction
Illustrative quote · 40, non-smoker, 19106
Silver 73 EPO
Both listed physicians in network
Next Open Enrollment
Nov 1for 2027
Special enrollment only until then
Average advance credit
$561per month
Plans indexed
41,800plan-year rows
States covered
34FFM and SBM
Next Open Enrollment
Nov 1for 2027
Special enrollment only until then
Books migrated
3,900to date
Median commission
$21PMPM
Agents on platform
1,240licensed
The house position
Health insurance marketing has one aesthetic: a smiling family, a pastel gradient and no numbers anywhere. It reads as evasive because it is. This is the opposite of that.
Every plan in your rating area, in one grid, ranked by total expected annual cost. Not a lead form with a table behind it.
Plans that fail on your physicians or your prescriptions are removed before price is considered at all. Price is the last filter, never the first.
Benchmark premium, expected contribution, advance credit, cost-sharing variant. Every number that produced your figure is on the page.
Commission is filed inside the carrier's rate. We are paid the same whichever plan you choose, so the ranking is not for sale.
Plan year 2026 · illustrative
One household: age 40, non-smoker, ZIP 19106, $38,400 of projected income, entitled to a $352 monthly advance credit. The credit is fixed to the benchmark Silver plan, so it does not grow when you move up a tier.
| Metal tier | Actuarial value | Gross premium | Net premium | Deductible | MOOP | CSR variants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 60% | $312 | $41 | $7,500 | $10,600 | None |
| Silver | 70% | $448 | $96 | $4,200 | $8,900 | 73 / 87 / 94 |
| Gold | 80% | $529 | $177 | $1,600 | $6,800 | None |
| Platinum | 90% | $638 | $286 | $400 | $3,400 | None |
Illustrative figures. Real premiums vary by age, ZIP code, tobacco use, plan year and household composition. Every dollar of premium above the benchmark Silver plan is paid by you, not by the credit.
The comparison ladder
Each rung is a real table. The section narrows as you descend, because that is what a decision does.
| Measure | Single, 40 | Couple, 38 & 41 | Family of four | Self-employed, 52 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household income | $38,400 | $61,200 | $74,800 | $96,000 |
| Percent of FPL | 245% | 285% | 239% | 613% |
| Benchmark Silver | $448 | $911 | $1,344 | $704 |
| Expected contribution | $128 | $374 | $249 | $680 |
| Advance credit | $320 | $537 | $1,095 | $24 |
| CSR eligible | Yes, 73 AV | No | Yes, 73 AV | No |
Expected contribution is the applicable percentage of household modified adjusted gross income under the current schedule.
| Measure | Bronze | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuarial value | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
| Gross premium | $312 | $448 | $529 | $638 |
| After a $352 credit | $41 | $96 | $177 | $286 |
| Deductible | $7,500 | $4,200 | $1,600 | $400 |
| Maximum out-of-pocket | $10,600 | $8,900 | $6,800 | $3,400 |
| Primary care visit | 40% after ded. | $35 | $25 | $15 |
| Carries CSR | No | Yes | No | No |
The credit is fixed to the benchmark Silver plan, so it does not grow when you move up a tier. Every dollar above Silver is yours.
| Measure | HMO | EPO | PPO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referral to a specialist | Required | Not required | Not required |
| Out-of-network | Emergency only | Emergency only | Covered, higher share |
| Typical Silver premium | $412 | $448 | $566 |
| Provider count, metro | 18,400 | 22,100 | 41,600 |
| Provider count, rural | 2,900 | 3,400 | 9,800 |
| Annual premium delta | -$432 | Baseline | +$1,416 |
Provider counts are illustrative. Verify your own physicians against the carrier's live directory before the effective date.
| Measure | Premium tax credit only | Premium tax credit + CSR |
|---|---|---|
| Income band | 250 - 400% FPL | 100 - 250% FPL |
| Tier required | Any metal tier | Silver only |
| Effective actuarial value | 70% | 73, 87 or 94% |
| Silver deductible | $4,200 | $800 at 94 AV |
| Silver MOOP | $8,900 | $3,150 at 94 AV |
| Reconciled at tax time | Yes, Form 8962 | Credit only, CSR is not reconciled |
Cost-sharing reductions attach to the Silver tier by statute. Choosing Bronze to save premium forfeits them entirely.
| Measure | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Plan | Keystone Mutual Silver 73 EPO |
| Gross premium | $448 per month |
| Advance premium tax credit | -$352 per month |
| Net premium | $96 per month |
| Deductible | $2,900 after CSR |
| Maximum out-of-pocket | $6,400 after CSR |
| Why this one | Both listed physicians in network, and the CSR variant beats Gold on total cost at expected utilisation. |
Illustrative only. A real recommendation is produced against your actual ZIP code, providers, prescriptions and household income.
The question everyone asks here
No. Not a dollar.1
Broker compensation on an ACA plan is paid by the carrier, and it is already filed inside the rate that the state regulator approved. The premium for a given plan is identical whether you enrol through us, call the carrier directly, or do the whole thing yourself on HealthCare.gov. What changes is whether anyone checked your physicians against the network, your prescriptions against the formulary, and your income against the cost-sharing bands before you signed.
Two audiences, one publication
A broadsheet already knows how to serve two readerships with one masthead. You turn to the section you came for.
For individuals & families
Bring your ZIP code, your household, your physicians and your prescriptions. We remove every plan that fails on network or formulary, model the survivors at three levels of use, and hand you one recommendation with the runner-up and the reason it lost.
For licensed agents
Household records rather than policy rows, quoting with the subsidy applied live, commission reconciled line by line against the carrier statement, and compliance gates with no override. Flat fee per household. We never touch the commission stream.
From the agents on the platform
When somebody takes a tier-four drug, the formulary is the plan. Everything else is decoration. This is the first desk I have used that puts the drug list in front of the premium instead of behind it.
Verified agent
NPN is verifiable in the national producer registry. Every agent listed on this demo is fictional, as is the number.
Illustrative carriers
No real carrier is named on this demo. Naming one would imply an appointment that does not exist. These six are built to behave like real ones - different network shapes, different commission mechanics, different failure modes.
The calendar rules everything
Miss January 15 without a qualifying life event and the next ordinary chance to enrol is eleven months away.
Nov 1
The Marketplace opens for the following plan year. Window shopping usually opens about a week earlier.
Dec 15
Enrol or change plans by this date for coverage effective January 1. The busiest single day of the year.
Jan 15
The federal window closes. After this, only a qualifying life event opens a special enrollment period.
The Ledger notebook
Between 100 and 250 percent of the federal poverty level, buying Bronze to save the premium is the most common and most costly mistake on the Marketplace.
The second-lowest-cost Silver plan is a number almost nobody watches, and it silently repriced every subsidised household in the rating area.
Premium is printed in large type. Network adequacy is not printed at all. Here is the order to check it in.
Next
Open the comparison ladder and read the whole argument before you speak to anyone. If you would rather talk it through, the desk is open.