---
title: Atlas Commons research objects — ACA marketplace coverage for North Carolina (2026)
license: CC0-1.0
source: CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year)
---

# Atlas Commons research objects — ACA marketplace coverage for North Carolina (2026)

North Carolina's ACA marketplace coverage from the CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF, with each figure's epistemic status labeled: every plan count — medical plans, standalone dental plans, and breakdowns by metal level, plan type, HSA-eligibility, and referral requirement — is a measured census of plans offered (counts of rows in the CMS file, all labeled RECORDED); the sticker premium landscape by metal tier (40yo, pre-subsidy) is a recorded set of published CMS Rate PUF rates, with the subsidy note labeled CONTEXT; the boundary note is context (labeled CONTEXT) — these count plans offered and their sticker price, not enrollment, the insured rate, or net cost after subsidies. Sources: CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF, CMS Marketplace Rate PUF. CC0.

## Claims

### 1,046 ACA medical marketplace plans are offered in North Carolina for plan year 2026

**RECORDED.** The CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF records 1,046 on-marketplace medical plans from 6 issuers offered in North Carolina for the 2026 plan year. A census of offered plans.

Source: CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year) — https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/resources/data/public-use-files
Falsifier: A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year); superseded when CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year) publishes its next release.

### Medical plan counts by CMS metal level in North Carolina (2026): Silver 518, Expanded Bronze 324, Gold 196, Bronze 8

**RECORDED.** Counts of the 1,046 medical plans by CMS-defined metal level: Silver 518, Expanded Bronze 324, Gold 196, Bronze 8. The metal levels are CMS categories; this is a count of PUF rows per category.

Source: CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year) — https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/resources/data/public-use-files
Falsifier: A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year); superseded when CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year) publishes its next release.

### Medical plan counts by CMS plan type in North Carolina (2026): HMO 506, EPO 405, POS 90, PPO 45

**RECORDED.** Counts of the 1,046 medical plans by CMS-defined plan type (HMO/PPO/EPO/POS): HMO 506, EPO 405, POS 90, PPO 45. A count of PUF rows per CMS category.

Source: CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year) — https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/resources/data/public-use-files
Falsifier: A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year); superseded when CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year) publishes its next release.

### 332 of 1,046 medical plans in North Carolina are HSA-eligible (2026)

**RECORDED.** The PUF flags 332 of the 1,046 medical plans as HSA-eligible — a count of plans carrying the CMS HSA-eligibility attribute.

Source: CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year) — https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/resources/data/public-use-files
Falsifier: A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year); superseded when CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year) publishes its next release.

### 1,046 of 1,046 medical plans in North Carolina require no specialist referral (2026)

**RECORDED.** The PUF flags 1,046 of the 1,046 medical plans as not requiring a referral to see a specialist — a count of plans carrying the CMS no-referral attribute.

Source: CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year) — https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/resources/data/public-use-files
Falsifier: A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year); superseded when CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year) publishes its next release.

### 56 standalone dental plans are offered in North Carolina for plan year 2026

**RECORDED.** The PUF records 56 standalone dental plans from 7 issuers offered in North Carolina for the 2026 plan year.

Source: CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year) — https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/resources/data/public-use-files
Falsifier: A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year); superseded when CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026 plan year) publishes its next release.

### STICKER ACA premiums in North Carolina for a 40-year-old (before tax credits): Silver median $758/mo

**DERIVED.** Per-metal-tier MEDIAN and range of full (pre-subsidy) monthly premiums for a 40-year-old, individual, non-tobacco, across North Carolina's 16 rating area(s): Bronze $597 ($420–$907), Silver $758 ($540–$1,128), Gold $847 ($558–$1,345). The per-plan rates are RECORDED in the CMS Marketplace Rate PUF; these per-tier median/min/max figures are DERIVED — the atlas's own aggregation over 206 Rate-PUF rate rows (CMS does not publish a state×tier median). The FULL sticker price — most marketplace enrollees pay less after income-based premium tax credits; this is not net cost.

Source: CMS Marketplace Rate Public Use File (atlas-aggregated per tier) — https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/resources/data/public-use-files
Falsifier: occurred=FALSE (a computed summary, not a single published figure) and adjudged=FALSE (the atlas's aggregation, not a CMS-published statistic). Reproduce it: take the median/min/max of the 206 CMS Rate-PUF rows for a 40yo non-tobacco enrollee per metal tier across the rating areas. Falsified if the per-row rates or the aggregation are wrong; it is sticker (pre-subsidy), so it overstates what a subsidized enrollee pays.

### What the North Carolina premiums mean — sticker, not your price

**INTERPRETATION.** The premiums above are FULL pre-subsidy stickers. The Affordable Care Act caps a household's benchmark-Silver premium at a share of income via an advance premium tax credit, which can be applied to any tier — so a subsidized lower-income enrollee can pay far less, sometimes near $0. The sticker tells you how plans compare and the unsubsidized cost, NOT what you will pay. Net cost depends on your income and the prevailing tax-credit rules; we do not compute it. Get your actual price at HealthCare.gov.

Source: Coverage Atlas framing (over the CMS Rate PUF figures above) — https://coverage-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/
Falsifier: occurred=FALSE (a framing, not an event) and adjudged=FALSE (the atlas's reading, not a CMS verdict). The sticker premiums above are CMS Rate PUF records (recorded); this subsidy note is interpretation.

### What these coverage figures are — and are NOT — for North Carolina (the epistemic boundary)

**INTERPRETATION.** The plan counts above are a COUNT OF PLANS OFFERED on the ACA marketplace for plan year 2026 (a CMS PUF census); the premiums are FULL sticker rates for a 40-year-old. They are NOT enrollment counts, the insured/uninsured rate, NET cost after subsidies, or who actually has coverage. For your net premium use HealthCare.gov / your state marketplace; for the insured rate use the Census ACS / KFF. This object describes what is OFFERED and its sticker price, not who is COVERED or what they pay.

Source: Coverage Atlas framing (over the CMS facts above) — https://coverage-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/
Falsifier: occurred=FALSE (a framing, not an event) and adjudged=FALSE (the atlas's reading, not a CMS verdict) — the LOWEST-warrant claim here. The plan counts and sticker premiums above are direct CMS records; this is interpretation, and the four-status says so.

---

Every claim above carries a four-status warrant (RECORDED / MODELED / DERIVED / INTERPRETATION) and a named source you can re-fetch — this is a research object, not a flat fact. Structured: `https://coverage-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/coverage/states/nc.jsonld`

## Data

### North Carolina — every coverage indicator (typed)

Each official figure for this state with its four-status warrant and named source. RECORDED = an observed count or published per-plan rate from the CMS file; DERIVED = an atlas-computed summary over those rows (e.g. the per-tier median premium).

| indicator | value | warrant | source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Medical plans offered | 1046 | RECORDED | CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026) |
| Medical issuers | 6 | RECORDED | CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026) |
| HSA-eligible medical plans | 332 | RECORDED | CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026) |
| Medical plans requiring no specialist referral | 1046 | RECORDED | CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026) |
| Standalone dental plans offered | 56 | RECORDED | CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026) |
| Standalone dental issuers | 7 | RECORDED | CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026) |
| Distinct issuers (medical + dental) | 13 | RECORDED | CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026) |
| Plan year | 2026 | — | CMS ACA Plan Attributes PUF (2026) |
| Silver median sticker premium (USD/mo) | 758 | DERIVED | CMS Marketplace Rate Public Use File (40-year-old, individual, non-tobacco) |
| Rating areas (premium aggregate) | 16 | RECORDED | CMS Marketplace Rate Public Use File (40-year-old, individual, non-tobacco) |
| Rate-PUF rate rows summarized | 206 | RECORDED | CMS Marketplace Rate Public Use File (40-year-old, individual, non-tobacco) |

### North Carolina — medical plans by CMS metal level (RECORDED)

A count of CMS PUF rows per CMS-defined metal level — plans OFFERED, not enrollment.

| metal_level | plan_count |
| --- | --- |
| Silver | 518 |
| Expanded Bronze | 324 |
| Gold | 196 |
| Bronze | 8 |

### North Carolina — medical plans by CMS plan type (RECORDED)

A count of CMS PUF rows per CMS-defined plan type (HMO/PPO/EPO/POS) — plans OFFERED.

| plan_type | plan_count |
| --- | --- |
| HMO | 506 |
| EPO | 405 |
| POS | 90 |
| PPO | 45 |

### North Carolina — medical plans by market coverage (RECORDED)

A count of CMS PUF rows per market-coverage category (e.g. Individual, SHOP).

| market_coverage | plan_count |
| --- | --- |
| Individual | 1102 |

### North Carolina — sticker ACA premiums by metal tier (40yo, pre-subsidy, DERIVED)

Per-tier median/p25/p75/min/max — the atlas's aggregation over the CMS Marketplace Rate PUF per-plan rates (the rates are RECORDED; these tier summaries are DERIVED — CMS does not publish a state×tier median). 40yo non-tobacco, across the state's rating areas, USD rounded. STICKER rates — most enrollees pay less after income-based tax credits; not net cost.

| tier | plans | median_usd | p25_usd | p75_usd | min_usd | max_usd |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bronze | 381 | 597 | 530 | 674 | 420 | 907 |
| Silver | 343 | 758 | 665 | 869 | 540 | 1128 |
| Gold | 220 | 847 | 702 | 912 | 558 | 1345 |

### North Carolina — issuers present on the marketplace (RECORDED)

Every distinct issuer (medical or standalone dental) the CMS PUF records as offering at least one plan in this state.

| issuer |
| --- |
| Ambetter of North Carolina |
| AmeriHealth Caritas Next |
| BEST Life |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC |
| Cigna Healthcare |
| Delta Dental of North Carolina |
| Dominion National |
| EMI Health |
| Guardian |
| Humana |
| Oscar Health Plan of North Carolina, Inc |
| TRUASSURE INSURANCE COMPANY |
| UnitedHealthcare |