What is a Health Insurance Carrier?

A carrier is the insurance company behind your Affordable Care Act plan, managing its own provider network, plan designs, pricing, and customer support while determining service areas, plan types, and how claims, denials, and appeals are handled. This guide provides a concise, consistent overview of major Marketplace carriers using federal datasets and independent reporting, highlighting how each insurer performs nationwide in terms of access, reliability, stability, and member experience. Our score calculations incorporate network and plan type, county coverage, denial behavior, appeal outcomes, and each insurer’s Marketplace participation over time, with Learn More pages offering deeper insight.