Medical Expense✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 1/5
In the individual health insurance market under the ACA, 'guaranteed issue' requires insurers to:
Select an option to reveal the answer and the full 3-part explanation — free, no signup.
Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
Guaranteed issue in the individual market means insurers must offer and sell coverage to any applicant regardless of health status, medical history, or pre-existing conditions. Combined with the prohibition on health-status rating, this ensures that coverage is available to all who seek it. Enrollment timing is still controlled by open and special enrollment periods, but eligibility to enroll is not based on health.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Open and special enrollment periods govern when a person may enroll, but guaranteed issue means no applicant is turned away for health reasons during those windows.
- C) Guaranteed issue protects applicants of all ages; age may affect premium but not eligibility.
- D) The ACA bars health-status rating; premiums may vary by age, tobacco use, and geography but not by medical condition.
Memory hook
Guaranteed issue in the individual market: health status is not a reason to say no.