Medical Expense✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 1/5
Under the ACA, a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) is best defined as a plan that:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why C is correct
A Qualified Health Plan is a health insurance plan that has been certified by a Health Insurance Exchange as meeting ACA standards and that provides the essential health benefits. QHPs are the plans sold through the individual and small group marketplaces, and they must comply with cost-sharing limits, actuarial value tiers, and network adequacy requirements. Certification is what distinguishes a QHP from ordinary off-exchange coverage.
Why the other options are wrong
- A) QHPs must be certified by an exchange; plans sold only directly by insurers without certification are not QHPs.
- B) Catastrophic plans are a distinct limited category for young adults and hardship cases; they are not the general definition of a QHP.
- D) Medicare supplement (Medigap) policies are private supplements to Medicare, not QHPs sold through the ACA exchanges.
Memory hook
QHP = the seal of approval from the exchange. Certified, covers essential benefits, sold on the marketplace.