Medical Expense✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 3/5
Which statement correctly distinguishes a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) from a plan that provides only Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC)?
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
Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) is the broader category: it includes employer-sponsored coverage, Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and exchange plans, and historically it satisfied the ACA individual mandate. A Qualified Health Plan is a subset of MEC that is certified by an exchange and must deliver the complete essential health benefits package, so QHPs are more comprehensive than a bare MEC plan such as a catastrophic policy. MEC plans satisfy the mandate but do not automatically meet EHB requirements the way QHPs must.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) QHPs are sold to individuals and small groups through the exchange; they are not restricted to Medicare beneficiaries.
- C) Pediatric dental and vision are part of the EHB package required of QHPs in the individual and small group markets, not of every MEC plan.
- D) QHPs must cover the essential health benefits; that is the opposite of being exempt from them.
Memory hook
MEC is the big tent that satisfies the mandate; QHP is the certified full-feature tent inside it.