How we verify everything on this site

Health insurance advice is only as good as the facts underneath it — and the facts change every year. This page explains exactly how we check ours, how often we re-check, how we handle corrections, and what we refuse to publish when we can't verify something. If a fact on this site is wrong, this page should make it easy to find the error and tell us.

Primary sources only

Every factual claim on this site traces back to one of these sources:

• HealthCare.gov — enrollment rules, deadlines, plan availability, and premium tax credit mechanics for the federally facilitated marketplace Tennessee uses.
• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) — plan-year parameters (like out-of-pocket maximums), public rate-review filings, and official statements on enrollment schedules.
• The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) — carrier licensing, consumer resources, complaint and external-review processes.
• TennCare and CoverKids on tn.gov — eligibility categories, income limits, application paths, and covered benefits, including the official TennCare Eligibility Reference Guide.
• Tennessee navigator programs (GetCoveredTenn) — where free enrollment help is available.

We also read secondary sources — KFF, healthinsurance.org, Commonwealth Fund — to catch changes early and to understand context. But a claim doesn't go on the site until a primary source confirms it. When only a secondary source covers something, we say so, or we leave it out.

"Last verified" on every factual page

Each factual page carries a visible verification date, and every page on the site gets re-checked against primary sources each open enrollment season — because plan years, subsidy law, carrier lists, and poverty guidelines all change annually. If a page's date looks stale, treat it as stale: the number you see may belong to last year's rules. We will not silently age a page into a new plan year.

Corrections policy

When a law or the market changes — a court vacates an enrollment rule, a carrier exits Tennessee, Congress changes subsidy eligibility — we update the affected pages the same week and note what changed with a new verification date. We do not quietly rewrite history: if you think something on this site is wrong, contact us with the correction and a source, and we'll fix it and disclose that we did.

What we will NOT publish

This list is as important as what we do publish. Some of these are permanent policies; some are items we're actively watching, marked accordingly.

Specific premium prices — never. Premiums vary by age, county, and tobacco use, and they change every plan year. Publishing a price guarantees it will mislead someone. Instead, we teach how prices are set and where to check current rates: HealthCare.gov window shopping or insurers' own sites.

2027 carrier availability by rating area — not yet. Tennessee has eight rating areas, and TDCI's published carrier-by-area map still reflects plan year 2026 (it lists Cigna, which is exiting). We will not publish a 2027 county-by-county carrier breakdown until we've confirmed it on HealthCare.gov window shopping. We're watching this.

TennCare work requirements — resolved with a caveat. CMS's June 2026 in-scope list names Tennessee's 1115 waiver population (primarily low-income parents), confirmed by KFF's September 2026 tracker — so the TennCare page now carries a careful Tennessee answer. The caveat: broad exemptions mean only a small number of members are affected, and the Division of TennCare hasn't published detailed implementation guidance yet. Still watching for the state's guidance.

Senate status of the enhanced-credit extension (H.R. 1834) — not stated as settled. The House passed a three-year extension in January 2026; the Senate has not acted. If Congress passes it, the entire subsidy picture for 2027 changes. We'll say so the week it happens — not before. We're watching this.

Navigator capacity — confirmed for 2027. CMS awarded GetCoveredTenn (Family & Children's Service) $473,000 for the 2027 plan year: in-person help in 10 counties (Cheatham, Davidson, Fayette, Robertson, Rutherford, Shelby, Sumner, Tipton, Williamson, Wilson), phone/virtual help statewide at 1-866-475-7879.

The 2027 Medicare Part B premium — not yet. CMS had not announced it as of our last check. We'll fill it in when it's released.

The principle behind every item above: a blank is better than a wrong number. If we can't confirm it, we withhold it, say we're watching it, and publish the answer when we can.

Frequently asked questions

How often do you update the site? Every factual page is re-checked each open enrollment season. When the law or the market changes mid-year — a court decision, a carrier exit, a congressional vote — we update the affected pages the same week and stamp a new verification date.

Why don't you list plan prices? Because any price we printed would be wrong for most readers: premiums depend on age, county, tobacco use, plan tier, and subsidy eligibility, and they reset every plan year. We point you to the places where current prices actually live — HealthCare.gov and insurer sites — and teach you how to compare plans on more than price.

What does "last verified" mean, exactly? It means a human checked that page's factual claims against the primary sources above on that date. It does not mean the facts are frozen — if something changed the next day, it changed. The date tells you when we last did the work, so you can judge freshness for yourself.

Do you sell insurance or earn commissions from insurers? No. We don't sell plans, take commissions, refer you to specific insurers for payment, or enroll anyone. That's a deliberate design choice — it's what lets us write about trade-offs honestly. See our about page for how the site is funded.

Can I suggest a correction? Please do. Our contact page explains what to send — a correction, a source if you have one, and the page where you saw it — and we aim to respond within two business days.

What should I do if I need personal advice about which plan to pick? We can't give it — we're an editorial guide, not licensed brokers or navigators. Call HealthCare.gov at 1-800-318-2596 for plan questions, or GetCoveredTenn at 1-866-475-7879 for free, unbiased enrollment help in Tennessee.

Sources

• HealthCare.gov (enrollment rules, deadlines, plan availability, tax credit mechanics)
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — plan-year parameters, ratereview.healthcare.gov rate filings, CMS public statements on the 2027 open enrollment schedule
• Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance — carrier licensing, consumer resources, complaint and external-review process
• TennCare / tn.gov — Eligibility Reference Guide, TennCare Connect, CoverKids eligibility and application pages
• GetCoveredTenn / Family & Children's Service — Tennessee Navigator program