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Affordable Care Act will offer uninsured Utahns several options

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SALT LAKE CITY -- Utahns without health insurance will have to change that situation by the beginning of next year.

The individual mandate for uninsured Americans to obtain insurance is the most far-reaching aspect of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) also known as Obamacare.

In Utah, that means between 10 and 20 percent of the population will turn to the Federal Individual Marketplace to find a Health Plan.

Despite strong opposition to the ACA from Governor Gary Herbert and Utah's Congressional Delegation, the state insurance commissioner's office said Utah has a "robust marketplace" of 99 health plans provided by six insurers. And insurance executives said the plans will not put families in crisis.

"As far as what we're seeing for families and individuals, no crisis at all," said Shaun Greene, the founder and chief operating officer for Arches Health Plan.

Arches will be hosting an Arches health plan seminar at FOX 13's studios on August 29, click here for more information and to RSVP.

The new marketplace will provide four levels of health plans, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, paying from 60 percent to 90 percent of costs for the consumer.

The state released preliminary numbers showing what a silver plan would cost individuals and families.

Silver plans for single Utahns would cost between $162 and $286 dollars per month, while a family with three or more children would pay somewhere between $623 and $1,032 per month.

However, very few Utahns will pay full price.

The Federal Government will provide some level of subsidy for people making up to 400 percent of the poverty level. The subsidies decrease for people who earn more money.

An individual making $46,000 a year or a family of five making $110,000 would still qualify for federal help.

The Kaiser Family Foundation created an online calculator to estimate ACA individual costs.

A family of five earning the Utah median income of $57,783 would pay $320 per month for a silver level plan.

The cost of the average national employer health plan for a family is $380 per month.

The six Utah insurers competing in the Individual Marketplace starting October 1st are:

Altius

Arches

BridgeSpan

Humana

Molina

SelectHealth