Why are some people I know able to get free health insurance on the Marketplace, but I pay much higher rates?

ACA Marketplace rates are based on several factors including a person’s age, size of the household, the household income estimate, etc. In very general terms, the lower your income, the less you’ll pay. For those with low income, you can even get better plan designs as the government will give you a “cost share reduction” which will artificially reduce your deductible and out of pocket on Silver plans for those with lower income levels.