Also, note that the ACA’s premium subsidies (premium tax credits) are based on the cost of the benchmark plan, which is defined as the second-lowest-cost silver plan in a given area (but the subsidies can be used to offset the cost of any metal-level pla). And the ACA’s cost-sharing reductions (cost-sharing subsidies) are only available on silver plans. So silver plans play a particularly important role in the individual health insurance market.