I answered this above...
According to the law prior to 2023, they based affordability on the cost for the employee only. So my insurance was free (and therefore considered affordable for the entire family), but to add my wife was over $100 more per month than going through the marketplace even with no tax credit. It was a loophole in the system. Example numbers for the health insurance costs through my employer:
Insurance for me only = $0 covered by the company and therefore making our entire family ineligible for tax credits
Insurance for me and kids only = $300 taken out of my monthly paycheck
Insurance for me and wife only = $400 taken out of my monthly paycheck
Insurance for me and family = $1000 taken out of my monthly paycheck
Insurance for my wife in 2022 through the marketplace = $370
After checking costs in every possible way our most cost effective answer was the kids and I through my work and my wife on a marketplace policy.
In 2023 this has changed. Now there is a special section to fill out on the marketplace and we now qualify for the tax credits. My wife's cost has dropped by $300 due to the tax credit loophole being closed.
