Health Insurance Marketplace discount price?

On healthcare.gov it lists the normal price for healthcare insurance but then a post-subsidy/discount price, yielding a low, low monthly premium. 
 

Am I correct that this "discount" is really just an advance payment of a standard tax credit or deduction and i would be using it up by applying it toward these premiums?

Thanks for any help- open enrollment closes tomorrow and I want to make sure I'm not messing up by declining. 

Check with an expert but I believe you should claim it IF you put in your financial information.  A decade ago I used this for health insurance and had very low income so the subsidy was great.  A year later my income went up alot and I never updated the info in their system.  Got wacked that year, you have a form with this info as part of fed tax filing.  I got a penalty, had to pay back the premium discount and got stuck on quarterly filing for the next year.  

The credit is something you can only use towards insurance in the Marketplace or your state's equivalent; I don't think there is a way to get it outside of this. If you buy insurance elsewhere, it's full price and you don't get the tax credit.

It is possible, however, to buy the insurance, not apply any of the credit towards it, then receive the credit as a refund. I'm not sure why you would want to do this, but you can.

In reply to MadScientistMatt :

Ohhhh so it's not robbing Peter (a typical credit) to pay Paul (insurance deductible) -- the money of that credit is only available FOR health insurance payments??

I just called a couple insurance agents and they both confirmed that this subsidy exists entirely independently of my existing tax payments and credits. 

In other words, this is "free" money to me and I will not be penalized later in my taxes for having taken it. 
 

In OTHER words, I'm going to go enroll before it's too late

Hope you enrolled yesterday. Unless you have a specific qualifying event (marriage, divorce, birth of child, etc.), the window to sign up is now closed.

In reply to Will :

Sure did! $56 a month for Blue Care Nerwork. Savings of $800/mo

Silly high deductible so it's basically just for a crisis, but that's been our plan all along