Find Affordable Health Insurance by State

Insurance plans and availability vary by state and zip code. All plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace must conform to Affordable Care Act (ACA) standards, but your choice in plans, how much you’ll pay, and how you sign up depends on where you live.

Find the most affordable health care insurance options available where you live with our state health care insurance resources.

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Find Affordable Health Insurance in Your State

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Affordable Health Insurance Plan Choice

Just 46% of U.S. counties have three or more insurers to choose from.

Your choice in health coverage depends on which insurers participate in your area. In 2021, just 46% of United States counties had three or more insurers to choose from, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s report on insurer participation on the ACA marketplaces.

State and Federal Health Insurance Marketplaces

Where you sign up for a health plan depends on your state too. Some states run state health insurance marketplace websites while others use the federal Healthcare.gov for enrollment:

  • State-based marketplace (SBM): The state is responsible for running the functions of the marketplace, and you’ll apply and enroll on a state insurance website.
  • Federally-facilitated marketplace (FFM): The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) runs the marketplace functions, and you’ll apply for and enroll in coverage through Healthcare.gov.
  • State-based marketplace-federal platform (SBM-FP): These states are responsible for the marketplace functions, but you’ll apply and enroll on Healthcare.gov.
State-based Marketplace Federally-facilitated Marketplace State-based Marketplace-Federal Platform
CA, CO, CT, DC, ID, KY, MA, MD, ME, MN, NM, NV, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, WA AL, AK, AZ, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MI, MO, MS, MT, NE, NH, NC, ND, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, WV, WI, WY AR, OR, VA

Affordable Health Insurance Premiums

Your monthly premium will vary based on where you live. The U.S. marketplace average benchmark premium for affordable health insurance is $438 per month in 2022, but that figure varies by state. Residents of Wyoming can expect to pay the highest premiums at an average benchmark premium of $762 while New Hampshire’s is less than half that at $309.

The Health Insurance Marketplace divides plans into four tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum plans. Plans fit into these tiers based on factors such as monthly premiums, copayment requirements, annual deductibles, and the overall level of your coverage.

  • A Bronze plan only covers 40% of your medical expenses after you meet your deductible. Bronze plan deductibles are usually higher than other tiers, but premiums are lower.
  • Silver plans cost a little more than Bronze plans. However, some residents might qualify for subsidies that make a Silver plan less costly than a Bronze plan. These plans offer lower deductibles and require you to cover 30% of your medical expenses after meeting your deductible.
  • Gold and Platinum plans have the most expensive monthly premiums, but will also cover more. A Gold plan requires you to pay a 20% copayment, while a Platinum plan only requires you to cover 10%.

Compare your options for affordable insurance.

Affordable Health Insurance Providers

Read reviews for affordable health insurance companies. Find out if the company offers insurance coverage in your state, see ratings, and learn more about coverage.

Medicare Advantage Plans

If you’re 65 or older or have a qualifying disability, you may qualify for health coverage with Medicare. You can choose Original Medicare or enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan, also known as Medicare Part C. Medicare Advantage Plans are all-in-one bundled plans that provide both Part A and Part B coverage and often even include Medicare drug coverage. As such Medicare Advantage Plans can be an affordable Medicare option.

If you use Original Medicare you may want to get a Medicare supplement plan, called Medigap. Medicare supplement insurance plans can help cover the gaps in Original Medicare coverage. You’d also need a separate Medicare plan for prescription drug coverage as Medigap plans sold after January 1, 2006 do not cover prescription drug costs.

You can sign up for Medicare coverage during your initial enrollment period, which starts three months before the month you turn 65, or during the open enrollment period each year. Open enrollment for 2022 ended on March 31.

Find a Medicare Advantage Plan in Your State

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Insurance and health care consultant

Tammy Burns is an experienced health insurance advisor. She earned her nursing degree in 1990 from Jacksonville State University, obtained her insurance billing and coding certification in 1995, and holds a health and life insurance license in Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Burns is Affordable Care Act (ACA)-certified for health insurance and other ancillary, life, and annuity products. She maintains an active nursing license and practices private-duty nursing.

Burns’ background as a nurse, insurance biller and coder, and insurance consultant includes infectious disease, oncology, gynecology, phlebotomy, post operative, family medicine, geriatrics, home health, hospice, human resources, management, billing, coding, claims, fixed annuities, group and individual health and life products, and Medicare. She’s always been driven by a desire to help people, spending more than 25 years as a practicing nurse in hospitals, private doctors’ offices, home health, and hospice. As a nurse, Burns supported patients filing insurance claims with Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies as well as responding to billing questions from confused patients.

Seeing firsthand how unsuspecting patients are frequently confused by an overly complex system they don’t understand led Burns to become an insurance agent and health care consultant, now helping people understand the medical system. Since becoming an insurance agent in 2013, she has worked with some of the largest and most reputable insurance carriers and agencies in the nation, and she has built a large and loyal clientele by way of her commitment to transparency and personalized service.