Health insurance cost by state
Moving without employer coverage? Marketplace prices vary more than twofold between states. Here's every state for 2026, before subsidies.
Moving with Marketplace coverage? Build a coverage-transition checklist, compare state premium averages, or compare the budgets for two actual plan quotes.
What these premiums compare
The benchmark silver premium is the second-lowest-cost silver price in each county. The bronze column uses each county's lowest-cost bronze premium. KFF weights these county figures by Marketplace plan selections to calculate the state averages below.
Prices cover one 40-year-old adult before premium tax credits. The age-60 column is modeled from those averages with the applicable age curve. A household quote depends on its ZIP code, coverage year, plan and household details, including age and tobacco use where rating rules permit. These 2026 averages are for comparing states.
For a plan decision, compare total health care costs: premiums, deductibles, copayments, coinsurance and out-of-pocket limits. Check doctor networks and prescription coverage too. Silver cost-sharing reductions can lower eligible enrollees' costs when they get care.
Monthly premiums before subsidies, enrollment-weighted county averages. Modeled age-60 premiums use the federal default age curve, except in Massachusetts, Utah and Washington, DC, which set their own (Massachusetts limits age rating to 2:1). New York and Vermont don't rate by age.
Compare two actual plan quotes
A lower monthly premium can come with more cost when you get care. Use the same coverage year, household and individual or family coverage level for both plans. Enter the monthly premium you would pay after any savings and each plan's applicable annual in-network out-of-pocket maximum from its Summary of Benefits and Coverage. If eligible for silver cost-sharing reductions, use the reduced limits shown for your actual plan.
Worked example: the starting amounts are hypothetical, not actual plan prices or quotes. Plan A costs $250 a month with a $9,000 limit; Plan B costs $350 with a $6,000 limit. The comparison below separates the recurring premium from a year in which you reach the limit.
| Budget measure | Plan A | Plan B |
|---|---|---|
| Premiums: monthly amount × 12 | $3,000 | $4,200 |
| Premiums + full annual in-network out-of-pocket maximum | $12,000 | $10,200 |
Plan B costs $1,200 more in premiums over 12 months. It would need to reduce your covered out-of-pocket spending by more than that amount to cost less overall. The deductible alone cannot tell you whether it will.
Only premiums scale with the number of months. The full annual out-of-pocket maximum stays unchanged, even for one month. The second row is a stress test if you reach each plan's limit for covered in-network care. It is not an expected bill or a cap on all spending. Premiums, uncovered care, out-of-network charges and some other costs do not count toward that limit. Deductibles, copays and coinsurance that count toward it are already inside the limit; do not add the deductible again.
Before choosing, check the exact plan's doctor and hospital network, prescription formulary, referrals and prior-authorization rules. This comparison assumes none of either plan's annual limit has been met. If you are keeping a plan or switching midyear, confirm with the insurer what spending counts toward the new plan; the tool does not calculate amounts already met or transferred. Official guidance on total plan costs and what the out-of-pocket limit excludes.
Allow for tax-credit reconciliation. If advance premium tax credits help pay your 2026 premiums, report income, household and other coverage changes to your Marketplace promptly. For tax years after 2025, the IRS requires repayment of the full excess if those advances exceed the credit you are allowed; the former repayment caps do not apply. Use Form 1095-A to reconcile advances on Form 8962. IRS reporting and repayment guidance (questions 29–31). This worksheet does not estimate that tax adjustment.
Amounts stay on this page; they are not stored, added to a URL or sent to an insurer. This comparison does not estimate medical use, savings eligibility, tax-credit reconciliation or which plan is best for you.
Find coverage after a move
For 2027 coverage, open your state's guide from the premium table for its official marketplace and published enrollment dates. The 2026 figures above are comparison averages, not quotes for 2027 plans. You can also find your official marketplace at HealthCare.gov.
For example, people moving to Illinois or already covered there can check the Illinois 2027 plan changes and enrollment guidance. Use the moving timeline to coordinate coverage with the rest of your move.
A move that changes your available plans may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period outside open enrollment. Prior-coverage and timing rules apply. Read the official moving requirements and check whether you may qualify; your marketplace confirms eligibility and coverage start dates.
Plan your Marketplace coverage transition
Already using Marketplace coverage, or planning to apply after moving? Choose the states and coverage year to see the application steps. Employer plans, Medicare and Medicaid have their own transition rules; confirm those directly with the plan or program.
New York to North Carolina: 2027 Marketplace checklist
New-state application: For an interstate Marketplace move, start a new 2027 application and enroll through HealthCare.gov for North Carolina. Having an application at NY State of Health for New York does not transfer your plan. If applying on HealthCare.gov, select the coverage year and your new state.
Origin-state marketplace for 2027: NY State of Health. Destination-state marketplace for 2027: HealthCare.gov. Select 2027 on the official application. If your old plan covers a different year, switch the year to find its recorded marketplace or contact that plan directly.
Tick each item after you have checked it. Ticks stay only on this page and reset when you change the states or year. We do not ask for your income, medical details or exact coverage dates.
For an interstate Marketplace move, start a new 2027 application and enroll through HealthCare.gov for North Carolina. Having an application at NY State of Health for New York does not transfer your plan. If applying on HealthCare.gov, select the coverage year and your new state.
Confirm the new plan's effective date, any first-premium payment and the old plan's end date with the marketplace. Do not cancel current coverage before the replacement start date is confirmed. This worksheet does not determine those dates.
Estimate expected household income for 2027, including the part of the year before a job change—not only the new job's annual salary. Use the official household-income guidance. An affordable employer offer that meets minimum value, or eligibility for certain public coverage, can affect credits. Check employer-coverage conditions.
Confirm your doctors, hospitals and prescriptions with the new plan. Compare premiums, deductibles, copayments, coinsurance and out-of-pocket limits; a state-average premium is not a household quote. Compare total health care costs.
Outside open enrollment, ask the marketplace whether the move qualifies for a Special Enrollment Period. Generally, moving-SEP rules require qualifying coverage for at least one day in the preceding 60 days, with exceptions, and enrollment within 60 days after the move. Keep proof of prior coverage, the move and new address. Check the official SEP rules and CMS prior-coverage requirements and exceptions.
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This is an application checklist, not an eligibility decision, enrollment confirmation, quote or guaranteed coverage date. Official same-state and interstate move instructions. Guidance checked 2026-10-21. Premium averages elsewhere on this page remain 2026 data; this checklist does not estimate 2027 prices.
Frequently asked questions
Which state has the lowest average benchmark silver premium in 2026?
New Hampshire, at $401 a month for one 40-year-old before premium tax credits. This is the enrollment-weighted average of each county's second-lowest-cost silver premium. Your ZIP code and plan can give a different quote.
Which state has the lowest average bronze premium in 2026?
Maryland, at $283 a month for one 40-year-old before premium tax credits. This averages each county's lowest-cost bronze premium, weighted by plan selections. It measures the monthly premium; deductibles, cost-sharing and provider networks also affect the choice.
Which state has the highest average benchmark silver premium in 2026?
Vermont, at $1,299 a month for one 40-year-old before premium tax credits. This compares state averages of county benchmark silver premiums, rather than every plan or household's total medical cost.
How much did benchmark Marketplace premiums rise for 2026?
The national average benchmark silver premium for a 40-year-old rose from $497 in 2025 to $625 a month in 2026, an increase of 26% before premium tax credits. Changes in a household's after-credit premium can differ.