Best Cheap Health Insurance in Florida 2019
Find the Cheapest Health Insurance Quotes in Your Area
If you're looking for the best health insurance plan in the state of Florida, you can find many affordable options on the Florida health insurance marketplace. Where available, Celtic Insurance/Ambetter typically offers the cheapest health plans—though Blue Cross Blue Shield offered the best rates in the majority of the Florida and has offerings in every county. A plan that shoppers can begin looking at is the BlueOptions Silver 1410, a Silver plan that has the lowest premiums in nearly a third Florida counties. Another health plan that can be cheaper, but is limited in availability to a smaller set of counties, is the Ambetter Balanced Care 5.
Cheapest Health Insurance by Metal Tier
We compared the health insurance plans available on the Florida marketplace and identified the cheapest policy in each metal tier to help you find the best option for your chosen level of coverage. The insurers and health plans you can choose from will vary depending on the county you live in, and not all of those listed below are available in every county. We recommend using these as a starting point when assessing the benefits and out-of-pocket costs you can expect from a health plan, as compared to monthly premiums.
| Metal Tier | Cheapest Plan | Deductible | Out-of-Pocket Maximum | Monthly Cost for a 40-Year Old |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | Health First GYM ACCESS Catastrophic HMO 1746 | $7,350 | $7,350 | $189 |
| Bronze | IND Bronze HMO 1340 | $7,350 | $7,350 | $278 |
| Expanded Bronze | IND Bronze Standardized HMO | $6,650 | $7,350 | $288 |
| Silver | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $7,350 | $7,350 | $405 |
| Gold | Ambetter Secure Care 3 with 3 Free PCP Visits | $1,000 | $6,350 | $435 |
| Platinum | IND Platinum HMO BC 5841 | $800 | $2,500 | $552 |
Aside from the level of coverage you choose, one of the most significant factors in determining health insurance rates is the age of each person insured. As you can see below, a 21-year-old will receive 22% cheaper prices for health insurance in Florida, on average, than a 40-year-old for the same metal tier plan. Whereas a 60-year-old would pay 112% higher monthly premiums.
Finding The Best Health Insurance Plans in Florida
Remember, premiums are not the only cost component when it comes to your health care. Out-of-pocket costs in the form of deductibles, copays and coinsurance are just as important to compare when you shop. The best cheap health insurance plan for you and your family will depend on your income level and expected health care needs. Households with higher expected medical costs should opt for plans with higher cost-sharing benefits, while those who expect to be relatively healthy or to need little to no routine care should look toward cheaper plans.
Average Consumers Should Start by Browsing Silver Plans
Unless you're extremely healthy or know you'll have medical expenses, we advise that you begin your shopping process by looking at the Silver metal tiered health insurance plans. These are the plans that the exchange offerings are generally benchmarked off of, and they occupy a good middle ground between premiums you are guaranteed to pay and cost-sharing responsibilities that you will incur if you have any medical expenses.
The Silver plans are also the only plans on the Florida exchange that make you eligible for cost-sharing reductions that further reduce your copays, coinsurance and deductibles if you have a household income under 250% of the federal poverty level. In such a case, these plans can actually offer more benefits than higher-priced Gold and Platinum plans but at a much lower premium.
Younger and Healthier Households can Look To Bronze and Catastrophic Plans
Bronze and Catastrophic plans will have the lowest premiums available but come at the cost of extremely high deductibles. Many of the plans in this metal tier will have their cost sharing near the maximum limits, meaning that you will first need to meet thousands of dollars of fees before the health plans benefits really start kicking in. These types of health insurance policies really only make sense if you want coverage for extremely costly emergencies and have little to no need for routine care. Catastrophic plans are only available for those individuals under the age of 30.
Best Cheap Health Insurance Companies in Florida
There are currently six health insurance providers offering plans on the Florida marketplace. This is down from 10 providers that were available just two years ago, with UnitedHealthcare, Coventry, Humana and Aetna leaving the market.
| Health Insurance Company | Number of Counties Served |
|---|---|
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida | 67 |
| Celtic Insurance Co. | 22 |
| Florida Health Care Plan Inc. | 4 |
| Health First Commercial Plans Inc. | 5 |
| Health Options Inc. | 45 |
| Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc | 8 |
Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the only health insurance company available in every county in Florida, and in some counties like Calhoun, it will be the only insurer available.
Cheapest Health Insurance Plan By County
As we mentioned above, Silver plans are where we advise the average consumer to begin their shopping process. To help you, we've listed the cheapest Silver health plan for each Florida county, as well as sample prices for different sized families. These premium estimates are unsubsidized and for a single individual. Depending on your income, you will likely see even lower prices once you account for the tax credits.
| County | Cheapest Silver Plan | Single Adult, Age 40 | Couple, Age 40 | Couple, Age 40, and Child |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua | myBlue Silver 1604 | $463 | $926 | $1,204 |
| Baker | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $491 | $981 | $1,275 |
| Bay | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $424 | $848 | $1,101 |
| Bradford | BlueCare Silver 1477 | $521 | $1,041 | $1,353 |
| Brevard | IND Silver HMO BC 7741 | $425 | $850 | $1,105 |
| Broward | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $418 | $836 | $1,087 |
| Calhoun | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $669 | $1,338 | $1,739 |
| Charlotte | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $406 | $812 | $1,055 |
| Citrus | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $413 | $826 | $1,073 |
| Clay | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $451 | $903 | $1,173 |
| Collier | BlueCare Silver 1477 | $484 | $968 | $1,258 |
| Columbia | BlueCare Silver 1477 | $546 | $1,093 | $1,420 |
| De Soto | BlueCare Silver 1477 | $557 | $1,114 | $1,448 |
| Dixie | BlueCare Silver 1477 | $554 | $1,107 | $1,438 |
| Duval | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $447 | $895 | $1,163 |
| Escambia | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $475 | $951 | $1,235 |
| Flagler | IND Silver HMO BC 7741 | $456 | $911 | $1,184 |
| Franklin | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $708 | $1,416 | $1,840 |
| Gadsden | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $778 | $1,556 | $2,022 |
| Gilchrist | BlueCare Silver 1477 | $548 | $1,095 | $1,423 |
| Glades | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $779 | $1,558 | $2,024 |
| Gulf | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $420 | $840 | $1,091 |
| Hamilton | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $712 | $1,425 | $1,851 |
| Hardee | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $839 | $1,679 | $2,181 |
| Hendry | BlueCare Silver 1477 | $528 | $1,057 | $1,373 |
| Hernando | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $437 | $874 | $1,136 |
| Highlands | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $487 | $974 | $1,265 |
| Hillsborough | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $428 | $855 | $1,111 |
| Holmes | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $686 | $1,371 | $1,781 |
| Indian River | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $436 | $873 | $1,134 |
| Jackson | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $688 | $1,376 | $1,788 |
| Jefferson | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $777 | $1,554 | $2,020 |
| Lafayette | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $698 | $1,395 | $1,813 |
| Lake | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $449 | $898 | $1,167 |
| Lee | BlueCare Silver 1766S | $600 | $1,201 | $1,560 |
| Leon | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $692 | $1,385 | $1,799 |
| Levy | BlueCare Silver 1477 | $512 | $1,023 | $1,329 |
| Liberty | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $722 | $1,444 | $1,876 |
| Madison | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $678 | $1,356 | $1,761 |
| Manatee | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $407 | $815 | $1,059 |
| Marion | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $405 | $810 | $1,052 |
| Martin | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $456 | $911 | $1,184 |
| Miami-Dade | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $435 | $869 | $1,129 |
| Monroe | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $932 | $1,864 | $2,422 |
| Nassau | BlueCare Silver 1477 | $624 | $1,247 | $1,621 |
| Okaloosa | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $464 | $929 | $1,207 |
| Okeechobee | BlueCare Silver 1477 | $641 | $1,282 | $1,666 |
| Orange | myBlue Silver 1604 | $469 | $937 | $1,217 |
| Osceola | myBlue Silver 1604 | $459 | $918 | $1,193 |
| Palm Beach | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $415 | $829 | $1,078 |
| Pasco | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $442 | $885 | $1,149 |
| Pinellas | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $438 | $876 | $1,138 |
| Polk | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $431 | $862 | $1,120 |
| Putnam | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $710 | $1,419 | $1,844 |
| Saint Johns | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $452 | $905 | $1,175 |
| Saint Lucie | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $462 | $924 | $1,201 |
| Santa Rosa | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $491 | $981 | $1,275 |
| Sarasota | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $459 | $919 | $1,194 |
| Seminole | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $452 | $904 | $1,174 |
| Sumter | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $433 | $865 | $1,124 |
| Suwannee | BlueCare Silver 1477 | $530 | $1,059 | $1,376 |
| Taylor | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $667 | $1,333 | $1,732 |
| Union | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $749 | $1,497 | $1,945 |
| Volusia | Ambetter Balanced Care 5 | $423 | $847 | $1,100 |
| Wakulla | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $796 | $1,592 | $2,069 |
| Walton | BlueSelect Silver 1443 | $481 | $963 | $1,251 |
| Washington | BlueOptions Silver 1410 | $682 | $1,364 | $1,772 |
Average Cost of Health Insurance by Family Size in Florida
The total cost of a health insurance policy will take into account the age of each person insured. For instance, the average premium for a Silver health plan in Florida is $598 for a 40-year-old, while children age 14 and younger cost $358 for coverage. So a family of four would have $358 cheaper premiums in total than a family of five, on average, assuming two adults are on the policy. But they would pay $716 more per month for health insurance than a couple with no children.
| Family Size | Average Monthly Cost of Health Plan |
|---|---|
| Single Adult | $598 |
| Adult Couple | $1,197 |
| Family of three (Adult couple and a child) | $1,555 |
| Family of four (Adult couple and two children) | $1,913 |
| Family of five (Adult couple and three children) | $2,272 |
Editorial Note: The editorial content on this page is not provided or commissioned by any financial institution. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, statements or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and may not have been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities prior to publication.