Best Cheap Health Insurance in Florida 2021
Best Cheap Health Insurance in Florida 2021
Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes in Florida
If you’re looking for your best health insurance plan in the state of Florida, you can find many affordable options on the Florida health insurance marketplace.
In 2021, the average cost of health insurance is $571 per month for a 40-year-old. This is a decrease of 2% from 2020 when the monthly cost was $584.
Ambetter offers the best rates in most counties in Florida. Shoppers may begin by looking at the Ambetter Balanced Care 29 (2021) plan, which has the cheapest rates in 37% of Florida's counties.
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. 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.
Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes in Florida
The health insurers and health insurance 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 | Maximum out-of-pocket | Monthly cost for a 40-year-old |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | Health First GYM ACCESS Catastrophic HMO 1746 | $8,550 | $8,550 | $200 |
| Bronze | Ambetter Essential Care 1 (2021) | $8,300 | $8,300 | $305 |
| Expanded Bronze | Ambetter Essential Care 2 HSA (2021) | $6,900 | $6,900 | $312 |
| Silver | Oscar Silver Saver | $4,200 | $8,550 | $408 |
| Gold | Oscar Gold Classic | $2,500 | $6,000 | $435 |
| Platinum | BlueSelect Platinum 1451 ($0 virtual visits / $100+ in rewards) | $0 | $0 | $553 |
Finding your 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 significant medical expenses, we advise that you begin your shopping process by looking at the Silver metal tier 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.
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 these metal tiers 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 plan 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 to those individuals under the age of 30, and they are not eligible for premium tax credits.
Health insurance rate changes in Florida
Health insurance rates, deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums are set yearly by health insurance companies. The plans are then sent to the federal exchange to be approved for the following plan year.
In Florida, the cost of Catastrophic health insurance plans increased by 13% from 2020 to 2021 — the largest rate increase by metal tier in the state.
Conversely, the price of the other metal tiers didn't change much over the past year. The cost of Bronze plans rose by 3%, but the cost of Expanded Bronze and Platinum plans remained flat, while the cost of Silver and Gold plans decreased by 2% and 1%, respectively.
Metal tier | 2019 premium | 2020 premium | 2021 premium | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | $241 | $269 | $303 | 13% |
| Bronze | $388 | $401 | $414 | 3% |
| Expanded Bronze | $416 | $434 | $433 | 0% |
| Silver | $598 | $584 | $571 | -2% |
| Gold | $646 | $624 | $618 | -1% |
| Platinum | $850 | $825 | $827 | 0% |
Premiums are for a 40-year-old adult.
Short-term health insurance in Florida
Florida follows the regulations set by federal guidelines for short-term health insurance. This allows for the plans to provide coverage for up to 12 months and be renewable for up to 36 months. Furthermore, short-term plans do not need to cover the essential benefits that all Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans must cover.
You may want to consider purchasing short-term health insurance if you lose employer-sponsored coverage or miss open enrollment for an ACA marketplace policy. However, it is important to note that short-term plans will require medical underwriting and typically do not provide coverage for preexisting conditions.
Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes in Florida
Health insurance companies in Florida
There are currently 10 health insurance providers offering plans on the Florida marketplace. This is an increase from the nine providers that were available during the previous plan year. Depending on the county, the availability of health insurance companies will vary.
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
- AvMed
- Ambetter from Sunshine Health
- Health First Commercial Plans Inc.
- Oscar Insurance Co. of Florida
- Health First Commercial Plans Inc.
- Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc.
- Bright Health Insurance Co. of Florida
- Florida Health Care Plan Inc.
- Cigna Healthcare
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 families of different sizes.
These premium estimates are unsubsidized. Depending on your income, you will likely see even lower prices once you account for the tax credits.
County | Cheapest plan | Age 40 | Couple, age 40 | Couple, age 40 plus child |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua | myBlue Silver 2127 ($0 labs / $0 virtual visits / $100+ in rewards) | $502 | $1,003 | $1,303 |
| Baker | BlueSelect Silver 1443 ($0 labs / $0 virtual visits / $100+ in rewards) | $480 | $960 | $1,248 |
| Bay | myBlue Silver 2127 ($0 labs / $0 virtual visits / $100+ in rewards) | $409 | $818 | $1,063 |
| Bradford | Ambetter Balanced Care 29 (2021) | $545 | $1,089 | $1,415 |
| Brevard | Gym Access IND Silver HMO BC 7741 | $429 | $858 | $1,115 |
| Broward | myBlue Silver 2127 ($0 labs / $0 virtual visits / $100+ in rewards) | $420 | $841 | $1,092 |
| Calhoun | Ambetter Balanced Care 29 (2021) | $530 | $1,060 | $1,378 |
| Charlotte | Oscar Silver Saver | $408 | $815 | $1,059 |
| Citrus | Oscar Silver Saver | $418 | $836 | $1,087 |
| Clay | myBlue Silver 2127 ($0 labs / $0 virtual visits / $100+ in rewards) | $416 | $831 | $1,080 |
| Collier | myBlue Silver 2010 ($0 labs / $0 virtual visits / $100+ in rewards) | $447 | $895 | $1,162 |
| Columbia | Ambetter Balanced Care 29 (2021) | $567 | $1,135 | $1,474 |
Recap of the best cheap health insurance in Florida
- Catastrophic: Health First GYM ACCESS Catastrophic HMO 1746
- Bronze: Ambetter Essential Care 1 (2021)
- Expanded Bronze: Ambetter Essential Care 2 HSA (2021)
- Silver: Oscar Silver Saver
- Gold: Oscar Gold Classic
- Platinum: BlueSelect Platinum 1451 ($0 virtual visits / $100+ in rewards)
Methodology
Health insurance premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums for Florida were compiled through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) government website. ValuePenguin used the Public Use Files (PUF) to calculate average premiums by metal tier, county and family size.
Sterling Price is a research analyst at ValuePenguin specializing in health and life insurance. He graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelors degree in Finance and Accounting and has previous experience as a licensed life insurance representative.
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