Best Cheap Health Insurance in Louisiana (2024)

Ambetter is the cheapest company in Louisiana for Silver plans, which is a good coverage level for most people. Christus Health Plan has the cheapest Bronze plans. A Blue Cross Blue Shield subsidiary, HMO Louisiana, has the cheapest Gold plans.

How much does health insurance cost in Louisiana?

The average cost of health insurance in Louisiana is $666 per month for a 40-year-old buying a Silver plan.

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Your age is one of the two biggest factors impacting the cost of health insurance.

A 21-year-old in Louisiana pays an average of $521 per month for a Silver health insurance plan, which is 22% less than the rate for a 40-year-old. After age 40, the cost of health insurance can increase quickly. A 60-year-old with a Silver plan pays an average of $1,414 per month for health insurance in Louisiana. That's more than double what a 40-year-old pays.

Cheapest health insurance in Louisiana

The cheapest Silver health insurance plan in Louisiana is Ambetter's Clear Silver plan, which costs as little as $501 per month (before subsidies).

If you want a plan that has more coverage for your medical bills, choose the cheapest Gold plan, which is from HMO Louisiana, a Blue Cross Blue Shield subsidiary. If you'd prefer to pay less each month and more when you need medical care, choose the cheapest Bronze plan, which is from Christus Health Plan.

Even though Ambetter has the cheapest Silver plan in Louisiana, it may not be the cheapest option where you live. In about three-quarters of the state, HMO Louisiana offers the cheapest Silver plan. This shows how important it is to compare health insurance quotes by the plans offered in your location.

Finding your best health insurance coverage in Louisiana

The best and most affordable health insurance for you depends on how much medical care you expect to need.

Higher coverage options, like Gold plans, can be good if you have a chronic medical condition, need expensive medical care or get sick often. These plans cost more each month, but they'll pay for more of your medical care because of lower deductibles, copays and coinsurance.

On the other hand, if you're young and healthy — and able to pay for a large medical bill if you have an emergency — a lower-tier health plan can usually help you save money.

Gold plans: Best if you have high medical costs

Gold plans have the best coverage you can get in Louisiana. But Gold is the most expensive tier, costing an average of $736 per month, before subsidies. For someone who expects to have high medical costs, a Gold plan can be worth it because it will pay the largest portion of your medical bills.

Silver plans: Best for most people

Silver plans are a good middle ground — they usually have better coverage than Bronze plans but lower monthly rates than Gold plans. Also, Silver is the most popular tier of coverage in Louisiana.

If you have a low income, Silver plans can be an especially good deal because they're eligible for cost-sharing reductions. This can improve the coverage of a Silver plan so you'll pay less when you go to the doctor.

Bronze plans: Best for young, healthy people

Bronze plans have the cheapest monthly costs, but you'll pay the most for your medical care. Bronze plans can be a good choice if you don't expect to need much care and can afford to cover a large bill if you have an unexpected expense, such as if you break your leg. All Bronze plans provide free checkups and preventive care. They'll also protect you from very high bills, such as if you need surgery.

Medicaid: Best if you have a low income

If you earn less than about $20,000 as an individual or $41,000 as a family of four, Medicaid is the best way to get free or low-cost health insurance. You may also qualify with a higher income if you're pregnant or a minor. Louisiana expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in 2016, allowing more people to qualify.

Are health insurance rates going up in Louisiana?

For 2024, Louisiana health insurance costs are going up by an average of 3% across all coverage tiers. That's about $16 more per month.

The cost of Gold plans is increasing the most, averaging 4% higher rates for 2024. Rates for Bronze and Silver plans are going up by 2%. Even though rates are going up, they're still much lower than they were in 2022.

Best cheap health insurance companies in Louisiana

Blue Cross Blue Shield has good customer satisfaction, strong benefits and a wide selection of doctors, earning it four out of five stars from our editors.

The two BCBS subsidiaries operating in the state are HMO Louisiana and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.

Plans sold by HMO Louisiana are cheaper POS plans where you'll need a referral from your primary care doctor before seeing a specialist. POS plans are not as well known as other types, but they can save you money. Options from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana are PPO plans that give you the most flexibility, including being able to see a specialist without having to first see your family doctor to get a referral.

Cheapest health insurance in each Louisiana parish

The Louisiana parish where you live determines which health insurance plans are available and how much they cost.

In New Orleans, the cheapest Silver health insurance plan is Ambetter's Clear Silver, which costs $501 per month. But in Shreveport, the cheapest is Christus' Standard Silver plan at $503 per month. Rates aren't always that low, and in other parts of the state, the cheapest Silver plan can cost more than $600 per month.

Cheapest health insurance by Louisiana parish

Average cost of health insurance by family size in Louisiana

The average cost of a Silver health insurance policy for an adult couple in Louisiana is $1,332 per month if both are 40 years old.

If you add a child to your policy, the average monthly cost increases by about $399. That means a family of three would pay an average of $1,730 per month for medical insurance.

The cost of family health insurance is based on both the health plan you choose and the ages of your family members. For children under the age of 15, monthly health insurance premiums remain flat. Once a child turns 15, the cost of health insurance begins to increase as they get older.

Short-term health insurance in Louisiana

If you need temporary health insurance, then a short-term health insurance plan can be a cheap way to get coverage.

Short-term plans usually have low monthly rates. However, they often don't cover things like preexisting conditions, and they can have very high deductibles, making them similar to Catastrophic coverage.

In Louisiana, a short-term health insurance plan can give you up to 12 months of coverage. And you are allowed to renew the plan twice for a total length of up to three years.

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Frequently asked questions

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Methodology

The 2024 health insurance rates, deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums were compiled from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) government website.

ValuePenguin used the website’s public use files (PUFs) to find averages by age, metal tier, parish and family size to better understand the health insurance exchange in Louisiana. Plans and providers for which parish-level data was included in the CMS Crosswalk file were used in our analysis; those excluded from this data set may not appear.

Additional sources include KFF and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).