Best Cheap Health Insurance in Maryland (2024)
Kaiser Permanente has the best health insurance in Maryland. Plans start at $362 per month before discounts.
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Best and cheapest health insurance in Maryland
Cheapest health insurance companies in Maryland
UnitedHealthcare has the most affordable health insurance plans in Maryland, at $342 per month before discounts.
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Affordable health insurance in Maryland
Company |
Cost
| |
|---|---|---|
| United Healthcare | $342 - $351 |
| Kaiser Permanente | $362 - $401 |
| Aetna | $371 - $391 |
| CareFirst BlueChoice | $412 - $526 |
- UnitedHealthcare has the cheapest Silver and Gold health plans for every county in Maryland.
- CareFirst, a Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) company, has the most popular health plans in Maryland. Roughly six in 10 Maryland residents with marketplace coverage have CareFirst health insurance.
- CareFirst is the only company to sell PPO (preferred provider organization) plans on the Maryland state health marketplace, Maryland Health Connection. That makes CareFirst a good choice for people who want flexible coverage over getting the cheapest rate.
Best health insurance companies in Maryland
Kaiser Permanente offers the best health insurance in Maryland.
Kaiser Permanente has a perfect 5 out of 5-star plan quality rating from HealthCare.gov. Star ratings measure coverage quality, customer satisfaction and plan management.
Kaiser Permanente is unusual because it only covers medical services at Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics unless you have a medical emergency. Consider another health insurance company if you don't live near a Kaiser hospital.
Best-rated health insurance companies in Maryland
Company |
Editor rating
|
ACA rating
|
|---|---|---|
| United Healthcare | 4.0 | |
| Aetna | NA | |
| Kaiser Permanente | 5.0 | |
| CareFirst BlueChoice | 4.0 | |
| CareFirst | 4.0 |
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Best health insurance in Maryland for flexible coverage
CareFirst is a good choice in Maryland if you want more flexibility when it comes to choosing your doctors. CareFirst is part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) network, which means customers have access to the largest network of doctors in the nation.
In addition, CareFirst is the only company in Maryland that sells PPO plans. PPO plans let you go outside your network and see specialists without getting a referral. You also don't need to choose a primary care doctor with a PPO. However, PPO plans tend to cost more than HMO plans, on average.
How much is health insurance in Maryland?
Health insurance in Maryland costs an average of $112 per month after discounts.
Roughly eight out of 10 Maryland residents who have health insurance from Maryland Health Connection qualify for discounts, called subsidies. About 13% of people who have coverage from the Maryland health marketplace pay less than $10 per month for coverage.
The average cost of health insurance in Maryland without subsidies is $384 per month.
- Health insurance gets more expensive as you age. Costs rise slowly when you're younger before climbing rapidly as you enter middle age. A 60-year-old in Maryland pays more than twice as much as a 40-year-old for the same level of coverage.
- Higher plan tiers typically have more expensive monthly rates than lower plan tiers. But, you pay less when you visit the doctor with higher plan tiers.
- In Maryland, Gold and Silver plans have roughly identical monthly costs. That's because you can get extra discounts, called cost-sharing reductions (CSRs), if you have a Silver plan and you earn a low income. Companies have raised the cost of Silver plans to balance the lower costs you're responsible for paying when you visit the doctor. Consider a Gold plan if you don't qualify for CSRs. Otherwise, you're probably better off with a Silver plan.
Get cheap medical insurance in Maryland
Marylanders with Obamacare plans pay an average of $112 per month for coverage after discounts.
Roughly eight in 10 people who have health insurance through the Maryland state marketplace qualify for discounts, called subsidies or premium tax credits. The size of your discount depends on your household income: the less you make, the larger your discount.
To qualify for discounts, you need to earn between around $15,000 and $60,000 per year as a single person (about $31,000 to $125,000 for a family of four). You can apply your discounted rate to any Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum plan bought through Maryland Health Connection.
Affordable Maryland health insurance plans by city
UnitedHealthcare has the most affordable Silver health plans in Baltimore, at $342 per month on average.
UnitedHealthcare sells the cheapest Gold and Silver plans in all Maryland counties. That includes large cities like Frederick, Gaithersburg and Rockville.
Cheapest health insurance by MD county
County | Cheapest plan | Monthly rates |
|---|---|---|
| Allegany County | UHC Silver Focus | $342 |
| Anne Arundel County | UHC Silver Focus | $342 |
| Baltimore city | UHC Silver Focus | $342 |
| Baltimore County | UHC Silver Focus | $342 |
| Calvert County | UHC Silver Focus | $342 |
Cheapest Silver plan with rates for a 40-year-old
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Best health insurance by level of coverage
The best health insurance level for you depends on the amount of medical care you need and your financial situation.
Platinum plans: Best for expensive medical issues
| Platinum plans pay for about 90% of your medical care. |
Platinum health insurance plans are a good option if you need a lot of expensive medical care. For example, a Platinum plan might make financial sense if you have a serious illness.
While these plans have high monthly rates, you'll pay very little when you visit the doctor.
In Maryland, Platinum plans cost $429 per month and have a $0 deductible on average.
Gold plans: Best if you visit the doctor frequently
| Gold plans pay for about 80% of your medical care. |
In Maryland, Gold plans and Silver plans have similar average monthly rates. Gold plans are supposed to cost more than Silver plans. However, insurance companies in Maryland have raised the price of Silver plans because Silver plans are eligible for extra discounts, called cost-sharing reductions.
Cost-sharing reductions help you pay for the costs you're responsible for when you visit the hospital. That means you're usually better off with a Silver plan that has cost-sharing reductions. But Gold plans are always a better choice if you don't qualify for cost-sharing reductions.
Gold plans in Maryland cost $384 per month and have a $1,007 deductible on average.
Silver plans: Best for average medical needs
| Silver plans pay for about 70% of your medical care. |
Silver health plans offer a balance between average rates and middle-of-the-road costs you're responsible for paying when you visit the doctor. Silver plans are a good choice if you only visit the doctor a few times a year and you earn a low income.
Silver plans in Maryland cost about the same as Gold plans. For a Silver plan to make sense financially, you need to qualify for extra discounts, called cost-sharing reductions. Maryland residents are eligible for cost-sharing reductions if they earn between about $15,000 and $38,000 per year (roughly $31,000 to $78,000 per year for a family of four).
In Maryland, Silver plans cost $384 per month and have a $4,809 deductible on average.
On average, Silver plans have a much larger deductible than Gold plans. You would pay about $3,800 more on average before coverage starts with a Silver plan than with a Gold plan if you don't qualify for cost-sharing reductions. In contrast, you would only pay about $1,400 more before coverage starts with a Bronze plan than you would with a Silver plan.
Bronze plans: Best if you're young and healthy
| Bronze plans pay for about 60% of your medical care. |
Bronze plans are a good option if you're in good health and can afford a large, unexpected medical bill. These plans have affordable rates, but you'll have to pay more money before your coverage starts. It's not a good idea to buy a Bronze plan if you can't afford to cover your deductible from your savings.
It's important that you have enough in your savings account to comfortably pay for your deductible if you don't qualify for cost-sharing reductions.
In Maryland, Bronze plans cost $414 per month and have a $6,201 health insurance deductible on average.
Free and affordable health coverage if you have a low income
You may qualify for free coverage or extra discounts if you live in Maryland and earn a low income.
Medicaid: Free health insurance for Marylanders who earn a low-income
If you live in Maryland and you earn around $20,000 per year or less (under about $41,000 per year for a family of four) you may be eligible for free government health insurance, called Medicaid.
Pregnant women, parents with young children and the disabled may qualify for Medicaid with higher incomes.
Silver plans with cost-sharing reductions: Best if you earn a low income but can't get Medicaid
| Silver plans will pay 74% to 90% of your medical costs if you have a low income. |
You may qualify for extra discounts, called cost-sharing reductions, if you have a Silver plan and you earn less than $36,000 per year ($75,000 per year for a family of four).
Cost-sharing reductions help you pay for the costs you're responsible for when you visit the hospital including your deductible, copays and coinsurance.
You can reduce your out of pocket costs by up to 90% with CSRs. That means a Silver plan with cost-sharing reductions is usually a better deal than a Gold plan.
Are health insurance rates going up in Maryland?
Health insurance got 3% more expensive in Maryland between 2023 and 2024 on average. Platinum plans had the largest increase, at 6%. Bronze plans rose by 4% and Gold plans increased by 3%. Rates for Silver plans stayed the same.
Are health insurance rates going up in MD?
Tier | 2023 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | $281 | $291 | 4% |
| Silver | $385 | $384 | 0% |
| Gold | $374 | $384 | 3% |
| Platinum | $403 | $429 | 6% |
Monthly costs are for a 40-year-old.
Maryland insurance marketplace: Maryland Health Connection
All Obamacare health plans in Maryland offer certain important benefits and protections for customers.
- You don't need to meet your annual deductible before coverage starts for annual check-ups and preventive services.
- Companies can't consider your health history when setting rates or approving coverage.
- All marketplace plans have a limit on how much you'll spend on medical care in a single year, called an out-of-pocket maximum.
Short-term health insurance in Maryland
You can buy short-term health insurance for up to three months at a time in Maryland. You can't renew your short-term plan.
Short-term plans can help you bridge a temporary coverage gap. For example, short-term coverage might be a good idea if you miss open enrollment. Keep in mind that short-term coverage won't last until the next open enrollment period unless you buy it in August or later.
Keep in mind that if you lose your current insurance, you may qualify for a special enrollment period, which lets you get marketplace coverage outside open enrollment.
Pros of short-term health insurance in MD
Cons of short-term health insurance in MD
Frequently asked questions
Who has the best health insurance in Maryland?
Kaiser Permanente has the best health plans in Maryland. Kaiser has a strong reputation for customer satisfaction and some of the cheapest plans in Maryland.
What's the cheapest health insurance in MD?
UnitedHealthcare (UHC) has the cheapest Gold and Silver health insurance in Maryland. UHC has the most affordable rates in every Maryland county including Baltimore City.
How much is health insurance in Maryland per month?
Health insurance in Maryland costs $384 per month on average. The amount you'll pay for coverage depends on your age, plan tier, where you live, the discounts you qualify for and the company you choose.
Methodology
Maryland health insurance rate data for 2024 is from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website. ValuePenguin used the CMS public use files (PUFs) in calculations to average rates across a variety of factors such as plan tier, county and family size. Plans and insurance companies for which county-level data was included in the CMS Crosswalk file were used in our reporting. Those excluded from these files were not included in our analysis.
Rates are based on a 40-year-old with a Silver plan, unless otherwise noted. Other sources include S&P Global Capital IQ, NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) and the Maryland Department of Health.
Editorial note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.