Best Cheap Health Insurance in North Carolina (2025)
Blue Cross NC is the best health insurance company in North Carolina. Its cheapest plan costs $458 per month before discounts.
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Best and cheapest health insurance in NC
Cheapest health insurance companies in NC
AmeriHealth has the cheapest health insurance plans in North Carolina with rates starting at $427 per month.
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Affordable health insurance in North Carolina
Company |
Cost
| |
|---|---|---|
| AmeriHealth Caritas Next | $427 - $592 |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC | $458 - $721 |
| Ambetter of North Carolina | $475 - $623 |
| Oscar | $489 - $713 |
- AmeriHealth has the cheapest Silver plans in North Carolina. The company has the most affordable rates for about one in five North Carolina residents. However, AmeriHealth has a poor reputation for customer satisfaction, so it may be worth it to pay more to get a better plan.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) is the second-cheapest health insurance company in NC and is also the best-rated company. This makes BCBS a great choice for most people in the state because it's both affordable and high-quality.
- Ambetter has the cheapest plans for roughly one-third of people in NC, including those in Fayetteville and Wilmington. Where you live sets your plan options, and rates vary by county.
Best health insurance companies in North Carolina
Blue Cross Blue Shield has the best health insurance in North Carolina for individuals and families.
- High ratings and wide selection of doctors: Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) has four out of five stars from both ValuePenguin editors and a large network of doctors, making it the top health insurance company in NC.
- Popular: Nearly two-thirds of North Carolina residents have Blue Cross Blue Shield. This means many doctors and hospitals will accept the insurance, and you'll have flexibility about where you can get medical care.
- Top quality medical care: Blue Cross' EPO plans have the best-rated medical care in the state with four out of five stars. Its PPO and POS plans also have good ratings with three stars.
Best-rated health insurance companies in North Carolina
Company |
Editor rating
|
ACA rating
|
|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC | 3.3 | |
| UnitedHealthcare | 3.0 | |
| Aetna CVS Health | 3.0 | |
| Ambetter of North Carolina | 3.0 | |
| Cigna Healthcare | 3.0 |
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Best health insurance in NC for routine medical care
UnitedHealthcare has the best health insurance in NC if you're willing to pay more for a plan to get free routine doctor visits.
UnitedHealthcare plans have great benefits for making common medical costs affordable.
- Unlimited free visits to your doctor
- Free virtual urgent care
- $5 per month for generic prescriptions with many plans
Cigna is another good insurance company for cheap routine medical care. It has many of the same perks as UnitedHealthcare. However, Cigna has more customer complaints than average so it's not as highly-rated by editors.
How much is health insurance in NC?
The average cost of health insurance in North Carolina is $664 per month if you pay full price or $55 per month if you're eligible for discounts based on your income.
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Tier | Age 21 | Age 40 | Age 60 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | $305 | $389 | $826 |
| Bronze | $420 | $536 | $1,139 |
| Silver | $520 | $664 | $1,410 |
| Gold | $583 | $745 | $1,583 |
Your health insurance costs will vary based on the level of coverage you choose, your age and your income.
- Plans with less coverage have cheaper rates. Bronze and Catastrophic plans will save you money each month, but you'll have to pay a larger portion of your medical bills. That's why the best level of coverage for you is based on how much medical care you expect to need.
- Seniors pay high rates for health insurance in NC. Health insurance rates increase as you get older because insurance companies expect that you'll need more medical care as you age. In North Carolina, rates increase steeply after age 40. A 60-year-old pays twice as much as a 40-year-old for a Silver plan.
- PPO plans are the most expensive. The type of plan you choose affects how easy it is to see specialists and whether you can see a doctor who's not in the plan's network. A PPO plan is the most flexible, but it costs about a third more than average.
Get affordable health insurance in NC
Health insurance costs an average of $55 per month in North Carolina for those who qualify for discounted rates.
How much you'll pay is based on your income. The lower your income, the more you'll save. About half of shoppers in NC pay less than $10 per month for health insurance after subsidies.
You can qualify for these health insurance subsidies if you earn less than $60,240 as an individual or less than $124,800 as a family of four.
Cheap North Carolina health insurance plans by city
Blue Cross Blue Shield has the cheapest health insurance in Charlotte, costing $478 per month.
In Raleigh, Blue Cross of NC has the cheapest health insurance, at $473 per month. However, AmeriHealth is the cheapest company in Greensboro and Winston-Salem.
Cheapest health insurance by NC county
County | Cheapest plan | Monthly rates |
|---|---|---|
| Alamance | AmeriHealth Caritas Next Silver Signature | $461 |
| Alexander | Ambetter Clear Silver | $476 |
| Alleghany | AmeriHealth Caritas Next Silver Signature | $529 |
| Anson | Ambetter Standard Silver | $488 |
| Ashe | AmeriHealth Caritas Next Silver Signature | $529 |
Cheapest Silver plan with rates for a 40-year-old
Ambetter is the cheapest health insurance company in two out of five North Carolina counties. These counties have 31% of the state's population, making it the best deal for most people.
Best health insurance by level of coverage
The best health insurance plan for you will depend on your income level and how much health care you need. The more medical care you need, the higher the tier you should choose.
Gold plans: Best if you need expensive medical care
| Gold plans pay for about 80% of your medical care. |
Gold plans are typically the best health insurance option if you expect to have large medical bills, such as for surgery, childbirth, or when managing a chronic condition.
The average cost of a Gold health insurance plan is $745 per month in NC. This high cost is worth it if you need expensive medical care. The plans will help you save overall because they have lower deductibles, coinsurance and copays.
Silver plans: Best for most people
| Silver plans pay for about 70% of your medical care. |
Silver plans are a good choice for most people because they balance the monthly cost of a plan and how much you spend on medical care. You get more coverage than you would with a Bronze plan, but you'll have lower monthly rates than a Gold plan.
The average cost of a Silver plan is $664 per month in NC, if you pay full price. It's the most popular tier of coverage with about half of NC shoppers buying a Silver plan.
Bronze and Catastrophic plans: Best if you're young and healthy
| Bronze plans pay for about 60% of your medical care. |
Bronze and Catastrophic health insurance plans are the cheapest plans in North Carolina, but you also have to pay the most for your medical care. That's because these plans have the highest deductibles and out-of-pocket limits.
A Bronze plan costs an average of $536 per month. Bronze plans are often the best deal if you're healthy and only go to the doctor a few times per year. But if you have an unexpected illness, medical care can be expensive before the plan's full benefits kick in. Before choosing a Bronze plan, make sure you have enough savings to cover the plan's full deductible in case you have a medical emergency.
Catastrophic plans are only available if you're under 30 years old or meet certain requirements. You also can't lower your rate with subsidies on Catastrophic plans, but you can with Bronze plans.
Silver plans: Best if you have a low income but don't qualify for Medicaid
| Silver plans will pay 73% to 94% of your medical costs if you have a low income. |
You'll get extra savings on your medical costs if you choose a Silver plan if you make less than about $38,000 per year as a single person or $78,000 per year as a family of four.
If you qualify for cost-sharing reductions (CSRs), you'll get a better deductible, coinsurance and copays, so you pay less when you go to the doctor.
Medicaid: Free health insurance if you have a low income
If you have a low income, North Carolina Medicaid gives you health coverage that's free or very low cost.
To qualify for Medicaid, you have to make less than about $21,000 per year as a single person or $44,000 as a family of four. You may be able to make more and still qualify if you are under 19, are pregnant or have a disability.
North Carolina's Medicaid division helps you find which companies have Medicaid plans in your county.
- The best Medicaid plan in NC for most people is a standard plan. This will cover health costs such as doctor visits, lab tests, hospital care, prescriptions, vision care and mental health. Many standard plans also offer extra perks like a phone plan, access to kids programs, rides to doctor appointments and more.
- In NC, a tailored Medicaid plan is the best choice for specialized treatment such as if you're getting care for substance use or a developmental disability. These plans cover costs such as long-term rehabilitation services, in-home care and community support like help finding a job.
Are health insurance rates going up in North Carolina?
Health insurance costs rose by an average of 4% between 2024 and 2025.Catastrophic plans had the largest average increase, at 11%. Bronze plans rose by 5%, on average, and Silver plans increased by an average of 4% year on year. Gold plans had the smallest average increase, at 1%.
Tier | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | $350 | $389 | 11% |
| Bronze | $513 | $536 | 5% |
| Silver | $638 | $664 | 4% |
| Gold | $739 | $745 | 1% |
Monthly costs are for a 40-year-old.
Obamacare health insurance in NC
All health insurance plans from HealthCare.gov, no matter the plan tier, are required to cover at least 10 essential health situations.
- Doctor visits
- Preventive and chronic disease care
- Emergency care
- Laboratory services
- Hospital care
- Pregnancy, maternity and newborn care
- Mental health and substance use services
- Prescription medications
- Rehabilitation care and devices
- Pediatric services
Every plan, no matter what level of coverage it offers, has coverage for at least these 10 situations. The difference in the plans comes in how you and your insurance company split medical bills. Higher-tier plans pay for more of your health care costs, while lower-tier plans mean you have to pay more of your bills.
Average cost of health insurance by family size
Health insurance for a family of four costs an average of $2,123 per month in North Carolina.
Family size | Average monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Individual | $664 |
| Individual + Child | $1,062 |
| Couple, age 40 | $1,328 |
| Family of three | $1,726 |
| Family of four | $2,123 |
Averages based on a Silver plan for 40-year-old adults and children who are under age 15.
In North Carolina, each child that you add to a Silver health insurance plan adds an average of $397 per month. Children are typically cheaper to insure than adults because it's less likely that they will have serious medical issues. It costs about $664 to add an adult to a Silver plan.
Average cost of health insurance by plan type
You can choose between several different types of insurance plans in North Carolina. The most common options are HMOs and PPOs.
Type | Cost |
|---|---|
| EPO | $464 |
| POS | $527 |
| HMO | $617 |
| PPO | $880 |
Monthly costs are for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan.
- HMOs are affordable, but they also require you to use certain doctors and get referrals to see specialists. PPOs cost more each month, but they give you more flexibility. You can use any doctor and still have some coverage, and you don't need a referral to go to a specialist.
- EPO and POS plans are less common, but they are cheaper than HMOs or PPOs in North Carolina. EPO plans are similar to HMOs in that they restrict you to a doctor network. But you don't need a referral to see a specialist within the network.
- POS plans let you use in-network and out-of-network doctors, but you'll pay more if you go out of network, just like with a PPO. But with a POS plan, you have to have a primary care doctor and be referred to specialists.
Short-term health insurance in North Carolina
In January 2025, the Trump administration repealed a new rule that would've limited the length of a short-term health plan to just three months. Although there isn't a set date for when this will happen, sometime in the coming months, companies may sell short-term health insurance plans in North Carolina that last for up to 364 days .
You can get a short-term health insurance plan any time of the year. That makes them a good option if you need coverage outside of open enrollment (Nov. 1 to Jan. 15) and you don't qualify to enroll at a different time with a special enrollment period.
Pros of short-term health insurance in NC
Cons of short-term health insurance in NC
Frequently asked questions
What is the average cost of health insurance in North Carolina?
For 2025, the average cost of health insurance in North Carolina is $664 per month for a 40-year-old buying a Silver plan. You may be able to lower your monthly rate with subsidies, and you could lower your health care costs with cost-sharing reductions. Eligibility for both is based on income and family size.
What is the largest health insurance company in North Carolina?
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina is the largest health insurance company in the state, accounting for more than 63% of all active health insurance plans. Blue Cross Blue Shield is usually cheap and has good customer satisfaction in North Carolina. Plus, it is accepted by most doctors and medical offices, which gives you flexibility to choose your health care locations.
What's the average cost of self-insured health insurance in North Carolina?
The cost to self-insure your employees in North Carolina will depend on factors like the size of your business and the average age and medical needs of your employees. It's usually more straightforward to use a traditional insurance company to manage your company's group coverage plan.
How do I get marketplace health insurance in NC?
In North Carolina, you can get marketplace health insurance through HealthCare.gov. Anyone can buy a plan during open enrollment, from Nov. 1 through Jan. 15. Or you can sign up mid-year if you qualify for special circumstances. The best cheap option is usually a Silver plan, which gives you good coverage at a low rate.
Methodology
Policy details and premiums for 2025 plans were sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website. ValuePenguin used the CMS public use files (PUFs) in calculating the average rates in North Carolina by county, age, family size and plan tier. Plans and providers for which county-level data was included in the CMS Crosswalk file were used in our analysis; those excluded from this data set may not appear.
Other sources include KFF, S&P Global, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
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.
