Best Cheap Health Insurance in Oklahoma (2024)
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is the best health insurance company in Oklahoma. Silver plans start at $496 per month before discounts.
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Best and cheapest health insurance in Oklahoma
Cheapest health insurance companies in Oklahoma
Ambetter has the most affordable health insurance in Oklahoma, at $462 per month before discounts.
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Affordable health insurance in Oklahoma
Company |
Cost
| |
|---|---|---|
| Ambetter of Oklahoma | $462 - $590 |
| Medica | $488 - $648 |
| Oscar | $494 - $516 |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma | $496 - $808 |
- Ambetter has the cheapest health insurance for about half of all Oklahomans. The company also sells the most affordable health insurance plans in Oklahoma City.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) offers the most affordable medical insurance to about four out of 10 people in Oklahoma. BCBS has the cheapest rates in Tulsa.
Best health insurance companies in Oklahoma
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is the best health insurance in Oklahoma for most people.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma gets significantly fewer complaints than an average insurance company its size.
Plus, the company has a good 3-out-of-5-star rating from HealthCare.gov. These ratings measure customer satisfaction, coverage and plan management.
Best-rated health insurance companies in Oklahoma
Company |
Editor rating
|
ACA rating
|
|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | 3.0 | |
| CommunityCare | 3.0 | |
| Ambetter | NA | |
| UnitedHealthcare | NA | |
| Medica | 2.0 |
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- Blue Cross Blue Shield and CommunityCare have the best-rated plans in Oklahoma, each with 3 out of 5 stars from HealthCare.gov. Both companies got a perfect 5 out of 5-star rating on member experience, but a low-2-out-of-5-star score on medical care quality. BCBS scored slightly higher than Community Care on plan management.
- UnitedHealthcare has a strong reputation for customer satisfaction. However, the company is too new to the Oklahoma market to have a HealthCare.gov star rating.
How much is health insurance in Oklahoma per month?
Health insurance in Oklahoma costs an average of $57 per month after discounts or $596 per month without discounts.
- Higher plan tiers typically have more expensive monthly costs. In Oklahoma, Gold plans cost $127 per month more than Bronze plans, on average. But, you'll pay less when you go to the hospital with a Gold plan.
- Rates rise sharply as you enter middle age. In Oklahoma, a 60-year-old typically pays more than twice as much as a 40-year-old for the same level of coverage.
Save on Oklahoma health insurance with discounts
Discounts can save you hundreds of dollars per month on your Oklahoma health insurance.
Almost everyone who has an Oklahoma health insurance marketplace plan qualifies 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. Over half of all Oklahomans with marketplace plans pay less than $10 per month for coverage.
Discounts only apply to Bronze, Silver and Gold health plans bought through HealthCare.gov.
You may qualify for discounted health insurance if you make between $21,000 and $60,000 per year (roughly $35,000 to $125,000 for a family of four). If you make around $20,000 or less you may qualify for free government health insurance, called Medicaid.
Cheap health insurance in Oklahoma by city
Ambetter has the cheapest rates for Oklahoma City with plans starting at $482 per month.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma has the most affordable coverage in Tulsa. Plans cost as little as $496 per month.
Cheapest health insurance by OK county
County | Cheapest plan | Monthly rates |
|---|---|---|
| Adair | Blue Advantage Silver PPO | $595 |
| Alfalfa | Ambetter Clear Silver | $462 |
| Atoka | Blue Advantage Silver PPO | $595 |
| Beaver | Blue Advantage Silver PPO | $585 |
| Beckham | Blue Advantage Silver PPO | $595 |
Cheapest Silver plan with rates for a 40-year-old
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Best health insurance by plan tier
Higher plan tiers are better for people who need more medical care. Healthy people who rarely go to the hospital are typically better off with a lower plan tier.
Plan tiers have to do with how you pay for medical care. Gold plans have high monthly rates, but you pay less when you go to the doctor or hospital. Bronze plans have the cheapest monthly rates, but you'll pay a lot more for care.
Silver plans balance affordable rates with middle-of-the-road costs you're responsible for paying.
Gold plans: Best if you have expensive medical needs
| Gold plans pay for about 80% of your medical care. |
Consider a Gold plan if you need expensive or ongoing medical treatment.
Gold plans are a good choice for people who have a serious illness or disability, such as cancer or heart disease. That's because with a Gold plan, you pay relatively little out-of-pocket before coverage starts, also known as your deductible.
Plus, Gold plans have a low annual cap on the total costs you're responsible for when you visit the doctor, called an out-of-pocket maximum.
Because Gold plans have expensive monthly rates, you would need to get a lot of medical care for this plan tier to make good financial sense.
The average Gold plan in Oklahoma costs $596 per month before discounts and has a $1,211 deductible.
Silver plans: Best for average medical needs
| Silver plans pay for about 70% of your medical care. |
Silver health plans offer a good balance between affordable rates and reasonable costs when you get medical care.
Silver health plans are a good choice for people with average medical needs. You should also consider a Silver health plan if you earn less than $36,000 per year ($75,000 per year for a family of four) because you can qualify for extra discounts.
Silver plans in Oklahoma cost $596 per month and have a $3,964 deductible on average.
Bronze plans: Best if you're healthy and have savings
| Bronze plans pay for about 60% of your medical care. |
Bronze plans have cheap average rates, but high costs that you're responsible for paying when you go to the doctor. That makes Bronze plans a good choice for healthy people who can afford a large, unexpected bill. With a Bronze plan, you'll pay thousands of dollars more out of pocket before coverage starts than with a Silver plan. This is something to consider should you get into a bad accident or become seriously ill.
In Oklahoma, Bronze plans cost $484 per month and have a $6,101 deductible on average.
Catastrophic plans: Best to prevent financial disaster
Catastrophic plans are only available to those younger than 30 and people who can't afford a higher plan tier.
Catastrophic plans have cheap rates, but very high deductibles.
With a Catastrophic plan, you will need to pay almost $10,000 from your own savings before most coverage starts.
Catastrophic plans are usually a poor choice. In addition to their high deductibles, these plans aren't eligible for discounts. That means you're almost always better off with a higher plan tier.
Catastrophic plans in Oklahoma cost $400 per month and have a $9,450 deductible on average.
Extra discounts and free health insurance options in Oklahoma
Oklahomans who earn a low income may qualify for extra discounts or free health coverage.
Medicaid: Best for free health insurance in Oklahoma
You may qualify for free health insurance from the government, called Medicaid, if you earn about $21,000 per year or less ($43,000 per year or less for a family of four).
You may qualify for Medicaid at a higher income level if you're pregnant or disabled.
Silver plans with cost-sharing reductions: Best for those who don't qualify for Medicaid
| Silver plans will pay 73% to 94% of your medical costs if you have a low income. |
You may qualify for extra discounts, called cost-sharing reductions (CSRs), if you earn less than $36,000 per year and you have a Silver health plan.
Cost-sharing reductions cover up to 94% of the costs you're responsible for paying when you visit the doctor. That means you could save thousands of dollars per year with CSRs.
Are health insurance rates going up in OK?
The cost of health insurance in Oklahoma actually decreased by 5% overall between 2023 and 2024.
Bronze plans decreased by 7%, on average, Silver plans lowered by 6% and catastrophic plans went down by 5%. Gold plans had the smallest average decrease, from 1% year to year.
Tier | 2023 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | $420 | $400 | -5% |
| Bronze | $519 | $484 | -7% |
| Silver | $634 | $596 | -6% |
| Gold | $617 | $611 | -1% |
Monthly costs are for a 40-year-old.
Plans bought through the Oklahoma health insurance marketplace offer several important protections and benefits.
All Obamacare plans in Oklahoma are required to cover 10 essential benefits.
- Hospital care
- Outpatient care
- Emergency care
- Care for pregnant women and newborns
- Services for mental health and substance use disorders
- Prescription drugs
- Laboratory services
- Coverage for babies
- Rehabilitation services and devices
- Preventive, wellness and ongoing disease services
Short-term plans and supplemental policies don't have to cover these services.
Oklahoma health insurance exchange plans also cap the amount of money you'll pay for prescriptions and services each year, called an out-of-pocket maximum.
Finally, companies can't use your health history when determining rates or approving coverage. That means you'll never get turned down or charged a higher price for a marketplace plan even if you have a serious illness or disability.
Average cost of health insurance by family size in Oklahoma
It costs $357 per month for a family to add a child to their health insurance plan in Oklahoma.
That means a single parent with a child pays an average of $953 per month before discounts for coverage in Oklahoma. A family of four with two adults and two children pays an average of $1,906 per month.
It's important to remember that the size of your discount depends on your household size and income. The more people in your household, the more you can earn and still qualify for discounts.
Family size | Average monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Individual | $596 |
| Individual + Child | $953 |
| Couple, age 40 | $1,192 |
| Family of three | $1,549 |
| Family of four | $1,906 |
Averages based on a Silver plan for 40-year-old adults and children who are under age 15.
A family of four in Oklahoma can earn up to about $125,000 and still qualify for discounts.
Average cost of health insurance in Oklahoma by plan type
Oklahoma residents can choose between two types of health insurance: HMOs and PPOs. HMOs are cheaper but offer less flexibility when it comes to choosing your doctor. PPOs typically cost more, but they give you greater freedom when it comes to choosing your doctor.
- HMOs (health maintenance organizations) plans restrict you to a network of doctors. You have to choose a primary care doctor and you need a referral before you can see a specialist. These plans tend to have cheaper rates.
- PPO (preferred provider organization) plans don't require that you choose a primary care doctor and you don't need a referral to see a specialist. You can also see doctors outside your network for a higher cost. PPOs typically cost more than HMOs which is their major drawback.
Type | Cost |
|---|---|
| HMO | $545 |
| PPO | $605 |
Monthly costs are for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan.
Short-term health insurance in OK
You can buy short-term health insurance for an initial term of up to three months in Oklahoma.
You can renew your coverage for an additional month, for a total of four months in a 12-month period. That is the maximum coverage allowed during that period. You would then need to wait at least eight months before you can buy another short-term plan.
Short-term plans should only be used to help you bridge a temporary coverage gap if you're outside open enrollment and you don't qualify for a special enrollment period. Otherwise, these plans are generally a bad choice because they don't offer the same level of coverage as marketplace plans.
Before September, you could stay on them for up to a year. Now, short-term plans only work as a stop gap.
Pros of short-term health insurance in OK
Cons of short-term health insurance in OK
Short-term health plans sold before Sept. 1, 2024, can last for up to 364 days and you can renew your coverage for up to three years.
Frequently asked questions
Who has the best health insurance in Oklahoma?
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma has the best health insurance in Oklahoma. The company has a good reputation for customer satisfaction and cheap rates.
What's the cheapest health insurance in Oklahoma?
Ambetter has the cheapest health insurance in Oklahoma. Silver plans start at $462 per month before discounts for a 40-year-old.
How much is health insurance in Oklahoma?
In Oklahoma, health insurance costs an average of $596 per month without discounts, called subsidies, or $57 per month after discounts, on average. Roughly 97% of Oklahomans with marketplace coverage qualify for subsidies.
Methodology
Oklahoma health insurance rate data for 2024 is from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website. ValuePenguin used the CMS public use files (PUFs) to find average rates for different plan tiers and counties. Only plans and insurance companies for which county-level data was included in the CMS Crosswalk file were used in our analysis.
Rates are for 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 Oklahoma Health Care Authority.
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.