Best Cheap Health Insurance in Pennsylvania (2024)

Jefferson Health Plans Total Silver is the cheapest Silver health insurance plan in Pennsylvania. It costs as little as $362 per month for a 40-year-old, and it's available to the more than 3 million people who live in Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks counties.

If you don't live in the Philadelphia metro area, you should consider Ambetter's Clear Silver, which is the cheapest health insurance for about a third of Pennsylvania's population. If you live in or near Pittsburgh, your best option is the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Together Blue EPO Silver.

How much does health insurance cost in Pennsylvania?

Health insurance in Pennsylvania costs $576 per month for a 40-year-old with a Silver health plan. You'll likely pay a cheaper rate if you choose a Bronze plan. In most states, you'll pay a higher rate for a Gold plan. However, in Pennsylvania Gold plans actually cost less than Silver plans on average.

It's important to remember that although Bronze plans cost less per month, you'll pay more when you visit the doctor or get a prescription filled. By contrast, you'll pay less when you get medical care with a Gold plan.

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Aside from the plan tier you choose, your age is the other largest factor that influences your health insurance quotes. On average, you'll pay more for health insurance as you get older. In Pennsylvania, a 40-year-old will pay 28% more for the same level of coverage compared to a 21-year-old. A 60-year-old in Pennsylvania will pay more than twice as much for the same plan as a 40-year-old.

Cheapest health insurance in Pennsylvania

The cheapest Silver health insurance plan in Pennsylvania is the Jefferson Health Plans Total Silver, which costs as little as $362 per month. However, the cheapest plan for you will depend on your location and the plan tier you choose.

Finding your best health insurance coverage in Pennsylvania

The best health insurance plan for you will depend on your health and financial well-being. In Pennsylvania, most people will be better off with a Gold plan since they cost less than Silver plans on average, and you'll pay less when you visit the doctor.

Silver plans typically offer a middle ground between Bronze and Gold. However, you should only buy a Silver plan in Pennsylvania if you qualify for cost-sharing reductions or if you live in an area where Silver plans are cheaper than Gold plans. Bronze plans may be a good option if you're healthy and you can afford a high, unexpected medical bill.

When shopping for a health insurance plan, it's important to remember that plan tiers only relate to how you pay for your insurance and medical services. A Gold plan won't necessarily pay for more medical services than a Bronze plan.

Gold plans: Best for most people

Gold plans typically have the most expensive monthly rates. However, these plans also have the lowest out-of-pocket costs, such as your deductible, copays and coinsurance.

You will benefit from a Gold plan if you have a chronic illness that causes you to visit the hospital often. For healthy people, Gold plans sometimes don't make sense financially because of their high rates.

Silver plans: Best for people who qualify for cost-sharing reductions

If you earn a low income, you can qualify for subsidies that help you pay for the portion of your medical bill that you're responsible for, also called cost-sharing reductions (CSRs), with a Silver plan.

No other plan tiers are eligible for cost-sharing reductions.

Bronze plans: Best for healthy people with emergency savings

Bronze plans typically have the lowest monthly rates. You may save money with a Bronze plan if you rarely visit the hospital. However, even a single accident or unexpected illness can wipe out these savings overnight.

You should only consider a Bronze plan if you have enough money saved up to meet your policy's high deductible.

Medicaid: Best if you have a low income

In Pennsylvania, you can qualify for Medicaid, a type of free government health insurance, if you earn about $20,000 or less per year (roughly $41,000 for a family of four).

Seniors who earn a low income may be eligible for even more coverage if they dual qualify for Medicare and Medicaid.

Are health insurance rates going up in Pennsylvania?

Average health insurance costs in Pennsylvania rose by 8% across all plan levels from 2023 to 2024.

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Best cheap health insurance companies in Pennsylvania

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) is the best cheap health insurance company in Pennsylvania. Its two Pennsylvania subsidiaries have four or five stars from HealthCare.gov. These scores reflect factors like plan quality and customer satisfaction.

Best health insurance companies in PA

The best cheap health insurance for you will depend on where you live. For example, Jefferson Health Plans has the cheapest Silver health insurance in the Philadelphia metro region. But the Capital Blue Cross Choice Select Silver PPO is the cheapest Silver plan if you live in Harrisburg.

Cheapest health insurance plan by Pennsylvania county

The cheapest Silver health insurance plan for you will depend on which one of Pennsylvania's 67 counties you live in.

Short-term health insurance in Pennsylvania

You can buy short-term health insurance in Pennsylvania for up to 364 days at a time, and you can renew your policy for up to three years.

In most cases, you should not buy short-term health insurance because it doesn't have to offer the same level of coverage as a normal health plan. For example, short-term health plans can deny you coverage based on a preexisting condition. They also don't have to offer as much coverage as normal health insurance.

Short-term policies also don't qualify for government subsidies, such as premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions. That means if you earn a low income, you'll probably pay less for a regular, marketplace health insurance plan.

Frequently asked questions

Methodology

ValuePenguin used public use files (PUFs) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to find average values by age, county and plan tier for the state of Pennsylvania. Medicaid income requirement information came from KFF and HealthCare.gov.

HealthCare.gov also supplied customer satisfaction data, and complaint rates were sourced from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Short-term health insurance information came from healthinsurance.org.