Best Cheap Health Insurance in Pennsylvania (2025)

Best and cheapest health insurance in Pennsylvania

Cheapest health insurance companies in Pennsylvania

Affordable health insurance in Pennsylvania

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Best health insurance companies in Pennsylvania

It has excellent customer service and cheap rates. It also has a high 4.0 rating from HealthCare.gov, which means its plans are high quality and its customers are usually satisfied with their experience.

Best-rated health insurance companies in Pennsylvania

Independence Blue Cross and UPMC are also good options, but they aren't as widely available as Highmark. If you're not sure which company to go with, get quotes from all three, if you can get them where you live, to compare prices and coverage.

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How much does health insurance cost in Pennsylvania?

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Cheap Pennsylvania health insurance plans by city

UPMC has the cheapest Silver plans in Pittsburgh. But Ambetter has the cheapest Silver plans for about two-thirds of the state's population, including the cheapest rates in Allentown, Reading, Bethlehem and Lancaster, which are outside Philadelphia, and Scranton.

Cheapest health insurance by PA county

The best way to find affordable health insurance in PA is to get quotes from several companies. That lets you compare rates and coverage so that you find a cheap plan that also works for your medical needs.

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Best health insurance in PA by level of coverage

The best health insurance plan for you will depend on your health and budget. In Pennsylvania, many people will be better off with Gold plans since they often cost less than Silver plans and let you pay less when you visit the doctor. If you like Highmark, a Platinum plan may even be better since it could be cheaper than a Gold plan. But if you don't need much medical care, a Bronze plan might be a better option.

Platinum plans: Best if you need frequent medical care

Platinum plans are best if you go to the doctor often or need expensive medical care. These plans pay the highest portion of your medical bills. In Pennsylvania, coverage on a Platinum plan starts right away. That's because the plans have no deductible.

Highmark is the only company in PA that sells Platinum plans. You can only get Platinum plans in Erie, Washington, Butler, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties in western Pennsylvania. If your doctor doesn't take Highmark insurance or if you would prefer another company, a Gold plan is a better option.

In Pennsylvania, Platinum plans cost $481 per month, on average.

Gold plans: Best for most people

Gold plans are the best option for people who need medical care often. With a Gold plan, you'll pay less when you go to the doctor compared to a Silver or Bronze plan. That's because Gold plans have low deductibles, copays and coinsurance.

Gold plans are also a good option if you earn more than $37,650 per year as a single person or $78,000 per year as a family of four. Unlike in most states, Gold plans in PA are usually cheaper than Silver plans if you pay full price. If you make less than that, a Silver plan is probably better because you might qualify for a few discounts.

Gold plans cost an average of $584 per month in Pennsylvania.

Silver plans: Best if you have average health needs

Silver plans give you a middle-ground level of coverage. They can be a good option if you go to the doctor a handful of times each year or have manageable health conditions.

Silver plans are best if you have a low income and average health needs. That's because you could qualify for discounts that let you pay less when you visit the doctor. To qualify, you have to make between $15,060 and $37,650 per year as a single person or between $31,200 and $78,000 as a family of four.

You might also qualify for savings on your monthly rate. If you get both these discounts, a Silver plan might be cheaper and pay for more of your health care bills than a higher-tier plan.

Silver plans cost an average of $610 per month in Pennsylvania.

Bronze plans: Best if you're healthy and have emergency savings

Bronze plans typically have the lowest monthly rates. You may save money with a Bronze plan if you don't have to go to the doctor often.

But even a single accident or unexpected illness can be expensive to treat, and with a Bronze plan, you have to pay a higher share of your medical bills compared to other plan tiers. You should only consider a Bronze plan if you have enough money saved up to meet your policy's high deductible.

Bronze plans cost $431 per month, on average, in Pennsylvania.

Catastrophic plans: Best as a last resort

A Catastrophic plan is only a good idea if you can't afford anything else but you can't get Medicaid. Catastrophic plans require you to pay up to $9,200 of your medical bills yourself each year, so make sure you have savings in the bank.

You can only get a Catastrophic plan if you're under 30 or qualify for an exemption. And you can't use premium tax credits to lower your monthly rate.

Catastrophic plans cost an average of $272 per month for a 21-year-old in Pennsylvania.

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Cheap or free health insurance in Pennsylvania if you have a low income

If you have a low income in Pennsylvania, you might qualify for cheap or even free health insurance through Medicaid. If you make too much to qualify for Medicaid, you might still get discounts that lower what you have to pay at the doctor.

Medicaid in Pennsylvania

Medicaid is a type of free health insurance that the government offers to people with low incomes. In Pennsylvania, you can qualify for Medicaid if you earn about $21,000 or less per year as a single person or roughly $44,000 per year for a family of four.

Seniors who earn a low income might qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, which could help lower their medical bills even more.

Use cost-sharing reductions for cheaper medical care

If you earn between $15,060 and $37,650 per year as a single person or between $31,200 and $78,000 per year as a family of four, consider buying a Silver health insurance plan.

In this income range, you qualify for discounts that lower what you pay when you go to the doctor, called cost-sharing reductions (CSRs). These discounts are only available for Silver plans, but they could make your coverage the same as or even better than a Gold or Platinum plan.

And if you also qualify for rate subsidies, your monthly cost for insurance could be cheap too.

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Are health insurance rates going up in PA?

Average health insurance costs in Pennsylvania rose by 6% across all plan levels from 2024 to 2025.

Catastrophic and Platinum plans are new for 2025.

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COBRA insurance in Pennsylvania

COBRA lets you keep the health insurance you had with your job when you leave, get fired or retire, but you have to pay the full cost each month. You can usually have COBRA insurance for a year and a half from the time you leave your job, but it can last up to three years in some cases.

Because COBRA is so expensive, it's almost always cheaper to get a marketplace plan from Pennie. But COBRA might be a good idea if you rely on a specific coverage that your employer plan had.

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Short-term health insurance in Pennsylvania

You can buy a short-term plan at any time of the year. That makes it a good option if you're not in open enrollment (Nov. 1 to Jan. 15), and you don't have what's called a qualifying life event that lets you get marketplace coverage outside of open enrollment.

But, these plans usually have worse coverage than marketplace plans, which makes them a poor choice if you need health insurance for more than a few months.

Pros of short-term health insurance in PA

Cons of short-term health insurance in PA

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Frequently asked questions

Methodology

Health insurance rates for 2025 come from Pennsylvania's state health insurance marketplace, Pennie. Rates are for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan, unless another age or plan tier is mentioned. Monthly rates for plans with subsidies are based on everyone who purchased a plan during 2024 open enrollment and had advance premium tax credits (APTCs) on their bills.

Ratings for each company are based on ValuePenguin's review of the company's average rates, plan quality, customer satisfaction and unique features. COBRA plan rates and info about the most popular plans in Pennsylvania came from KFF.

Other sources include the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and S&P Global Capital IQ.