How Much Is Obamacare in 2026?
Obamacare health insurance costs an average of $752 per month, on average, for a 40-year-old with a full-price Silver plan. You might pay less if you get discounts.
Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes in Your Area
Obamacare costs an average of $752 per month. Several factors affect the cost of Obamacare health insurance, also called Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans, including your age, the level of coverage you buy, your state and the company you choose.
Depending on your income, you may be eligible for a discount, called a subsidy, that makes your coverage more affordable.
On this page:
How much is Obamacare health insurance?
Obamacare medical insurance, also called Affordable Care Act (ACA) or marketplace coverage, costs an average of $752 per month before discounts.
The average cost of health insurance is based on a 40-year-old with a Silver plan. You may not have to pay full price for Obamacare. If you have a low income, you could get discounts called subsidies or premium tax credits that lower your rate.
How much does Obamacare cost by plan tier?
Obamacare policies come in different coverage levels, called tiers. Gold and Platinum plans cost more per month and cover more of your medical costs. If you go to the doctor often, these plans are a good option because they pay a higher share of your medical bills.
You can get more affordable health plans by choosing a Bronze or Catastrophic policy. These plans have cheap rates, but you have to pay more when you go to the doctor. Bronze and Catastrophic plans can be good if you are young, generally healthy and don't need much medical care. But keep in mind you can't get discounts for Catastrophic plans.
You may also face a large, unexpected medical bill if you get into an accident or fall sick with a Bronze or Catastrophic health plan. It's important to have enough money in savings to cover your medical bills up to your annual limit, called an out-of-pocket max.
Cost of Obamacare health insurance by plan tier
Tier | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Catastrophic | $434 |
| Bronze | $573 |
| Silver | $752 |
| Gold | $793 |
| Platinum | $1,012 |
Monthly rates are for 40-year-olds. The average for Bronze plans includes Expanded Bronze. Rates are averages for the states where data is available.
Silver plans are the best cheap health insurance for most people. You'll likely pay a bit more for a Silver plan than you would for a Bronze or Catastrophic plan, but Silver plans will pay for more of your medical bills. No matter what plan level you choose, your policy will cover at least 10 different health situations. The plan level determines how much of your medical costs are covered.
Silver plans have the added benefit of cost-sharing reductions if you meet certain income requirements. This feature can help lower your out-of-pocket medical costs, such as your deductible, copay and coinsurance.
- Your deductible is the amount you have to pay before coverage starts.
- Copays are a flat cost you pay when you go to the doctor.
- Coinsurance is when you split your medical bills with your insurance company and only pay a set percentage.
Monthly Obamacare health insurance cost by age
Your age has a large impact on how much you pay for health insurance. Older individuals pay more for coverage because they tend to need more medical care.
Cost of Obamacare marketplace health insurance by age
Age | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| 21 | $589 |
| 30 | $668 |
| 40 | $752 |
| 50 | $1,052 |
| 60 | $1,598 |
Average monthly rate is for a Silver plan and is based on the federal age rating formula.
Monthly Obamacare cost by company
Kaiser Permanente, Molina and Oscar have the most affordable Obamacare health plans.
If you're looking for cheap health insurance, get quotes from these companies if they're available in your area. Most of the largest health insurance companies have affordable rates.
Getting medical insurance quotes from HealthCare.gov or your state marketplace lets you find the best cheap health insurance in your area.
You also have to get your policy from the federal marketplace or a state marketplace site to qualify for discounts, called premium subsidies. If you buy coverage directly from a health insurance company, you won't get a discounted rate based on your income.
Find Cheap Health Insurance in Your Area
Health insurance companies can set their own rates. This means the cost of the same plan tier will differ depending on the company you choose. Comparing companies and quotes is the best way to find a policy that fits your budget.
Cost of Obamacare marketplace insurance by company
Health insurance company | Monthly cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Permanente | $595 |
| Molina | $632 |
| Oscar | $673 |
| Ambetter | $710 |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | $793 |
Average monthly cost for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan
Monthly Obamacare health insurance cost by state
Maryland is the cheapest state for Obamacare, and Vermont has the most expensive quotes.
But the state with the biggest rate increase between 2025 and 2026 was Arkansas. Rates in the state went up by 67%. Alaska is the only state where rates are cheaper, on average, in 2026 compared to 2025. Rates went down by 5% in Alaska year-over-year. Nationally, health insurance costs 21% more in 2026 than it did in 2025.
The state you live in affects the cost of Obamacare medical insurance in several ways. State and local laws can affect how the health insurance industry works. Plus, the cost of medical care in each state can change how much a health insurance policy costs. The more expensive it is to get care, the higher your Obamacare quote is likely to be.
Find Cheap Health Insurance in Your Area
Cost of Obamacare medical insurance by state
State | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $691 |
| Alaska | $1,037 |
| Arizona | $685 |
| Arkansas | $823 |
| California | $728 |
Average monthly cost for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan
Monthly Obamacare cost by network type
A health insurance network sets the rules on what doctors and hospitals you can go to for covered medical care.
The most common network types are HMOs (health maintenance organizations) and PPOs (preferred provider organizations). Other plan types, such as POS (point of service) plans and EPO (exclusive provider organization) plans, are less common.
HMO plans will only pay if you go to in-network doctors and hospitals. If you see a doctor outside the network, you won't have any coverage, except in emergencies. Because they restrict where you get care, HMOs have the cheapest monthly cost. PPOs cost more because they let you get care anywhere.
Keep in mind, though, that even with a PPO, you'll usually pay more for visits to doctors not in your insurance network.
What affects Obamacare health insurance costs?
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) limits the factors that health insurance companies can consider when setting your rates. Under the law, only five things can affect your monthly rate.
- Plan tier: Plans with less coverage have a lower monthly rate, but you'll pay more when you go to a doctor.
- Age: Obamacare medical insurance gets more expensive as you age. Younger people usually need less medical attention, so they pay less for coverage.
- Location: The cost of living and the cost of medical care where you live affect your health insurance rate. The number of companies selling plans in your area can also be a factor.
- Number of people on your plan: You'll pay more to cover more people. Coverage for a family of four costs more than individual health insurance plans.
- Tobacco use: Tobacco use can result in health problems, so health insurance companies can charge more if you smoke or use tobacco in another way.
Some states have banned or restricted the use of age or tobacco use to set health insurance rates.
How to get cheaper Obamacare health coverage
You might be able to get cheaper Obamacare medical insurance if you're eligible for income-based discounts, called subsidies or premium tax credits.
If you buy your Obamacare health coverage from HealthCare.gov or your state marketplace, you may get discounts depending on how much you make.
To qualify, you need to earn about between about $15,650 and $62,600 as a single person (between about $32,150 and $128,600 for a family of four) . The more people you have in your household, the more you can make and still qualify for a subsidy. If you make more than four times the federal poverty level, you won't qualify for a subsidy unless you pay more than 8.5% of your income on health insurance per year.
Laws around subsidies could change quickly. Lawmakers are currently debating the future of the subsidy program. Going forward, the income limits and savings amounts could change.
No matter how quickly laws change, it's still a good idea to check your eligibility for discounts. When you shop on HealthCare.gov or your state's marketplace site, the site will automatically check to see if you can get subsidies.
Minimum income to qualify for Obamacare medical insurance subsidies
People in household | Minimum income |
|---|---|
| 1 | $15,650 |
| 2 | $21,150 |
| 3 | $26,650 |
| 4 | $32,150 |
| 5 | $37,650 |
Federal poverty levels are higher in Alaska and Hawaii.
Keep in mind that your discount gets larger the less you earn. That means you'll pay less for your health insurance each month if you earn $21,000 per year than if you made $40,000 per year.
Extra Covid-era discounts are set to expire at the end of 2025.
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the government temporarily expanded ACA subsidies by capping the amount you'll pay for coverage at 8.5% of your income. For example, someone who earns $100,000 per year won't pay more than $708 per month for health insurance.
This subsidy expansion will go away at the end of 2025. Lawmakers could still extend the enhanced subsidies, or they could change the program entirely.
Frequently asked questions
How much will Obamacare cost in 2026?
Obamacare medical insurance costs an average of $752 per month for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan. The amount you pay depends on the plan tier you choose. A Bronze plan costs an average of $573 per month. A Gold plan is $793 per month, on average. Your age, state, family size and tobacco use can also impact your health coverage quote.
What is Obamacare?
Obamacare is another name for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is a law that helps make it easier to get health insurance coverage. Although most health insurance plans have to follow the law, "Obamacare" usually refers to a health insurance plan you buy on the federal marketplace or a state marketplace.
How do I sign up for Obamacare?
To sign up for Obamacare, go to HealthCare.gov. You'll need to enter some basic information, including your date of birth and your ZIP code, to see the plans available in your area. Most people can only sign up for Obamacare during open enrollment in the fall and early winter. You might qualify for special enrollment, which means you can sign up outside the open enrollment period if you meet certain requirements, such as recently moving, losing coverage through your job or getting married.
What is the lowest income to qualify for Obamacare?
You can qualify for Obamacare coverage at any income level. But if you're single, you have to make between $15,650 and $62,600 to qualify for discounts, called subsidies, that lower your rate. If you're part of a family of four, the income range is $32,150 to $128,600. However, if you have a low enough income to get Medicaid, you can't get subsidies.
Will Obamacare have subsidies in 2026?
Obamacare will probably have subsidies in 2026, but they won't be the same as they have been in recent years. The bigger "enhanced subsidies" that have been in place for the past five years are going to expire at the end of 2025. Congress might renew them or let the subsidies roll back to their pre-2021 format. It's also possible that Congress could restructure the subsidy program entirely.
Methodology and sources
Average health insurance rates for 2025 and 2026 were calculated using public use files (PUFs) data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) government website and from state-run marketplace sites. ValuePenguin used the PUFs to find average rates for different plan tiers, geographic locations and family sizes.
Rates
Rates are based on a 40-year-old with a Silver plan, unless otherwise noted. Rates for Bronze plans include regular and Expanded Bronze plans for 2024, 2025 and 2026, when the plans are available. Your costs and plan options will vary; plans aren't always available in all parts of a state or county.
Rates for all plan tiers and network types depend on where data is available. Not all plan tiers or network types are available in every state or county.
ValuePenguin calculated average rates for different ages based on the federal age curve info published by CMS.
Subsidies
Rates after subsidies are estimates for a 40-year-old with a Benchmark Silver plan and are based on how subsidies were structured before 2021. Prices are calculated using KFF's rates for full-price Benchmark plans, federal poverty levels (FPLs), IRS rules about premium tax credits and Congressional reports about expanded tax credits. The total cost uses rates calculated by income, which are weighted using CMS data on the incomes of those who purchased plans during last year's open enrollment. The median was used for each income range. Unknown incomes were excluded from the calculations. Incomes of 100% of the federal poverty line and 500% of the federal poverty line were assumed for enrollees who earn less than 100% FPL and more than 500% FPL, respectively.
Insurance Writer
Cate Deventer is a ValuePenguin writer who specializes in health insurance, Medicare, auto and home insurance. She's been a licensed insurance agent since 2011.
She started her insurance career working as a customer service agent for State Farm. She later moved to an independent agency, where she worked with several insurance companies and hundreds of clients. She quoted policies, filed claims and answered insurance questions. In 2021, she pivoted her career and began writing about insurance for Bankrate. She moved to ValuePenguin in 2023 and began writing about health insurance and Medicare.
Cate has a passion for helping readers choose insurance to fit their needs. She enjoys knowing that her research and knowledge help people choose insurance products that make a positive difference in their lives.
How insurance helped Cate
Cate used her health insurance knowledge to navigate a surgery in 2023. Understanding how her policy worked let her focus on recovery instead of worrying about bills.
Expertise
- Health insurance
- Medicare & Medicaid
- Auto insurance
- Home insurance
- Life insurance
Credentials
- Licensed Life, Accident & Health Insurance Agent
- Licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Agent
Referenced by
- CBS
- NBC
- Wall Street Journal
Education
- BA, Theatre, Purdue University
- BA, English, Indiana University
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.
