Why nobody can quote you a price on a website
Health insurance is priced on five things at once: your county, your age, how many people are on the plan, whether anyone uses tobacco, and your household income for the year. Change any one and the number changes. That is why every site promising an instant price either collects your details first or is guessing.
What we can tell you honestly
Sources and dates at the bottom of this page. These are national averages published by others — not quotes, and not what you specifically will pay.
Why 2026 costs more than 2025
The enhanced premium tax credits that ran from 2021 through 2025 expired at the end of 2025 and have not been renewed. That single change is behind almost every cost increase people are seeing.
- Average net premiums rose 58%, from $113 to $178 a month.
- Average deductibles rose 37% to $3,786 — the steepest increase ever recorded in this market — largely because people traded down to cheaper plans with higher deductibles.
- The share of enrollees choosing Bronze plans rose from 30% to 40%.
- A hard cut-off at 400% of the federal poverty level returned. Under the enhanced rules, income above that line reduced your credit gradually. Now it removes it entirely.
Related reading
Why the lowest premium is rarely the lowest cost · What a broker does, and why it costs you nothing · Why 2026 costs more · Comparing insurers
The five things that set your price
1. Where you live
Your county determines which insurers sell to you and what they charge. This is the biggest single factor and it is not negotiable.
2. Your age
Premiums rise with age on a fixed federal curve — a 64-year-old pays three times what a 21-year-old pays for the identical plan. Two exceptions: New York and Vermont do not allow age rating at all.
3. How many people are covered
Each person is priced individually and added together, with a cap: families pay for at most three children under 21.
4. Tobacco use
Insurers may charge up to 50% more. Some states prohibit or limit this.
5. Your household income for the year
The only one you have any influence over, and the one that changes the number most. It determines your premium tax credit — and, below 250% of the federal poverty level, whether you also qualify for cost-sharing reductions that cut your deductible.
Common questions
How much is health insurance a month?
There is no single answer — it depends on your county, age, household size, tobacco use and household income. Nationally, the average net marketplace premium after subsidy was $178 a month in 2026, up from $113 in 2025. What you would pay could be well above or well below that.
Why did my health insurance go up so much in 2026?
The enhanced premium tax credits that ran from 2021 through 2025 expired at the end of 2025. Average net premiums rose 58% as a result, and average deductibles rose 37% because many people moved to cheaper plans with higher deductibles.
What is the cheapest health insurance?
Medicaid, if you qualify — no premium at all, and no enrollment window. After that it depends on your income: below 250% of the federal poverty level a Silver plan with cost-sharing reductions is often cheaper overall than a Bronze plan despite a higher premium, because the deductible is dramatically lower.
Does age really change the price that much?
Yes. Federal rules allow a 3:1 ratio, so a 64-year-old pays three times a 21-year-old's premium for the identical plan. New York and Vermont are the exceptions — neither permits age rating.
How much is health insurance for a family of four?
Each person is priced separately and added together, with a cap at three children under 21. Because four people are being priced individually, family coverage is substantially more than double single coverage — and the subsidy calculation shifts too.
Can I lower what I pay?
The lever is your household income for the year, which determines your credit. For anyone with controllable income — self-employed, early retired, living partly off savings — which accounts you draw from can change the figure considerably. The 400% federal poverty level cut-off returned in 2026, making this sharper than it has been for years.
Is a cheaper premium always better?
No, and this is the most common expensive mistake. The average Marketplace deductible in 2026 is $3,786, and Bronze plans sit well above that — many set the deductible at or near the annual out-of-pocket maximum. If you use any care at all, a higher-premium Silver plan with cost-sharing reductions often costs less across the year.
How do I find out what I would actually pay near me?
Plans are priced by county, so it comes down to your ZIP code and your income estimate. Calling (866) 821-1808 connects you with a licensed agency that can pull the actual plans and prices available where you live.
Talk it through with a licensed agent
Which option is right depends on your state, your income and which doctors you need to keep. A licensed agent can walk through it with you in about eight minutes.
Free to call, no obligation, and we never ask you for payment. CobraScout is paid by the agency that answers, not by you. TTY 711.
Sources
- KFF, 2026 Marketplace enrollment, premiums and deductibles (updated July 2026)
- KFF, 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Marketplace public use files
- Internal Revenue Service, Premium Tax Credit guidance
- HealthCare.gov, How to pick a health insurance plan