How much does health insurance cost without employer

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Health insurance premiums have risen dramatically over the past decade. In previous years, insurers would price your health insurance based on a multitude of factors. However, the number of variables have decreased significantly with the Affordable Care Act.

In 2022, the average cost of individual health insurance for a 40-year-old on a silver plan is $541. This represents an increase of nearly 1% from the 2021 plan year.

One of the primary factors in your individual health insurance costs is your location, as prices will vary depending on the state and county in which you live. In this first table, we look at health insurance premiums for 2022 and how they differ by state.

Change in average health insurance cost for 2022

From 2021 to 2022, health insurance rates across the nation increased by less than 1%. South Dakota saw the largest year-over-year jump in health insurance costs for a 40-year old on a silver plan — increasing just over 23%. Including South Dakota, 27 states had their rates increase on average from 2021 to 2022.

Year-over-year rates decreased the most in Georgia, South Carolina and Nebraska, which all fell by more than 10% (41%, 16% and 11%, respectively). Overall, 21 states experienced a decrease in health insurance premiums. Two states — Idaho and Virginia — saw no year-over-year change.

Average health insurance premiums by metal tier

Health insurance plans are separated into metal tiers based on the proportion of health care costs the insurance plan is expected to cover.

The silver plan falls around the middle, with moderate deductibles, copays and coinsurance. The catastrophic and bronze plans offer the smallest amount of coverage, while platinum plans offer the greatest.

The average rates paid for health insurance plans are inversely related to the amount of coverage they provide, with platinum plans being the most expensive and catastrophic and bronze plans being the cheapest. The following table shows the average rates a 40-year-old would pay for individual health insurance based on the tier. Older consumers would see their rates increase according to the age scale set by the federal guidelines.

Policy premiums are for a 40-year-old applicant.

Average health insurance rates by plan type

Another distinction between plans that can change the rates you pay is the type of network the plan uses.

Depending on whether the plan is a preferred provider organization (PPO), health maintenance organization (HMO), exclusive provider organization (EPO) or point of service (POS), access to health care providers will be managed in different ways.

HMOs tend to be the most restrictive about which doctors you can see and what you need to do in order to see them. This usually means that the insurers save on your cost of care and thereby provide lower premiums.

Policy premiums are for a 40-year-old applicant.

Cost of private health insurance

Private health insurance is also called individual health insurance or Affordable Care Act coverage. Thus, the costs provided in this article apply to the same type of coverage, regardless of the name. If you're not enrolling in a government-backed plan like Medicare or Medicaid, you are buying private health insurance.

Nationally, the average monthly cost of private health insurance is $541 for a single 40-year-old on a Silver plan.

The average cost of private health insurance varies based on several factors including how you buy your plan. When you buy private health insurance through a state or federal health insurance exchange, you could be eligible for subsidies to help with monthly plan payments and other insurance costs.

You can also buy private health insurance directly from the insurance company through an agent or broker. These are sometimes called "off-exchange" policies and include both Affordable Care Act plans and short-term medical insurance. Off-exchange plans do not qualify for cost-saving subsidies. Before you buy, it's a good idea to compare on- and off-exchange plans to see which option will save you money.

Factors that impact health insurance rates

For a particular health insurance plan, the cost of coverage is determined by certain factors that have been set by law. States can limit the degree to which these factors impact your rates: For instance, some states like California and New York don't allow the cost of health insurance to differ based on tobacco use.

• Age: The health care cost per person covered by a policy is set according to their age, with rates increasing as the individual gets older. Children up to the age of 14 will cost a flat rate to add to a health plan, but premiums typically increase annually beginning at age 15.
• Where you live: Health insurance companies determine the set of policies offered and the cost of coverage based on the state and county you live in. So a resident of Miami-Dade County in southern Florida, for instance, may pay lower rates for the same policy than a resident of Jackson County, in the Florida Panhandle.
• Smoking/tobacco use: If you smoke, you could pay up to 50% higher rates for health insurance, though the maximum increase is determined by the state.
• Number of people insured: The total cost of a health plan is set according to the number of people covered by it, as well as each person's age and possibly their tobacco use. For example, a family of three, with two adults and a child, would pay a much higher monthly health insurance premium than an individual.

Frequently asked questions

How much does health insurance cost?

In 2022, the average cost of health insurance is $541 a month for a silver plan. However, costs will vary by location. Insurance is expensive in West Virginia and South Dakota, averaging more than $800 a month. States with cheaper health insurance include Georgia, New Hampshire and Maryland, averaging less than $375 a month. Compare quotes in your state here.

How much has the cost of health insurance changed?

How much does ‘Obamacare’ cost each month?

A bronze health insurance plan costs an average of $396 a month on the health insurance marketplace. However, subsidies can lower your monthly costs. If you earn $30,000 a year, a bronze plan could cost nearly $0 a month. If you earn $45,000, the average cost is $271.

How much is private health insurance?

The cost of private health insurance varies based on several factors such as your age and where you live. For example, in West Virginia, a single 40-year-old pays around $831 per month for a Silver plan, while the same plan in Mississippi costs an average of $511. Your cost also depends on the type of plan you buy, such as an HMO or PPO, and the level of coverage.

Methodology

Health insurance premiums and plans found in the above report were aggregated from Public Use Files (PUF) on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) government website. Plans and providers for which county-level data was included in the CMS’ Crosswalk file were used in our analysis; those excluded from this dataset may not appear.

Using the rates and premiums for each plan, averages were calculated for a variety of variables such as metal tier, family size or county. Average costs per state were calculated from silver plans for 40-year-olds.