How Much Does a Health Insurance Cost?

A senior doctor in a white coat consulting with a mother and her young son in a clinic office.

Health insurance costs look different depending on where the coverage comes from. An employer-sponsored plan usually has the employer picking up most of the premium, often leaving the employee paying somewhere around $100 to $200 a month for self-only coverage, while COBRA or an unsubsidized marketplace plan can run several times that for the exact same person. Because this is a recurring monthly bill rather than a one-time cost, this estimate weighs the premium you enter against your income and any existing debt to show how much room it leaves in your budget.

These key factors affect health insurance affordability

Premiums vary widely by source of coverage

Employer coverage is the cheapest path for most people simply because someone else is footing part of the bill, typically leaving you with around $100 to $200 a month for self-only coverage. Lose that subsidy, through COBRA or an unsubsidized marketplace plan, and the math changes fast: COBRA specifically requires paying the full premium plus a 2 percent administrative fee, which routinely pushes the monthly cost to $600 or more for coverage that used to cost a fraction of that as a payroll deduction.

Subsidies can change the real cost significantly

Don't price a marketplace plan off the sticker premium alone. ACA premium tax credits are based on household income and can cut that number substantially, sometimes close to zero for lower-income households, and they're generally applied automatically once you enroll during the annual open enrollment window (November 1 to January 15 in most states). Whatever figure you enter here should be what you'd actually pay after any credit, not the unsubsidized rate.

Deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums matter too

A lower premium almost always trades off against a higher deductible, which is the logic behind the ACA's Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum tiers: Bronze plans cover roughly 60% of costs on average with the lowest premium and highest deductible, while Platinum covers closer to 90% for a higher monthly price. The real cost of a plan is the premium plus what you're likely to spend out of pocket given your own health needs, not the premium by itself, so it's worth running that fuller math before assuming the cheapest listed plan is actually the cheapest one for you.

How to use your results

If the result shows high risk, check whether you qualify for ACA marketplace subsidies, which can lower your effective premium considerably
Compare the total annual cost of a plan, premium plus expected deductible spending, rather than just the monthly premium alone
If you're on COBRA, check the marketplace for a comparable plan first, since COBRA is often the most expensive way to maintain coverage

Ways to make health insurance more affordable

Check HealthCare.gov or your state marketplace for premium tax credits, which many people qualify for without realizing it
Compare a high-deductible health plan paired with an HSA if you're generally healthy, since the premium savings and tax advantages can add up
Ask your employer about any wellness program discounts or premium reductions tied to health screenings
If you recently lost a job, look into marketplace special enrollment before defaulting to COBRA, since marketplace plans are usually cheaper

More health & personal care calculators

Peer comparison data

Bureau of Labor Statistics (median income by age), Experian (credit score by age)

Used by the “how you compare” figures in the sidebar, not by the costs on this page.

Every figure on this site, with its source and the date it was last verified