Head-to-head, from CMS Plan Year 2026 data.
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Alabama is the cheaper of the two: a 40-year-old pays about $680/month for the median Silver plan, versus $875 — a difference of $196/month (29%) before subsidies.
| Alabama | Nebraska | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Silver @40 | $680 | $875 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $583 | $640 |
| Most expensive county @40 | $1,124 | $1,460 |
| Age 27 | $478 | $525 |
| Age 60 | $1,238 | $1,359 |
| Carriers | 4 | 5 |
| Counties | 67 | 93 |
| 1-carrier counties | 7 | 0 |
| Plan types | EPO, PPO | EPO, PPO |
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits; not a quote or an offer of coverage.
This page sets two states against each other. For county-by-county carriers, plan data and help actually enrolling, I publish a page for each state on Coverage by County: Alabama or Nebraska. There is also a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment periods.
Put your ZIP code in and I will show you the carriers filing in your county, what the cheapest plan costs, and what you would actually pay after any help you qualify for. No cost, and you talk to me — not a call center.
An Alabama-to-Nebraska move triggers a 60-day special enrollment period, so the 5 carriers filing in Nebraska are open to you outside the usual window. The catch is on both ends — you normally need to have carried qualifying coverage for a day or more in the 60 days before moving, and moves made for treatment or travel are excluded.
Your plan will not come with you. Marketplace coverage is sold state by state, so the Alabama policy ends and a Nebraska application begins — new network, new premium, even if the name on the card stays the same.
Some continuity is possible: Oscar Insurance Company and UnitedHealthcare file in both, out of 4 in Alabama and 5 in Nebraska. Same company is easier paperwork, but it is a different plan on a different network at a different price.
PPO coverage is patchy: 67 of 67 Alabama counties and 34 of 93 in Nebraska. Because the PPO is the type most likely to pay out of network, whether one is sold in your particular county matters more here than either state average.
Only one of the two can be your plan state. Marketplace eligibility runs on primary residence, so if you file from Alabama the Nebraska care is the out-of-network half, and the reverse if you file from Nebraska.
State averages hide enormous county-level spread. Whichever of Alabama or Nebraska you are in, your ZIP is what sets your premium.