Head-to-head, from CMS Plan Year 2026 data.
Prefer to talk? Call (713) 575-9904
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 23 States
Michigan is the cheaper of the two: a 40-year-old pays about $708/month for the median Silver plan, versus $828 — a difference of $120/month (17%) before subsidies.
| Michigan | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Silver @40 | $708 | $828 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $385 | $540 |
| Most expensive county @40 | $1,048 | $1,128 |
| Age 27 | $316 | $443 |
| Age 60 | $818 | $1,147 |
| Carriers | 7 | 6 |
| Counties | 83 | 100 |
| 1-carrier counties | 0 | 0 |
| Plan types | EPO, HMO, PPO | EPO, HMO, POS, 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: Michigan or North Carolina. There is also a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment periods.
Change the age or income and both states recalculate: the 2027 marketplace price after any tax credit, and the private plan estimate.
| Monthly, age 45, $85,000 | Michigan | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace benchmark Silver, full price | $677 | $828 |
| Tax credit | none | none |
| You pay for the benchmark plan | $677 | $828 |
| Private plan estimate (low end: no deductible) | $350–$475 | $220–$440 |
At 45 on $85,000, the benchmark plan costs $1,820 a year more in North Carolina than in Michigan, at full price in both, since that income is over the tax-credit line.
2027 estimates: KFF 2026 benchmark raised by each state’s average 2027 change, on the federal age curve; 2027 tax credit rules. Your county will differ. Every state at once: what you would pay in each state.
Put your ZIP code in and a licensed agent 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 a licensed agent — not a call center.
A Michigan-to-North Carolina move triggers a 60-day special enrollment period, so the 6 carriers filing in North Carolina 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.
Nothing transfers. You close the Michigan plan and enroll fresh against North Carolina’s 100 counties, which means a new network and a new price regardless of which insurer you land on.
UnitedHealthcare writes on both sides of the line — Michigan fields 7 carriers in total, North Carolina fields 6. Keeping the same insurer smooths the admin and changes little else, since the network is rebuilt per state.
Availability is uneven — 83 of 83 counties in Michigan, 90 of 100 in North Carolina sell a PPO. That makes the county you land in, not the state you pick, the thing that decides whether out-of-network care is covered.
Only one of the two can be your plan state. Marketplace eligibility runs on primary residence, so if you file from Michigan the North Carolina care is the out-of-network half, and the reverse if you file from North Carolina.
State averages hide enormous county-level spread. Whichever of Michigan or North Carolina you are in, your ZIP is what sets your premium.
★★★★★
“I run my own business and my time is valuable. Daniel handled everything — compared the private options, explained what I was actually getting, and had me covered fast. Way better experience than trying to navigate it myself.”