Head-to-head, from CMS Plan Year 2026 data.
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Ohio is the cheaper of the two: a 40-year-old pays about $625/month for the median Silver plan, versus $680 — a difference of $54/month (9%) before subsidies.
| Ohio | Alabama | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Silver @40 | $625 | $680 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $482 | $583 |
| Most expensive county @40 | $924 | $1,124 |
| Age 27 | $395 | $478 |
| Age 60 | $1,023 | $1,238 |
| Carriers | 11 | 4 |
| Counties | 88 | 67 |
| 1-carrier counties | 0 | 7 |
| Plan types | HMO | EPO, PPO |
Network note: Ohio has no PPO plans in 2026 while Alabama does. If you work across county or state lines that difference matters more than the premium gap.
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: Ohio or Alabama. 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 | Ohio | Alabama |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace benchmark Silver, full price | $674 | $880 |
| Tax credit | none | none |
| You pay for the benchmark plan | $674 | $880 |
| Private plan estimate (low end: no deductible) | $275–$435 | $350–$470 |
At 45 on $85,000, the benchmark plan costs $2,466 a year more in Alabama than in Ohio, 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.
An Ohio-to-Alabama move triggers a 60-day special enrollment period, so the 4 carriers filing in Alabama 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 Ohio plan and enroll fresh against Alabama’s 67 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 — Ohio fields 11 carriers in total, Alabama fields 4. Keeping the same insurer smooths the admin and changes little else, since the network is rebuilt per state.
The plan types do not match up. PPOs cover all 67 counties in Alabama and zero of the 88 in Ohio. Since the PPO is the one type that reliably pays out of network, moving into Ohio narrows where you can be seen rather than just changing what you pay.
Splitting the year does not mean splitting the coverage. You can hold a marketplace plan only in your state of primary residence — the address you file from — not one in Ohio and another in Alabama. The cost lands on care received in whichever of the two you did not choose.
Neither Ohio nor Alabama has one price. Enter a ZIP and a licensed agent will pull the plans in that county and work out what help you qualify for.
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