Ranked 2 of 15 states · median $625/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old architect in Ohio pays a median $625/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 2th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $482 from Oscar Health Insurance in Butler. On counties covered, Ohio ranks 6 of 15 for this occupation.
Once your work crosses county and state lines, network geography stops being a detail and becomes the whole decision. An HMO contracted in one metro leaves you paying cash 200 miles down the road, and a handful of states filed no PPO at all for 2026. These rankings lead with reach.
Occupational context: Site-visit fall risk; prolonged screen and drafting strain.
None of that changes your price. ACA plans in Ohio are community rated — premium varies by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size only. Your occupation cannot be used to rate you, decline you, or exclude a condition. What it changes is which plan design is the right bet.
Premium is set by rating area, so a architect in one Ohio county can pay materially more than one an hour away. Six counties from across the state, cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old:
| County | Cheapest Silver @40 | Issuer | Deductible | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbiana | $506 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 6 |
| Morgan | $519 | Oscar Health Insurance | $6,000 | 7 |
| Fulton | $525 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 7 |
| Miami | $526 | Antidote Health Plan of Ohio | $7,500 | 8 |
| Logan | $528 | Antidote Health Plan of Ohio | $7,500 | 8 |
| Madison | $538 | Oscar Health Insurance | $6,000 | 7 |
The spread across just these six is $32/month — $384 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $482 to $924. Coverage by County publishes all 88 Ohio counties individually.
| Ohio — network reach | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Counties in the state | 88 |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 (0%) |
| Plan types available | HMO |
| PPO available on exchange | No |
| Carriers filing in the state | 11 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $482 — Butler |
Ohio has no PPO plans on the exchange at all. For a architect covering distance, that single fact outweighs premium: 0 of 88 counties here are served by one carrier, so an HMO bought in one metro may leave you out of network for the rest of your route.
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file. 9,038 plan records across 88 Ohio counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Indiana ($558). More expensive: South Carolina ($636), Alabama ($680), Wisconsin ($687).
Side-by-side: Ohio vs Indiana · Ohio vs South Carolina · Ohio vs Alabama
A caveat on the table above: rating is by residence, not by job site. A architect living in Ohio and working across a state line still buys Ohio plans. A genuine permanent move does trigger a special enrollment period, but the plan year restarts with a fresh deductible.
If you file a Schedule C as a architect, the categories that usually show up are: Licensing, CAD software, E&O insurance, site travel. The health premium itself is normally an above-the-line deduction under IRC §162(l), which reduces AGI rather than requiring you to itemize. Your CPA should confirm it against your actual situation.
If your household income is above the subsidy range, ACA is not automatically the answer. There are other categories of coverage that may fit, and they work very differently. That is a conversation, not a web page.
The cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in Ohio is $482 per month from Oscar Health Insurance, with a state median of $625. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
No. Ohio exchange plans are guaranteed issue and community rated, so a architect pays exactly what anyone else of the same age in the same ZIP pays. Occupation is not on the application as a rating factor.
No. Only HMO plans were filed for 2026.
Ohio ranks 2 of 15 states covered here, at a median $625 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
This page compares states. For Ohio specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Architects in Ohio and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.