Ranked 2 of 15 states · median $625/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old barber 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 median Silver premium, Ohio ranks 2 of 15 for this occupation.
Patient-facing and standing work means steady, predictable utilization — regular visits, prescriptions, physical therapy. Copay structure and network breadth drive real annual cost more than the headline premium, so these pages rank states on median premium and carrier count together.
Occupational context: Repetitive shoulder/wrist strain; prolonged standing; chemical exposure.
Worth being clear about what this does and does not affect: a carrier in Ohio cannot ask what you do for a living, cannot charge a barber more than a librarian of the same age in the same ZIP, and cannot exclude anything you were already treated for. Occupation only tells you which plan structure to shop for.
Premium is set by rating area, so a barber 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guernsey | $566 | Antidote Health Plan of Ohio | $7,500 | 5 |
| Athens | $617 | CareSource | $6,200 | 4 |
| Cuyahoga | $489 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 8 |
| Brown | $495 | Oscar Health Insurance | $6,000 | 8 |
| Sandusky | $497 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 6 |
| Trumbull | $506 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 7 |
The spread across just these six is $128/month — $1,538 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 and cost | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Median Silver premium @40 | $625 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $482 — Oscar Health Insurance (Butler) |
| Most expensive Silver @40 | $924 |
| Carriers filing in the state | 11 — Ambetter from Buckeye, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Antidote Health Plan of Ohio, CareSource |
| Plan types available | HMO |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 of 88 |
Ohio has 11 carriers filing and 0 of 88 counties served by a single issuer. For a barber with an established provider relationship, that carrier count is the number that decides whether you keep your doctor.
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
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether Ohio is treating you well, not for arbitrage. You cannot buy an out-of-state exchange plan. If you are a barber weighing a relocation for other reasons, the premium difference is a real line item worth putting in the decision.
Self-employed Barbers in Ohio typically deduct: Chair rental, clippers, products, licensing. Health premiums sit separately, above the line under IRC §162(l), and only when neither you nor a spouse could have joined an employer plan — eligibility disqualifies you even if you declined the coverage.
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.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in Ohio uses four inputs only: age, ZIP code, tobacco use and how many people are on the policy. Trade, injury history and pre-existing conditions are all excluded from pricing by law.
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.
Below the cliff. At this income a single-person household remains eligible for a premium tax credit in 2026.
This occupation sits above the cliff in 1 of the 17 states reported and below it in the other 16, so the answer changes with the state.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Barbers (SOC 39-5011) in Ohio. BLS surveys wage and salary workers and excludes the self-employed, so it is a benchmark for the occupation in this state — not the income of a self-employed barber. Premium tax credit eligibility is set by household modified adjusted gross income and household size, not by occupation, so treat this as a reference point rather than a determination of what you qualify for.
Why the cliff is back. The enhanced premium tax credits expired on 31 December 2025. For plan year 2026 the 400% FPL limit applies again, so household income above $62,600 ends premium tax credit eligibility outright.
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 Barbers in Ohio and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
Ohio has 11 carriers filing across 88 counties right now. That list is rebuilt every year, so what you can choose from in November may not match what you see today — and for a barber buying your own cover, who stays matters more than the headline rate.
Rate filings for 2027 point to roughly a 15% median increase nationally, from −1% at one end to 54% at the other. Ohio has not finalised, so treat exact local 2027 pricing as unavailable rather than unknown.
Enrollment opens November 1, 2026. Treat December 15 as the deadline: it guarantees January 1 cover on every marketplace, Ohio included. Conflicting end dates get quoted because a 2025 rule shortened the window and a court vacated it in June 2026, appeal pending — enrol by the 15th and the argument is irrelevant to you.
There is still no PPO on the Ohio marketplace — not in any of its 88 counties. Every plan is an HMO, EPO or POS, which for a barber working across a wide area is the binding constraint, not price.
Because Ohio sells no PPO in any of its 88 counties, the thing that will decide your 2027 experience is which network your providers sit in — and that is far easier to check now than during the rush.
Give me a ZIP and I will tell you three things:
There is no single Ohio price. Enter your ZIP and I will pull what is filed in your county, then work out what help you qualify for.