Ranked 10 of 17 states · median $773/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old barber in Tennessee pays a median $773/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 10th of 17 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $646 from Ambetter of Tennessee in Fayette. On median Silver premium, Tennessee ranks 10 of 17 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.
Two things get confused here constantly. Risk exposure decides what coverage you should buy. It does not decide what you are charged — Tennessee carriers rate on age, ZIP, tobacco and family size, full stop. A barber with a bad back and a healthy 40-year-old office worker in the same county see the same number.
Premium is set by rating area, so a barber in one Tennessee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale | $646 | Ambetter of Tennessee | $6,000 | 5 |
| Cocke | $669 | Ambetter of Tennessee | $6,000 | 4 |
| Morgan | $669 | Ambetter of Tennessee | $6,000 | 4 |
| Hancock | $678 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 4 |
| Bradley | $698 | Ambetter of Tennessee | $6,000 | 5 |
| Polk | $698 | Ambetter of Tennessee | $6,000 | 5 |
The spread across just these six is $52/month — $621 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $646 to $1,001. Coverage by County publishes all 95 Tennessee counties individually.
| Tennessee — network and cost | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Median Silver premium @40 | $773 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $646 — Ambetter of Tennessee (Fayette) |
| Most expensive Silver @40 | $1,001 |
| Carriers filing in the state | 6 — Alliant Health Plans, Ambetter of Tennessee, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Cigna Healthcare |
| Plan types available | EPO |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 of 95 |
Tennessee has 6 carriers filing and 0 of 95 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. 5,239 plan records across 95 Tennessee counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: South Dakota ($725), Oklahoma ($731), Kansas ($765). More expensive: Mississippi ($773), Florida ($789), Utah ($805).
Side-by-side: Tennessee vs Oklahoma · Tennessee vs Kansas · Tennessee vs Mississippi · Tennessee vs Florida
This only matters if you can actually choose — you buy in the state where you live, not where you work. If you are a barber who moved this year, that move is a qualifying life event and opens a special enrollment period.
Expense categories that typically apply to this trade: Chair rental, clippers, products, licensing. Premiums are generally deductible above the line under IRC §162(l) when no employer plan is available to you or your spouse — a question for your CPA, not your agent.
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 BLS median wage for Barbers in Tennessee is $31,230 a year (May 2024). Starting pay — the 10th percentile — is about $20,110. The middle half earn $22,240 to $41,600, and the top 10% more than $51,610. BLS counts about 280 people doing this work for an employer in Tennessee. The self-employed are not in the BLS survey, so this is the going rate for the work, not your own number.
The cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in Tennessee is $646 per month from Ambetter of Tennessee, with a state median of $773. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
No. Under the ACA, carriers cannot rate, decline, or exclude based on occupation or health history. Rates vary only by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size.
No. Only EPO plans were filed for 2026.
Tennessee ranks 10 of 17 states covered here, at a median $773 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 2027.
This occupation sits above the cliff in 1 of the 19 states reported and below it in the other 18, 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 Tennessee. 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 2027 the 400% FPL limit applies again, so household income above $63,840 ends premium tax credit eligibility outright.
This page compares states. For Tennessee specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Barbers in Tennessee and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
Tennessee loses a carrier this cycle: Cigna is out of the ACA individual market from January 1, 2027, leaving 5 filing here. For Barbers that is a forced decision, and a better one made in November than in January.
On price the only honest number today is national: the Peterson-KFF read of 2027 filings puts the median proposed rise near 15%, spanning −1% to 54%. Final Tennessee rates are not approved, so any precise 2027 figure quoted for this state is guesswork.
The window opens November 1, 2026, and December 15 is the date worth writing down — it is what secures January 1 cover in Tennessee and everywhere else. You will find later dates quoted; they stem from a 2025 rule that was vacated in June 2026 and is under appeal.
There is still no PPO on the Tennessee marketplace — not in any of its 95 counties. Every plan is an EPO, which for a barber working across a wide area is the binding constraint, not price.
You already know you are changing plans — Cigna is leaving. The only real question is whether you pick the replacement or the marketplace picks it for you, and that is a much easier decision made now than in the second week of December.
Enter a ZIP and a licensed agent will tell you three things:
The sticker price is rarely what Barbers in Tennessee end up paying. Start with a ZIP and a licensed agent will work out your actual number.
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