Ranked 11 of 15 states · median $805/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old bookkeeper in Utah pays a median $805/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 11th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $559 from Select Health in Davis. On cheapest Silver at age 27, Utah ranks 14 of 15 for this occupation.
Desk-based work usually means low claim volume and a younger buyer, which makes a high-deductible plan paired with an HSA the mathematically better bet in most years. These pages rank states by what a healthy buyer actually pays at ages 27 and 40.
Occupational context: Repetitive stress and eye strain from screen work.
This is background for choosing a plan, not for pricing one. Since 2014 every Utah exchange plan has been guaranteed issue and community rated: same age, same ZIP, same tobacco status means the same filed premium whether you are a bookkeeper or an accountant. Occupation changes the shopping criteria, nothing else.
Premium is set by rating area, so a bookkeeper in one Utah 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wasatch | $574 | Select Health | $5,900 | 2 |
| Beaver | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 2 |
| Juab | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 4 |
| Uintah | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 4 |
| Tooele | $574 | Select Health | $5,900 | 4 |
| Rich | $768 | Select Health | $6,000 | 3 |
The spread across just these six is $224/month — $2,694 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $559 to $1,125. Coverage by County publishes all 29 Utah counties individually.
| Utah — the age curve | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Cheapest Silver @27 | $526 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $559 |
| Cheapest Silver @60 | $1,134 |
| Lowest deductible in state | $1,000 |
A 27-year-old bookkeeper in Utah starts at $526; the same plan class at 60 starts at $1,134 — roughly 2.2× as much. If a Bronze plan here is HSA-qualified, the deduction plus low claim volume usually beats Silver on total annual cost. Confirm HSA eligibility on the plan document, not the metal tier.
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file. 699 plan records across 29 Utah counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Oklahoma ($731), Kansas ($765), Florida ($789). More expensive: Texas ($807), North Carolina ($828), Arkansas ($828).
Side-by-side: Utah vs Kansas · Utah vs Florida · Utah vs Texas · Utah vs North Carolina
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether Utah is treating you well, not for arbitrage. You cannot buy an out-of-state exchange plan. If you are a bookkeeper weighing a relocation for other reasons, the premium difference is a real line item worth putting in the decision.
Expense categories that typically apply to this trade: Software subscriptions, home office, continuing education. 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 cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in Utah is $559 per month from Select Health, with a state median of $805. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
No. Utah exchange plans are guaranteed issue and community rated, so a bookkeeper 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 EPO and HMO plans were filed for 2026.
Utah ranks 11 of 15 states covered here, at a median $805 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
This page compares states. For Utah specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Bookkeepers in Utah and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.