Ranked 10 of 15 states · median $789/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old carpenter in Florida pays a median $789/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 10th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $554 from Ambetter Health in Indian River. On highest out-of-pocket maximum, Florida ranks 3 of 15 for this occupation.
Injury exposure means the number that matters is the out-of-pocket maximum, not the premium. A single ER visit and follow-up can hit that ceiling in one month, so these pages rank states by worst-case annual exposure rather than by monthly cost.
Occupational context: Saw and nail-gun injuries; hearing loss; back strain from lifting.
Two things get confused here constantly. Risk exposure decides what coverage you should buy. It does not decide what you are charged — Florida carriers rate on age, ZIP, tobacco and family size, full stop. A carpenter 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 carpenter in one Florida 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardee | $831 | Ambetter Health | $8,000 | 6 |
| Brevard | $560 | Ambetter Health | $8,000 | 8 |
| Franklin | $613 | Ambetter Health | $8,000 | 4 |
| Bay | $640 | Ambetter Health | $8,000 | 4 |
| Bradford | $654 | Ambetter Health | $8,000 | 5 |
| Baker | $660 | Ambetter Health | $8,000 | 5 |
The spread across just these six is $271/month — $3,248 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $554 to $2,203. Coverage by County publishes all 67 Florida counties individually.
| Florida — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $545 — Health First Commercial Plans |
| Gold deductible | $2,200 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $554 — Ambetter Health |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $775 |
For a carpenter, the gap between $0 and $0 in annual out-of-pocket maximum is worth more than any premium difference on this page. One serious injury reaches that ceiling regardless of which plan you picked.
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file. 7,569 plan records across 67 Florida 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: Utah ($805), Texas ($807), North Carolina ($828).
Side-by-side: Florida vs Oklahoma · Florida vs Kansas · Florida vs Utah · Florida vs Texas
Read the comparison as context, not as a shopping list. Your county of residence determines what you can buy, and for a carpenter that is fixed unless you relocate. Where it is actionable is a move already in progress — that is a qualifying life event, and you have 60 days on either side of it.
Deduction categories that generally fit this trade: Tools, truck, lumber, jobsite travel, liability insurance. Note the ordering problem with health premiums: the §162(l) deduction lowers your AGI, and your AGI is what sets your premium tax credit, so the two calculate against each other. That is a CPA conversation and worth having before you enroll, not after.
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 Florida is $554 per month from Ambetter Health, with a state median of $789. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
No. Florida exchange plans are guaranteed issue and community rated, so a carpenter pays exactly what anyone else of the same age in the same ZIP pays. Occupation is not on the application as a rating factor.
Yes. Plan types filed for 2026: EPO, HMO, POS, PPO.
Florida ranks 10 of 15 states covered here, at a median $789 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
This page compares states. For Florida specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Carpenters in Florida and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.