Ranked 11 of 15 states · median $805/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old consultant 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 counties covered, Utah ranks 15 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: Travel fatigue; sedentary and irregular-schedule strain.
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 consultant or an accountant. Occupation changes the shopping criteria, nothing else.
Premium is set by rating area, so a consultant 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box Elder | $602 | Select Health | $5,900 | 4 |
| Duchesne | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 4 |
| Piute | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 2 |
| Washington | $885 | Select Health | $6,000 | 3 |
| Weber | $587 | Select Health | $5,900 | 4 |
| Daggett | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 4 |
The spread across just these six is $298/month — $3,570 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 — network reach | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Counties in the state | 29 |
| Counties with only one carrier | 1 (3%) |
| Plan types available | EPO, HMO |
| PPO available on exchange | No |
| Carriers filing in the state | 6 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $559 — Davis |
Utah has no PPO plans on the exchange at all. For a consultant covering distance, that single fact outweighs premium: 1 of 29 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. 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
Read the comparison as context, not as a shopping list. Your county of residence determines what you can buy, and for a consultant 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: Travel, home office, software, professional development. 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 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. 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 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 Consultants in Utah and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.