Dog Groomers Health Insurance in Indiana (2026)

Wage benchmark and the 2026 subsidy cliff

$28,800median annual wage, Dog Groomers in Indiana

184%of the federal poverty level

$62,6002026 subsidy cliff, single-person household

Below the cliff. At this income a single-person household remains eligible for a premium tax credit in 2026.

This occupation is below the cliff in all 21 states reported.

What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Animal Caretakers (SOC 39-2021) in Indiana. 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 dog groomer. 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.

Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. State-level annual median wage (A_MEDIAN), detailed occupation. https://www.bls.gov/oes/. Retrieved 2026-08-03. Figures used unmodified; suppressed cells are omitted, not estimated.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines. 90 FR 5917, 17 January 2025. https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines. Retrieved 2026-08-03. The 2025 guidelines govern premium tax credit eligibility for plan year 2026 coverage. The 2026 guidelines apply to 2027 coverage.
Full dataset for all occupations and states: CSV · JSON (CC BY 4.0).

All 21 states

Benchmark premium and median wage for this occupation, ranked by premium.

#	State	Benchmark @40	Median wage	vs cliff
1	Maryland	$414	$35,990	below
2	Virginia	$455	$30,830	below
3	Indiana	$474	$28,800	below
4	Nevada	$497	$29,530	below
5	Ohio	$513	$29,700	below
6	Michigan	$523	$29,730	below
7	Colorado	$557	$35,300	below
8	South Carolina	$564	$29,900	below
9	Oklahoma	$604	$28,370	below
10	Wisconsin	$611	$29,490	below
11	Georgia	$615	$28,880	below
12	North Carolina	$638	$28,900	below
13	Utah	$640	$31,550	below
14	Alabama	$645	$27,940	below
15	Illinois	$646	$34,440	below
16	South Dakota	$655	$29,460	below
17	Texas	$661	$29,810	below
18	Kansas	$670	$27,970	below
19	Florida	$683	$30,380	below
20	Nebraska	$710	$29,970	below
21	Arkansas	$774	$29,370	below

Questions

Does being a dog groomer change what health insurance costs in Indiana?

No. Under the ACA carriers may not rate, decline, or exclude based on occupation or health history. Premiums vary only by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size, so the benchmark of $474 a month applies regardless of trade.

Do dog groomers qualify for a subsidy in Indiana in 2026?

Premium tax credit eligibility depends on household modified adjusted gross income and household size, not occupation. For reference, the BLS median wage for Animal Caretakers in Indiana is $28,800, which is below the 2026 cliff of $62,600 for a single-person household. Your own income and household size decide the answer.

What is the benchmark premium in Indiana for 2026?

$474 a month for a 40-year-old, ranking 3 of 21 states published here. That is full price before any premium tax credit.

Where do these numbers come from?

Premiums come from the CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file and published state rate approvals. Wages come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Both are reproduced unmodified; the full wage dataset is downloadable as CSV or JSON.

Going deeper on Indiana

This page compares states. For Indiana specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — that is published on Coverage by County. To check whether a plan actually covers your hospital, see Plans By City.

← Dog Groomers in all states · All trades · All occupations

2027 in Indiana, if you are a dog groomer

Indiana loses a carrier this cycle: Cigna is out of the ACA individual market from January 1, 2027, leaving 4 filing here. For Dog Groomers 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 Indiana rates are not approved, so any precise 2027 figure quoted for this state is guesswork.

Mark November 1, 2026 to open and December 15 to act. That second date guarantees cover from January 1 in Indiana regardless of how the current litigation over the enrollment window resolves.

One thing 2027 will not fix: no PPO is sold anywhere in Indiana. All 92 counties offer HMO, EPO or POS only, so care outside the network is effectively emergency-only. If your work as a dog groomer crosses county lines, weigh that above the premium.

A head start beats a scramble

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 in August than in the second week of December.

Give me a ZIP and I will tell you three things:

Whether your current plan and carrier are still writing in your county for 2027
What your income estimate should realistically be — the number your credit is calculated from, and the one dog groomers most often get wrong
Whether the doctors you actually use are in the 2027 network, before you are locked in

Map my 2027 options →

Dog Groomers in Indiana: start with your ZIP

Two Dog Groomers on opposite sides of Indiana can be quoted very different premiums for the same plan. Your ZIP is what decides it.

One field. No account, no phone call unless you ask for one.

Dog Groomers Health Insurance in Indiana