Ranked 2 of 15 states · median $625/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old event planner in Ohio pays a median $625/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 2th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $482 from Oscar Health Insurance in Butler. On counties covered, Ohio ranks 6 of 15 for this occupation.
Work that crosses county and state lines makes network geography the binding constraint. A cheap HMO that only contracts in one metro is worthless 200 miles away, so these pages rank states by network reach and flag the ones with no PPO on the exchange at all.
Occupational context: Long standing hours; heavy lifting; high-stress event days.
This is background for choosing a plan, not for pricing one. Since 2014 every Ohio 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 event planner or an accountant. Occupation changes the shopping criteria, nothing else.
Premium is set by rating area, so a event planner in one Ohio 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hocking | $537 | Oscar Health Insurance | $6,000 | 7 |
| Mercer | $538 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 5 |
| Gallia | $544 | Antidote Health Plan of Ohio | $7,500 | 5 |
| Williams | $555 | Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield | $5,000 | 6 |
| Washington | $604 | Antidote Health Plan of Ohio | $7,500 | 4 |
| Ashtabula | $489 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 5 |
The spread across just these six is $115/month — $1,377 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $482 to $924. Coverage by County publishes all 88 Ohio counties individually.
| Ohio — network reach | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Counties in the state | 88 |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 (0%) |
| Plan types available | HMO |
| PPO available on exchange | No |
| Carriers filing in the state | 11 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $482 — Butler |
Ohio has no PPO plans on the exchange at all. For a event planner covering distance, that single fact outweighs premium: 0 of 88 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. 9,038 plan records across 88 Ohio counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Indiana ($558). More expensive: South Carolina ($636), Alabama ($680), Wisconsin ($687).
Side-by-side: Ohio vs Indiana · Ohio vs South Carolina · Ohio vs Alabama
A caveat on the table above: rating is by residence, not by job site. A event planner living in Ohio and working across a state line still buys Ohio plans. A genuine permanent move does trigger a special enrollment period, but the plan year restarts with a fresh deductible.
If you file a Schedule C as a event planner, the categories that usually show up are: Travel, liability insurance, software, sample costs. The health premium itself is normally an above-the-line deduction under IRC §162(l), which reduces AGI rather than requiring you to itemize. Your CPA should confirm it against your actual situation.
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 Ohio is $482 per month from Oscar Health Insurance, with a state median of $625. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
No. Ohio exchange plans are guaranteed issue and community rated, so a event planner 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 HMO plans were filed for 2026.
Ohio ranks 2 of 15 states covered here, at a median $625 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
This page compares states. For Ohio specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Event Planners in Ohio and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.