Ranked 5 of 15 states · median $687/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old event planner in Wisconsin pays a median $687/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 5th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $526 from Network Health in Calumet. On counties covered, Wisconsin ranks 10 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.
Worth being clear about what this does and does not affect: a carrier in Wisconsin cannot ask what you do for a living, cannot charge a event planner more than a librarian of the same age in the same ZIP, and cannot exclude anything you were already treated for. Occupation only tells you which plan structure to shop for.
Premium is set by rating area, so a event planner in one Wisconsin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette | $579 | Aspirus | $6,000 | 3 |
| Jefferson | $610 | Dean | $3,500 | 2 |
| Forest | $633 | Security | $6,000 | 3 |
| Trempealeau | $637 | Quartz | $8,000 | 3 |
| Bayfield | $656 | Medica | $3,500 | 3 |
| Buffalo | $683 | Medica | $3,500 | 4 |
The spread across just these six is $105/month — $1,259 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $526 to $1,062. Coverage by County publishes all 72 Wisconsin counties individually.
| Wisconsin — network reach | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Counties in the state | 72 |
| Counties with only one carrier | 1 (1%) |
| Plan types available | EPO, HMO, POS, PPO |
| PPO available on exchange | Yes |
| Carriers filing in the state | 12 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $526 — Calumet |
Wisconsin has PPO plans available. For a event planner covering distance, that single fact outweighs premium: 1 of 72 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. 2,651 plan records across 72 Wisconsin counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Ohio ($625), South Carolina ($636), Alabama ($680). More expensive: Michigan ($708), South Dakota ($725), Oklahoma ($731).
Side-by-side: Wisconsin vs South Carolina · Wisconsin vs Alabama · Wisconsin vs Michigan · Wisconsin vs South Dakota
A caveat on the table above: rating is by residence, not by job site. A event planner living in Wisconsin and working across a state line still buys Wisconsin plans. A genuine permanent move does trigger a special enrollment period, but the plan year restarts with a fresh deductible.
Expense categories that typically apply to this trade: Travel, liability insurance, software, sample costs. 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 Wisconsin is $526 per month from Network Health, with a state median of $687. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
No. Wisconsin 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.
Yes. Plan types filed for 2026: EPO, HMO, POS, PPO.
Wisconsin ranks 5 of 15 states covered here, at a median $687 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
This page compares states. For Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.