Ranked 5 of 15 states · median $687/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old flooring contractor 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 highest out-of-pocket maximum, Wisconsin ranks 15 of 15 for this occupation.
For work with real injury exposure the premium is the wrong headline number. What decides a bad year is the annual out-of-pocket maximum — the ceiling you stop paying at. A fall, a fracture, an imaging series and a course of physical therapy will reach that ceiling on any metal tier, so the states below are ordered by worst-case exposure.
Occupational context: Knee and back injury; adhesive and dust inhalation.
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 flooring contractor 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 flooring contractor 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor | $673 | Security | $6,000 | 2 |
| Chippewa | $731 | Security | $6,000 | 3 |
| Calumet | $526 | Network Health | $6,000 | 2 |
| Kewaunee | $541 | CareSource (Common Ground Healthcare) | $5,000 | 5 |
| Walworth | $543 | MercyCare | $6,000 | 4 |
| Washington | $575 | CareSource (Common Ground Healthcare) | $5,000 | 4 |
The spread across just these six is $205/month — $2,459 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 — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $531 — Group Health Cooperative-SCW |
| Gold deductible | $1,500 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $526 — Network Health |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $735 |
For a flooring contractor, 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. 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
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether Wisconsin is treating you well, not for arbitrage. You cannot buy an out-of-state exchange plan. If you are a flooring contractor weighing a relocation for other reasons, the premium difference is a real line item worth putting in the decision.
If you file a Schedule C as a flooring contractor, the categories that usually show up are: Tools, van, materials, knee protection, liability insurance. 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 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. 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.
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 Flooring Contractors in Wisconsin and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.