Ranked 6 of 15 states · median $708/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old general contractor in Michigan pays a median $708/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 6th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $385 from Ambetter from Meridian in Genesee. On highest out-of-pocket maximum, Michigan ranks 6 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: Falls, struck-by injuries, and heavy-equipment exposure.
Worth being clear about what this does and does not affect: a carrier in Michigan cannot ask what you do for a living, cannot charge a general 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 general contractor in one Michigan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montcalm | $591 | Ambetter from Meridian | $7,000 | 5 |
| Missaukee | $592 | Blue Care Network of Michigan | $5,800 | 4 |
| Huron | $643 | Priority Health | $5,500 | 4 |
| Mackinac | $645 | Blue Care Network of Michigan | $5,800 | 2 |
| Midland | $681 | Blue Care Network of Michigan | $5,800 | 4 |
| Houghton | $769 | Blue Care Network of Michigan | $5,800 | 2 |
The spread across just these six is $178/month — $2,134 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $385 to $1,048. Coverage by County publishes all 83 Michigan counties individually.
| Michigan — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $409 — Ambetter from Meridian |
| Gold deductible | $2,000 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $385 — Ambetter from Meridian |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $538 |
For a general 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. 3,383 plan records across 83 Michigan counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: South Carolina ($636), Alabama ($680), Wisconsin ($687). More expensive: South Dakota ($725), Oklahoma ($731), Kansas ($765).
Side-by-side: Michigan vs Alabama · Michigan vs Wisconsin · Michigan vs South Dakota · Michigan vs Oklahoma
A caveat on the table above: rating is by residence, not by job site. A general contractor living in Michigan and working across a state line still buys Michigan plans. A genuine permanent move does trigger a special enrollment period, but the plan year restarts with a fresh deductible.
Deduction categories that generally fit this trade: Tools, truck, liability insurance, bonding, licensing. 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 Michigan is $385 per month from Ambetter from Meridian, with a state median of $708. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in Michigan uses four inputs only: age, ZIP code, tobacco use and how many people are on the policy. Trade, injury history and pre-existing conditions are all excluded from pricing by law.
Yes. Plan types filed for 2026: EPO, HMO, PPO.
Michigan ranks 6 of 15 states covered here, at a median $708 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
This page compares states. For Michigan specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for General Contractors in Michigan and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.