Ranked 9 of 15 states · median $765/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old hvac contractor in Kansas pays a median $765/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 9th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $565 from Oscar in Anderson. On highest out-of-pocket maximum, Kansas ranks 5 of 15 for this occupation.
Trade work concentrates cost into rare, expensive events rather than spreading it across the year. That inverts the usual shopping logic: a lower premium with a $9,200 ceiling is a worse deal than a higher premium with a $6,000 one, because the ceiling is what you actually hit. These rankings follow the ceiling.
Occupational context: Refrigerant exposure; heat stress; attic and roof falls.
This is background for choosing a plan, not for pricing one. Since 2014 every Kansas 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 hvac contractor or an accountant. Occupation changes the shopping criteria, nothing else.
Premium is set by rating area, so a hvac contractor in one Kansas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee | $565 | Oscar | $6,000 | 4 |
| Woodson | $588 | Oscar | $6,000 | 3 |
| Jewell | $689 | Ambetter from Sunflower | $6,000 | 3 |
| Washington | $689 | Ambetter from Sunflower | $6,000 | 3 |
| Harper | $696 | Ambetter from Sunflower | $6,000 | 2 |
| Rice | $696 | Ambetter from Sunflower | $6,000 | 2 |
The spread across just these six is $131/month — $1,577 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $565 to $979. Coverage by County publishes all 105 Kansas counties individually.
| Kansas — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $5,900 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $10,600 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $608 — Oscar |
| Gold deductible | $2,000 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $565 — Oscar |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $790 |
For a hvac contractor, the gap between $5,900 and $10,600 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. 3,058 plan records across 105 Kansas counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Michigan ($708), South Dakota ($725), Oklahoma ($731). More expensive: Florida ($789), Utah ($805), Texas ($807).
Side-by-side: Kansas vs South Dakota · Kansas vs Oklahoma · Kansas vs Florida · Kansas vs Utah
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether Kansas is treating you well, not for arbitrage. You cannot buy an out-of-state exchange plan. If you are a hvac contractor weighing a relocation for other reasons, the premium difference is a real line item worth putting in the decision.
Expense categories that typically apply to this trade: Tools, van, EPA certification, liability insurance. 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 Kansas is $565 per month from Oscar, with a state median of $765. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
No. Kansas exchange plans are guaranteed issue and community rated, so a hvac contractor 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 EPO plans were filed for 2026.
Kansas ranks 9 of 15 states covered here, at a median $765 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
Below the cliff. At this income a single-person household remains eligible for a premium tax credit in 2026.
This occupation sits above the cliff in 3 of the 21 states reported and below it in the other 18, so the answer changes with the state.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (SOC 49-9021) in Kansas. 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 hvac contractor. 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.
This page compares states. For Kansas specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for HVAC Contractors in Kansas and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
The Kansas market currently runs to 6 carriers over 105 counties. Carriers re-file every year, and for HVAC Contractors the question that actually decides your renewal is which of them are still there in November.
Nobody can tell you your 2027 Kansas premium yet. Filings nationally cluster around a 15% median increase, with the full spread running −1% to 54% — and until this state signs off, a specific local number is invention.
Enrollment opens November 1, 2026. Treat December 15 as the deadline: it guarantees January 1 cover on every marketplace, Kansas included. Conflicting end dates get quoted because a 2025 rule shortened the window and a court vacated it in June 2026, appeal pending — enrol by the 15th and the argument is irrelevant to you.
One thing 2027 will not fix: no PPO is sold anywhere in Kansas. All 105 counties offer HMO, EPO or POS only, so care outside the network is effectively emergency-only. If your work as a hvac contractor crosses county lines, weigh that above the premium.
Because Kansas sells no PPO in any of its 105 counties, the thing that will decide your 2027 experience is which network your providers sit in — and that is far easier to check now than during the rush.
Give me a ZIP and I will tell you three things:
Two HVAC Contractors on opposite sides of Kansas can be quoted very different premiums for the same plan. Your ZIP is what decides it.