Ranked 11 of 17 states · median $773/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old hvac contractor in Mississippi pays a median $773/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 11th of 17 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $598 from Oscar Health Plan in DeSoto. On highest out-of-pocket maximum, Mississippi ranks 16 of 17 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winston | $684 | Ambetter from Magnolia Health | $6,000 | 3 |
| Tate | $598 | Oscar Health Plan | $6,300 | 5 |
| Warren | $634 | Oscar Health Plan | $6,300 | 5 |
| George | $655 | Cigna Healthcare | $4,000 | 4 |
| Jones | $661 | Ambetter from Magnolia Health | $6,000 | 4 |
| Attala | $684 | Ambetter from Magnolia Health | $6,000 | 3 |
The spread across just these six is $86/month — $1,030 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $598 to $913. Coverage by County publishes all 82 Mississippi counties individually.
| Mississippi — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $7,250 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $10,600 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $812 — Ambetter from Magnolia Health |
| Gold deductible | $2,000 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $598 — Oscar Health Plan |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $836 |
For a hvac contractor, the gap between $7,250 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. 2,834 plan records across 82 Mississippi counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Oklahoma ($731), Kansas ($765), Tennessee ($773). More expensive: Florida ($789), Utah ($805), Texas ($807).
Side-by-side: Mississippi vs Kansas · Mississippi vs Tennessee · Mississippi vs Florida · Mississippi vs Utah
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether Mississippi 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.
Self-employed HVAC Contractors in Mississippi typically deduct: Tools, van, EPA certification, liability insurance. Health premiums sit separately, above the line under IRC §162(l), and only when neither you nor a spouse could have joined an employer plan — eligibility disqualifies you even if you declined the coverage.
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 BLS median wage for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in Mississippi is $47,270 a year (May 2024). Starting pay — the 10th percentile — is about $36,000. The middle half earn $38,380 to $59,040, and the top 10% more than $70,360. BLS counts about 2,960 people doing this work for an employer in Mississippi. The self-employed are not in the BLS survey, so this is the going rate for the work, not your own number.
The cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in Mississippi is $598 per month from Oscar Health Plan, with a state median of $773. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in Mississippi 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.
No. Only EPO and HMO plans were filed for 2026.
Mississippi ranks 11 of 17 states covered here, at a median $773 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 2027.
This occupation sits above the cliff in 2 of the 23 states reported and below it in the other 21, 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 Mississippi. 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 2027 the 400% FPL limit applies again, so household income above $63,840 ends premium tax credit eligibility outright.
This page compares states. For Mississippi 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 Mississippi and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
The biggest change here is two carriers walking away. Cigna and Molina leave Mississippi’s individual market on January 1, 2027 — two of the 5 carriers writing in Mississippi today. Every hvac contractor on a Cigna or Molina plan is moving, and doing nothing just means the marketplace chooses the replacement.
On price the only honest number today is national: the Peterson-KFF read of 2027 filings puts the median proposed rise near 15%, spanning −1% to 54%. Final Mississippi rates are not approved, so any precise 2027 figure quoted for this state is guesswork.
Mark November 1, 2026 to open and December 15 to act. That second date guarantees cover from January 1 in Mississippi regardless of how the current litigation over the enrollment window resolves.
One thing 2027 will not fix: no PPO is sold anywhere in Mississippi. All 82 counties offer EPO or HMO plans 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.
If you are with Cigna or Molina, you already know you are changing plans — both are leaving. The only real question is whether you pick the replacement or the marketplace picks it for you, and that is a much easier decision made now than in the second week of December.
Enter a ZIP and a licensed agent will tell you three things:
Coverage for HVAC Contractors is priced county by county across Mississippi. Enter your ZIP and a licensed agent will show you what is on the table.
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