Ranked 2 of 15 states · median $625/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old insurance agent in Ohio pays a median $625/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 2th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $482 from Oscar Health Insurance in Butler. On counties covered, Ohio ranks 6 of 15 for this occupation.
Once your work crosses county and state lines, network geography stops being a detail and becomes the whole decision. An HMO contracted in one metro leaves you paying cash 200 miles down the road, and a handful of states filed no PPO at all for 2026. These rankings lead with reach.
Occupational context: Sedentary strain; driving exposure on client visits.
Worth being clear about what this does and does not affect: a carrier in Ohio cannot ask what you do for a living, cannot charge a insurance agent 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 insurance agent in one Ohio 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence | $545 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 4 |
| Muskingum | $566 | Antidote Health Plan of Ohio | $7,500 | 5 |
| Knox | $658 | Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield | $5,000 | 3 |
| Geauga | $489 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 7 |
| Clermont | $495 | Oscar Health Insurance | $6,000 | 8 |
| Seneca | $497 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 7 |
The spread across just these six is $169/month — $2,026 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $482 to $924. Coverage by County publishes all 88 Ohio counties individually.
| Ohio — network reach | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Counties in the state | 88 |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 (0%) |
| Plan types available | HMO |
| PPO available on exchange | No |
| Carriers filing in the state | 11 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $482 — Butler |
Ohio has no PPO plans on the exchange at all. For a insurance agent covering distance, that single fact outweighs premium: 0 of 88 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. 9,038 plan records across 88 Ohio counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Indiana ($558). More expensive: South Carolina ($636), Alabama ($680), Wisconsin ($687).
Side-by-side: Ohio vs Indiana · Ohio vs South Carolina · Ohio vs Alabama
This only matters if you can actually choose — you buy in the state where you live, not where you work. If you are a insurance agent who moved this year, that move is a qualifying life event and opens a special enrollment period.
Expense categories that typically apply to this trade: Licensing, E&O insurance, CRM, continuing education. 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 Ohio is $482 per month from Oscar Health Insurance, with a state median of $625. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in Ohio 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 HMO plans were filed for 2026.
Ohio ranks 2 of 15 states covered here, at a median $625 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
This page compares states. For Ohio specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Insurance Agents in Ohio and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.