Ranked 10 of 17 states · median $773/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old interior designer in Tennessee pays a median $773/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 10th of 17 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $646 from Ambetter of Tennessee in Fayette. On counties covered, Tennessee ranks 4 of 17 for this occupation.
Coverage that only works where you sleep is not coverage if you spend the week elsewhere. The binding question is whether the plan pays out of area at all, and beyond emergencies many HMOs simply do not. States below are ordered by network reach, with the no-PPO states flagged.
Occupational context: Lifting strain; jobsite exposure during installs.
Two things get confused here constantly. Risk exposure decides what coverage you should buy. It does not decide what you are charged — Tennessee carriers rate on age, ZIP, tobacco and family size, full stop. A interior designer with a bad back and a healthy 40-year-old office worker in the same county see the same number.
Premium is set by rating area, so a interior designer in one Tennessee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loudon | $669 | Ambetter of Tennessee | $6,000 | 4 |
| Carter | $678 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 4 |
| Washington | $678 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 4 |
| McMinn | $698 | Ambetter of Tennessee | $6,000 | 5 |
| Chester | $701 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 5 |
| Henderson | $701 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 5 |
The spread across just these six is $32/month — $385 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $646 to $1,001. Coverage by County publishes all 95 Tennessee counties individually.
| Tennessee — network reach | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Counties in the state | 95 |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 (0%) |
| Plan types available | EPO |
| PPO available on exchange | No |
| Carriers filing in the state | 6 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $646 — Fayette |
Tennessee has no PPO plans on the exchange at all. For a interior designer covering distance, that single fact outweighs premium: 0 of 95 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. 5,239 plan records across 95 Tennessee counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: South Dakota ($725), Oklahoma ($731), Kansas ($765). More expensive: Mississippi ($773), Florida ($789), Utah ($805).
Side-by-side: Tennessee vs Oklahoma · Tennessee vs Kansas · Tennessee vs Mississippi · Tennessee vs Florida
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether Tennessee is treating you well, not for arbitrage. You cannot buy an out-of-state exchange plan. If you are a interior designer 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: Samples, software, vehicle, 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 BLS median wage for Interior Designers in Tennessee is $58,730 a year (May 2024). Starting pay — the 10th percentile — is about $38,050. The middle half earn $45,990 to $70,550, and the top 10% more than $89,460. BLS counts about 1,290 people doing this work for an employer in Tennessee. 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 Tennessee is $646 per month from Ambetter of Tennessee, with a state median of $773. 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.
No. Only EPO plans were filed for 2026.
Tennessee ranks 10 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 5 of the 23 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 Interior Designers (SOC 27-1025) in Tennessee. 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 interior designer. 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 Tennessee specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Interior Designers in Tennessee and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
One of Tennessee’s 6 carriers is leaving. Cigna exits the individual market entirely on January 1, 2027, so if you are an interior designer covered by them the question is not whether you switch but whether you choose the switch yourself.
Nobody can tell you your 2027 Tennessee 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, Tennessee 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 Tennessee. All 95 counties offer EPO plans only, so care outside the network is effectively emergency-only. If your work as an interior designer crosses county lines, weigh that above the premium.
You already know you are changing plans — Cigna is 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:
Two Interior Designers on opposite sides of Tennessee can be quoted very different premiums for the same plan. Your ZIP is what decides it.
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