Ranked 5 of 15 states · median $687/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old it consultant in Wisconsin pays a median $687/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 5th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $526 from Network Health in Calumet. On cheapest Silver at age 27, Wisconsin ranks 6 of 15 for this occupation.
Desk-based work usually means low claim volume and a younger buyer, which makes a high-deductible plan paired with an HSA the mathematically better bet in most years. These pages rank states by what a healthy buyer actually pays at ages 27 and 40.
Occupational context: Repetitive stress; irregular hours during deployments.
Two things get confused here constantly. Risk exposure decides what coverage you should buy. It does not decide what you are charged — Wisconsin carriers rate on age, ZIP, tobacco and family size, full stop. A it consultant 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 it consultant in one Wisconsin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juneau | $579 | Aspirus | $6,000 | 3 |
| Richland | $603 | Dean | $3,500 | 2 |
| Racine | $631 | Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield | $6,000 | 3 |
| La Crosse | $637 | Quartz | $8,000 | 3 |
| Vernon | $643 | Dean | $3,500 | 4 |
| Burnett | $673 | HealthPartners | $3,800 | 4 |
The spread across just these six is $95/month — $1,139 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $526 to $1,062. Coverage by County publishes all 72 Wisconsin counties individually.
| Wisconsin — the age curve | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Cheapest Silver @27 | $431 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $526 |
| Cheapest Silver @60 | $1,116 |
| Cheapest Bronze @40 | $388 — MercyCare |
| Bronze deductible | $10,000 |
| Lowest deductible in state | $700 |
A 27-year-old it consultant in Wisconsin starts at $431; the same plan class at 60 starts at $1,116 — roughly 2.6× as much. If a Bronze plan here is HSA-qualified, the deduction plus low claim volume usually beats Silver on total annual cost. Confirm HSA eligibility on the plan document, not the metal tier.
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file. 2,651 plan records across 72 Wisconsin counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Ohio ($625), South Carolina ($636), Alabama ($680). More expensive: Michigan ($708), South Dakota ($725), Oklahoma ($731).
Side-by-side: Wisconsin vs South Carolina · Wisconsin vs Alabama · Wisconsin vs Michigan · Wisconsin vs South Dakota
Read the comparison as context, not as a shopping list. Your county of residence determines what you can buy, and for a it consultant that is fixed unless you relocate. Where it is actionable is a move already in progress — that is a qualifying life event, and you have 60 days on either side of it.
Deduction categories that generally fit this trade: Hardware, certifications, software, home office. 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 Wisconsin is $526 per month from Network Health, with a state median of $687. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in Wisconsin 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, POS, PPO.
Wisconsin ranks 5 of 15 states covered here, at a median $687 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
This page compares states. For Wisconsin specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for IT Consultants in Wisconsin and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.