Ranked 15 of 15 states · median $875/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old landscape contractor in Nebraska pays a median $875/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — the most expensive of the states covered here. The cheapest plan in the state is $640 from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska in Burt. On highest out-of-pocket maximum, Nebraska ranks 8 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: Heat illness; equipment injury; pesticide exposure.
Two things get confused here constantly. Risk exposure decides what coverage you should buy. It does not decide what you are charged — Nebraska carriers rate on age, ZIP, tobacco and family size, full stop. A landscape contractor 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 landscape contractor in one Nebraska 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | $755 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska | $6,000 | 5 |
| Boyd | $778 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
| Dakota | $778 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
| Greeley | $778 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
| Loup | $778 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
| Polk | $778 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
The spread across just these six is $22/month — $268 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $640 to $1,460. Coverage by County publishes all 93 Nebraska counties individually.
| Nebraska — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $685 — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska |
| Gold deductible | $2,000 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $640 — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $895 |
For a landscape contractor, the gap between $0 and $0 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. 5,902 plan records across 93 Nebraska counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Texas ($807), North Carolina ($828), Arkansas ($828).
Side-by-side: Nebraska vs North Carolina · Nebraska vs Arkansas
Read the comparison as context, not as a shopping list. Your county of residence determines what you can buy, and for a landscape contractor 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: Equipment, truck, trailer, materials, licensing. 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 Nebraska is $640 per month from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, with a state median of $875. 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.
Yes. Plan types filed for 2026: EPO, PPO.
Nebraska ranks 15 of 15 states covered here, at a median $875 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
This page compares states. For Nebraska specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Landscape Contractors in Nebraska and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.