Ranked 11 of 15 states · median $805/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old landscape contractor in Utah pays a median $805/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 11th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $559 from Select Health in Davis. On highest out-of-pocket maximum, Utah ranks 14 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 — Utah 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 Utah 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 2 |
| Davis | $559 | Select Health | $5,900 | 4 |
| Box Elder | $602 | Select Health | $5,900 | 4 |
| Duchesne | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 4 |
| Piute | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 2 |
| Washington | $885 | Select Health | $6,000 | 3 |
The spread across just these six is $325/month — $3,906 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $559 to $1,125. Coverage by County publishes all 29 Utah counties individually.
| Utah — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $646 — Select Health |
| Gold deductible | $0 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $559 — Select Health |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $804 |
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. 699 plan records across 29 Utah counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Oklahoma ($731), Kansas ($765), Florida ($789). More expensive: Texas ($807), North Carolina ($828), Arkansas ($828).
Side-by-side: Utah vs Kansas · Utah vs Florida · Utah vs Texas · Utah vs North Carolina
This only matters if you can actually choose — you buy in the state where you live, not where you work. If you are a landscape contractor who moved this year, that move is a qualifying life event and opens a special enrollment period.
Self-employed Landscape Contractors in Utah typically deduct: Equipment, truck, trailer, materials, licensing. 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 cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in Utah is $559 per month from Select Health, with a state median of $805. 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 and HMO plans were filed for 2026.
Utah ranks 11 of 15 states covered here, at a median $805 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
This page compares states. For Utah 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 Utah and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.