Ranked 10 of 17 states · median $773/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old massage therapist 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 median Silver premium, Tennessee ranks 10 of 17 for this occupation.
Patient-facing and on-your-feet work produces steady, predictable claims — routine visits, refills, physical therapy, the occasional urgent care. That profile is decided by copay design and by whether your providers are in network, not by the sticker premium, so carrier count sits alongside cost below.
Occupational context: Chronic hand, wrist, and shoulder overuse injury.
Worth being clear about what this does and does not affect: a carrier in Tennessee cannot ask what you do for a living, cannot charge a massage therapist 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 massage therapist 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | $776 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 3 |
| Warren | $776 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 3 |
| Houston | $779 | Oscar | $6,000 | 4 |
| Moore | $779 | Oscar | $6,000 | 4 |
| Shelby | $646 | Ambetter of Tennessee | $6,000 | 5 |
| Grainger | $669 | Ambetter of Tennessee | $6,000 | 4 |
The spread across just these six is $133/month — $1,595 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 and cost | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Median Silver premium @40 | $773 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $646 — Ambetter of Tennessee (Fayette) |
| Most expensive Silver @40 | $1,001 |
| Carriers filing in the state | 6 — Alliant Health Plans, Ambetter of Tennessee, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Cigna Healthcare |
| Plan types available | EPO |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 of 95 |
Tennessee has 6 carriers filing and 0 of 95 counties served by a single issuer. For a massage therapist with an established provider relationship, that carrier count is the number that decides whether you keep your doctor.
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
This only matters if you can actually choose — you buy in the state where you live, not where you work. If you are a massage therapist 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: Table, oils, room rental, licensing, 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 Massage Therapists in Tennessee is $49,670 a year (May 2024). Starting pay — the 10th percentile — is about $35,480. The middle half earn $39,380 to $55,240, and the top 10% more than $61,150. BLS counts about 1,270 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 is below the cliff in all 23 states reported.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Massage Therapists (SOC 31-9011) 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 massage therapist. 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 Massage Therapists in Tennessee and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
Tennessee loses a carrier this cycle: Cigna is out of the ACA individual market from January 1, 2027, leaving 5 filing here. For Massage Therapists that is a forced decision, and a better one made in November than in January.
Rate filings for 2027 point to roughly a 15% median increase nationally, from −1% at one end to 54% at the other. Tennessee has finalised: insurers were approved for an average 15.6% increase for 2027. Your own premium still turns on your plan and county.
The window opens November 1, 2026, and December 15 is the date worth writing down — it is what secures January 1 cover in Tennessee and everywhere else. You will find later dates quoted; they stem from a 2025 rule that was vacated in June 2026 and is under appeal.
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 a massage therapist 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 Massage Therapists 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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