Ranked 10 of 17 states · median $773/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old occupational 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.
When you use coverage regularly, the annual total is driven by what each visit costs and whether the clinician you already see is contracted. A plan $40 cheaper that drops your specialist is not cheaper. These rankings pair median premium with how many carriers actually file in the state.
Occupational context: Lifting and transfer injuries; repetitive strain.
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 occupational therapist 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 occupational 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Cheatham | $751 | Oscar | $6,000 | 5 |
The spread across just these six is $72/month — $870 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 occupational 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
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 occupational therapist weighing a relocation for other reasons, the premium difference is a real line item worth putting in the decision.
Deduction categories that generally fit this trade: Licensing, equipment, malpractice insurance, CE. 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 BLS median wage for Occupational Therapists in Tennessee is $96,030 a year (May 2024). Starting pay — the 10th percentile — is about $67,920. The middle half earn $80,340 to $104,190, and the top 10% more than $115,280. BLS counts about 2,490 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.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in Tennessee 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.
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.
Above the cliff. At this income a single-person household receives no premium tax credit for 2027 and pays the full premium.
This occupation is above the cliff in all 23 states reported.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Occupational Therapists (SOC 29-1122) 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 occupational 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 Occupational Therapists in Tennessee and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
← Occupational Therapists in all 23 states · All occupations
Tennessee loses a carrier this cycle: Cigna is out of the ACA individual market from January 1, 2027, leaving 5 filing here. For Occupational Therapists that is a forced decision, and a better one made in November than in January.
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 occupational 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:
Most Occupational Therapists here are buying their own coverage without an employer. One ZIP is all I need to show you what is available in your part of Tennessee.
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