Ranked 13 of 15 states · median $828/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old personal chef in North Carolina pays a median $828/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 13th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $540 from Ambetter of North Carolina in Davidson. On highest out-of-pocket maximum, North Carolina ranks 7 of 15 for this occupation.
For work with real injury exposure the premium is the wrong headline number. What decides a bad year is the annual out-of-pocket maximum — the ceiling you stop paying at. A fall, a fracture, an imaging series and a course of physical therapy will reach that ceiling on any metal tier, so the states below are ordered by worst-case exposure.
Occupational context: Burns and cuts; prolonged standing; heat exposure.
Worth being clear about what this does and does not affect: a carrier in North Carolina cannot ask what you do for a living, cannot charge a personal chef 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 personal chef in one North Carolina 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graham | $702 | Ambetter of North Carolina | $7,000 | 4 |
| Polk | $702 | Ambetter of North Carolina | $7,000 | 5 |
| Duplin | $723 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC | $2,800 | 3 |
| Greene | $817 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC | $2,800 | 2 |
| Currituck | $826 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC | $2,800 | 2 |
| Perquimans | $826 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC | $2,800 | 2 |
The spread across just these six is $123/month — $1,480 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $540 to $1,128. Coverage by County publishes all 100 North Carolina counties individually.
| North Carolina — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $558 — Ambetter of North Carolina |
| Gold deductible | $2,000 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $540 — Ambetter of North Carolina |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $755 |
For a personal chef, 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. 4,859 plan records across 100 North Carolina counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Florida ($789), Utah ($805), Texas ($807). More expensive: Arkansas ($828), Nebraska ($875).
Side-by-side: North Carolina vs Utah · North Carolina vs Texas · North Carolina vs Arkansas · North Carolina vs Nebraska
A caveat on the table above: rating is by residence, not by job site. A personal chef living in North Carolina and working across a state line still buys North Carolina plans. A genuine permanent move does trigger a special enrollment period, but the plan year restarts with a fresh deductible.
Expense categories that typically apply to this trade: Ingredients, knives and equipment, vehicle, licensing. 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 cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in North Carolina is $540 per month from Ambetter of North Carolina, with a state median of $828. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
No. North Carolina exchange plans are guaranteed issue and community rated, so a personal chef pays exactly what anyone else of the same age in the same ZIP pays. Occupation is not on the application as a rating factor.
Yes. Plan types filed for 2026: EPO, HMO, POS, PPO.
North Carolina ranks 13 of 15 states covered here, at a median $828 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
This page compares states. For North Carolina specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Personal Chefs in North Carolina and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.