Ranked 9 of 15 states · median $765/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old photographer in Kansas pays a median $765/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 9th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $565 from Oscar in Anderson. On counties covered, Kansas ranks 2 of 15 for this occupation.
Coverage that only works where you sleep is not coverage if you spend the week elsewhere. The binding question is whether the plan pays out of area at all, and beyond emergencies many HMOs simply do not. States below are ordered by network reach, with the no-PPO states flagged.
Occupational context: Heavy gear lifting; repetitive strain; location travel.
This is background for choosing a plan, not for pricing one. Since 2014 every Kansas exchange plan has been guaranteed issue and community rated: same age, same ZIP, same tobacco status means the same filed premium whether you are a photographer or an accountant. Occupation changes the shopping criteria, nothing else.
Premium is set by rating area, so a photographer in one Kansas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee | $565 | Oscar | $6,000 | 4 |
| Woodson | $588 | Oscar | $6,000 | 3 |
| Jewell | $689 | Ambetter from Sunflower | $6,000 | 3 |
| Washington | $689 | Ambetter from Sunflower | $6,000 | 3 |
| Harper | $696 | Ambetter from Sunflower | $6,000 | 2 |
| Rice | $696 | Ambetter from Sunflower | $6,000 | 2 |
The spread across just these six is $131/month — $1,577 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $565 to $979. Coverage by County publishes all 105 Kansas counties individually.
| Kansas — network reach | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Counties in the state | 105 |
| Counties with only one carrier | 14 (13%) |
| Plan types available | EPO |
| PPO available on exchange | No |
| Carriers filing in the state | 6 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $565 — Anderson |
Kansas has no PPO plans on the exchange at all. For a photographer covering distance, that single fact outweighs premium: 14 of 105 counties here are served by one carrier, so an HMO bought in one metro may leave you out of network for the rest of your route.
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file. 3,058 plan records across 105 Kansas counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Michigan ($708), South Dakota ($725), Oklahoma ($731). More expensive: Florida ($789), Utah ($805), Texas ($807).
Side-by-side: Kansas vs South Dakota · Kansas vs Oklahoma · Kansas vs Florida · Kansas vs Utah
A caveat on the table above: rating is by residence, not by job site. A photographer living in Kansas and working across a state line still buys Kansas plans. A genuine permanent move does trigger a special enrollment period, but the plan year restarts with a fresh deductible.
Self-employed Photographers in Kansas typically deduct: Camera bodies, lenses, editing software, studio, travel. 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 Kansas is $565 per month from Oscar, with a state median of $765. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in Kansas 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.
Kansas ranks 9 of 15 states covered here, at a median $765 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 2026.
This occupation is below the cliff in all 20 states reported.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Photographers (SOC 27-4021) in Kansas. 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 photographer. 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 2026 the 400% FPL limit applies again, so household income above $62,600 ends premium tax credit eligibility outright.
This page compares states. For Kansas specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Photographers in Kansas and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
The Kansas market currently runs to 6 carriers over 105 counties. Carriers re-file every year, and for Photographers the question that actually decides your renewal is which of them are still there in November.
Nobody can tell you your 2027 Kansas 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.
Mark November 1, 2026 to open and December 15 to act. That second date guarantees cover from January 1 in Kansas regardless of how the current litigation over the enrollment window resolves.
There is still no PPO on the Kansas marketplace — not in any of its 105 counties. Every plan is an HMO, EPO or POS, which for a photographer working across a wide area is the binding constraint, not price.
Because Kansas sells no PPO in any of its 105 counties, the thing that will decide your 2027 experience is which network your providers sit in — and that is far easier to check now than during the rush.
Give me a ZIP and I will tell you three things:
Rates for Photographers in Kansas are set by county, not by occupation. Start with your ZIP and I will show you the plans actually filed where you live.