Ranked 2 of 15 states · median $625/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old physical therapist in Ohio pays a median $625/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 2th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $482 from Oscar Health Insurance in Butler. On median Silver premium, Ohio ranks 2 of 15 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: Lifting and transfer injuries; chronic back strain.
This is background for choosing a plan, not for pricing one. Since 2014 every Ohio 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 physical therapist or an accountant. Occupation changes the shopping criteria, nothing else.
Premium is set by rating area, so a physical therapist in one Ohio 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams | $555 | Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield | $5,000 | 6 |
| Washington | $604 | Antidote Health Plan of Ohio | $7,500 | 4 |
| Ashtabula | $489 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 5 |
| Summit | $492 | Antidote Health Plan of Ohio | $7,500 | 8 |
| Ottawa | $497 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 6 |
| Mahoning | $506 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 7 |
The spread across just these six is $115/month — $1,377 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $482 to $924. Coverage by County publishes all 88 Ohio counties individually.
| Ohio — network and cost | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Median Silver premium @40 | $625 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $482 — Oscar Health Insurance (Butler) |
| Most expensive Silver @40 | $924 |
| Carriers filing in the state | 11 — Ambetter from Buckeye, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Antidote Health Plan of Ohio, CareSource |
| Plan types available | HMO |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 of 88 |
Ohio has 11 carriers filing and 0 of 88 counties served by a single issuer. For a physical 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. 9,038 plan records across 88 Ohio counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Indiana ($558). More expensive: South Carolina ($636), Alabama ($680), Wisconsin ($687).
Side-by-side: Ohio vs Indiana · Ohio vs South Carolina · Ohio vs Alabama
Read the comparison as context, not as a shopping list. Your county of residence determines what you can buy, and for a physical therapist that is fixed unless you relocate. Where it is actionable is a move already in progress — that is a qualifying life event, and you have 60 days on either side of it.
Self-employed Physical Therapists in Ohio typically deduct: Licensing, equipment, malpractice insurance, CE. 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 Ohio is $482 per month from Oscar Health Insurance, with a state median of $625. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in Ohio 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 HMO plans were filed for 2026.
Ohio ranks 2 of 15 states covered here, at a median $625 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 2026 and pays the full premium.
This occupation is above the cliff in all 21 states reported.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Physical Therapists (SOC 29-1123) in Ohio. 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 physical 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 2026 the 400% FPL limit applies again, so household income above $62,600 ends premium tax credit eligibility outright.
This page compares states. For Ohio specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Physical Therapists in Ohio and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
Right now 11 carriers file plans across the 88 counties of Ohio. Participation is reset annually, which is why Physical Therapists should check the roster in November rather than assume this year’s options carry over.
Rate filings for 2027 point to roughly a 15% median increase nationally, from −1% at one end to 54% at the other. Ohio has not finalised, so treat exact local 2027 pricing as unavailable rather than unknown.
Enrollment opens November 1, 2026. Treat December 15 as the deadline: it guarantees January 1 cover on every marketplace, Ohio 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 Ohio. All 88 counties offer HMO, EPO or POS only, so care outside the network is effectively emergency-only. If your work as a physical therapist crosses county lines, weigh that above the premium.
Because Ohio sells no PPO in any of its 88 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:
The sticker price is rarely what Physical Therapists in Ohio end up paying. Start with a ZIP and I will work out your actual number.