Ranked 10 of 17 states · median $773/mo · CMS PY2026
Prefer to talk? Call (713) 575-9904
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 23 States
A 40-year-old physical 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 standing work means steady, predictable utilization — regular visits, prescriptions, physical therapy. Copay structure and network breadth drive real annual cost more than the headline premium, so these pages rank states on median premium and carrier count together.
Occupational context: Lifting and transfer injuries; chronic back strain.
None of that changes your price. ACA plans in Tennessee are community rated — premium varies by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size only. Your occupation cannot be used to rate you, decline you, or exclude a condition. What it changes is which plan design is the right bet.
Premium is set by rating area, so a physical 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | $701 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 5 |
| Henderson | $701 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 5 |
| Cheatham | $751 | Oscar | $6,000 | 5 |
| Williamson | $751 | Oscar | $6,000 | 5 |
| Jackson | $776 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 3 |
| Warren | $776 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 3 |
The spread across just these six is $76/month — $908 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 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. 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
A caveat on the table above: rating is by residence, not by job site. A physical therapist living in Tennessee and working across a state line still buys Tennessee plans. A genuine permanent move does trigger a special enrollment period, but the plan year restarts with a fresh deductible.
If you file a Schedule C as a physical therapist, the categories that usually show up are: Licensing, equipment, malpractice insurance, CE. The health premium itself is normally an above-the-line deduction under IRC §162(l), which reduces AGI rather than requiring you to itemize. Your CPA should confirm it against your actual situation.
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 Physical Therapists in Tennessee is $100,660 a year (May 2024). Starting pay — the 10th percentile — is about $74,160. The middle half earn $82,550 to $109,110, and the top 10% more than $123,800. BLS counts about 4,420 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 Physical Therapists (SOC 29-1123) 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 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 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 Physical Therapists in Tennessee and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
One of Tennessee’s 6 carriers is leaving. Cigna exits the individual market entirely on January 1, 2027, so if you are a physical therapist covered by them the question is not whether you switch but whether you choose the switch yourself.
On price the only honest number today is national: the Peterson-KFF read of 2027 filings puts the median proposed rise near 15%, spanning −1% to 54%. Final Tennessee rates are not approved, so any precise 2027 figure quoted for this state is guesswork.
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.
There is still no PPO on the Tennessee marketplace — not in any of its 95 counties. Every plan is an EPO, which for a physical therapist working across a wide area is the binding constraint, not price.
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:
The sticker price is rarely what Physical Therapists in Tennessee end up paying. Start with a ZIP and a licensed agent will work out your actual number.
★★★★★
“I run my own business and my time is valuable. Daniel handled everything — compared the private options, explained what I was actually getting, and had me covered fast. Way better experience than trying to navigate it myself.”