Ranked 1 of 15 states · median $558/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old plumber in Indiana pays a median $558/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — the cheapest of the states covered here. The cheapest plan in the state is $440 from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Daviess. On highest out-of-pocket maximum, Indiana ranks 4 of 15 for this occupation.
Injury exposure means the number that matters is the out-of-pocket maximum, not the premium. A single ER visit and follow-up can hit that ceiling in one month, so these pages rank states by worst-case annual exposure rather than by monthly cost.
Occupational context: Confined-space entry; sewage and biohazard exposure; back strain.
Two things get confused here constantly. Risk exposure decides what coverage you should buy. It does not decide what you are charged — Indiana carriers rate on age, ZIP, tobacco and family size, full stop. A plumber 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 plumber in one Indiana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll | $454 | Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield | $7,000 | 3 |
| Blackford | $457 | Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield | $7,000 | 3 |
| Henry | $457 | Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield | $7,000 | 5 |
| Warren | $460 | Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield | $7,000 | 3 |
| Franklin | $465 | Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield | $7,000 | 3 |
| Marion | $469 | Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield | $7,000 | 4 |
The spread across just these six is $15/month — $177 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $440 to $699. Coverage by County publishes all 92 Indiana counties individually.
| Indiana — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $4,700 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $10,600 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $570 — Ambetter Health |
| Gold deductible | $2,000 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $440 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $615 |
For a plumber, the gap between $4,700 and $10,600 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. 4,429 plan records across 92 Indiana counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Nothing on this list is cheaper. More expensive: Ohio ($625), South Carolina ($636), Alabama ($680).
Side-by-side: Indiana vs Ohio · Indiana vs South Carolina
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether Indiana is treating you well, not for arbitrage. You cannot buy an out-of-state exchange plan. If you are a plumber 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: Tools, van, licensing, materials, liability insurance. 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 cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in Indiana is $440 per month from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, with a state median of $558. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
No. Indiana exchange plans are guaranteed issue and community rated, so a plumber pays exactly what anyone else of the same age in the same ZIP pays. Occupation is not on the application as a rating factor.
No. Only EPO and HMO and POS plans were filed for 2026.
Indiana ranks 1 of 15 states covered here, at a median $558 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 sits above the cliff in 8 of the 21 states reported and below it in the other 13, so the answer changes with the state.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152) in Indiana. 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 plumber. 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 Indiana specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Plumbers in Indiana and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
Indiana loses a carrier this cycle: Cigna is out of the ACA individual market from January 1, 2027, leaving 4 filing here. For Plumbers that is a forced decision, and a better one made in November than in January.
Rate filings for 2027 point to roughly a 15% median increase nationally, from −1% at one end to 54% at the other. Indiana has not finalised, so treat exact local 2027 pricing as unavailable rather than unknown.
Mark November 1, 2026 to open and December 15 to act. That second date guarantees cover from January 1 in Indiana regardless of how the current litigation over the enrollment window resolves.
One thing 2027 will not fix: no PPO is sold anywhere in Indiana. All 92 counties offer HMO, EPO or POS only, so care outside the network is effectively emergency-only. If your work as a plumber 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 in August than in the second week of December.
Give me a ZIP and I will tell you three things:
There is no single Indiana price. Enter your ZIP and I will pull what is filed in your county, then work out what help you qualify for.