Benchmark $497/mo · +22.3% approved · Nevada Health Link
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old plumber in Nevada faces a benchmark premium of $497/month for 2026, up from $414 in 2025. That is 20% below the national benchmark of $625. Carriers were approved for an average increase of +22.3%.
There is no CMS plan-level file for Nevada, because Nevada operates Nevada Health Link instead of healthcare.gov and its issuers file with the state rather than through the federal platform. That is a real gap in the public data, and it is the reason this page leads with approved rate changes and market concentration rather than a county premium grid.
Nevada is the rare case where approved rates came in above what carriers requested — a 17.5% average request became 22.3% approved. Two new carriers, CareSource and Community Care Health Plans, entered for 2026 while rates rose.
| Nevada — 2026 | Figure |
|---|---|
| Benchmark premium, age 40 (2026) | $497 |
| Benchmark premium, age 40 (2025) | $414 |
| Year-over-year change | +20.0% |
| Approved average rate increase | +22.3% |
| Versus the national benchmark ($625) | -20% |
| Rank among your 21 licensed states | 4 of 21 |
| Counties | 17 |
| Carriers on the exchange | 8 |
| Exchange | Nevada Health Link (state-run since 2020) |
| Carrier | Network | Members | 2026 approved |
|---|---|---|---|
| SilverSummit | — | 24,801 | +26.7% |
| Sierra Health & Life | — | 10,013 | +26.6% |
| Hometown Health Plan | — | 5,139 | +10.4% |
| Hometown Health Providers | — | 2,509 | +0.0% |
| Health Plan of Nevada | — | — | +20.7% |
| HMO Nevada | — | — | +25.7% |
| Molina Healthcare | — | 21 | -18.5% |
Eight carriers filed 140 qualified health plans for 2026, but Nevada is heavily concentrated in Clark and Washoe counties; the 15 rural counties have far less choice.
Sources: Nevada Division of Insurance 2026 approved rate filings; Nevada Health Link. KFF, “Marketplace Average Benchmark Premiums,” 2026. Benchmark is the second-lowest-cost Silver plan for a 40-year-old, weighted by plan selections.
Injury exposure makes the out-of-pocket maximum, not the premium, the number that decides a bad year.
Occupational context: Confined-space entry; sewage and biohazard exposure; back strain.
None of that changes your price. Plans in Nevada are community rated — premium varies by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size only. Occupation cannot be used to rate, decline or exclude you.
Ranked on the benchmark premium, the one measure published on the same basis for every state. Cheaper: Maryland ($414), Virginia ($455), Indiana ($474). More expensive: Ohio ($513), Michigan ($523), Colorado ($557).
You buy where you live, not where you work, so treat this as context rather than a shopping list. A genuine move does open a special enrollment period.
Expense categories that typically apply to this trade: Tools, van, licensing, materials, liability insurance. Health premiums are generally deductible above the line under IRC §162(l) when no employer plan is available to you or a spouse. The deduction lowers your AGI, and AGI sets your premium tax credit, so the two calculate against each other — worth raising with your CPA before you enroll rather than after.
Nevada carriers were approved for +22.3% on average for 2026. Increases were large across the country because the enhanced federal premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025.
The 2026 benchmark premium in Nevada is $497 per month for a 40-year-old, up from $414 in 2025. That is full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
Carriers in Nevada were approved for an average increase of 22.3%. Filings across the country cited the expiry of the enhanced federal premium tax credits at the end of 2025, rising medical and drug costs, and expectations that healthier people would drop coverage.
No. Exchange plans are guaranteed issue and community rated. Price varies only by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size. Occupation is not a rating factor.
No. Nevada runs its own exchange, Nevada Health Link, state-operated since 2020. You enrolll there rather than on healthcare.gov.
This page compares states. For Nevada specifically — county-level carriers and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Plumbers in Nevada and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.