Ranked 10 of 17 states · median $773/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old real estate agent 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 counties covered, Tennessee ranks 4 of 17 for this occupation.
Once your work crosses county and state lines, network geography stops being a detail and becomes the whole decision. An HMO contracted in one metro leaves you paying cash 200 miles down the road, and a handful of states filed no PPO at all for 2026. These rankings lead with reach.
Occupational context: High driving exposure; irregular hours; showing-related risk.
Worth being clear about what this does and does not affect: a carrier in Tennessee cannot ask what you do for a living, cannot charge a real estate agent more than a librarian of the same age in the same ZIP, and cannot exclude anything you were already treated for. Occupation only tells you which plan structure to shop for.
Premium is set by rating area, so a real estate agent 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weakley | $701 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 5 |
| Trousdale | $751 | Oscar | $6,000 | 5 |
| Fentress | $776 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 3 |
| Van Buren | $776 | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | $8,100 | 3 |
| Hickman | $779 | Oscar | $6,000 | 4 |
| Maury | $779 | Oscar | $6,000 | 4 |
The spread across just these six is $78/month — $940 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 reach | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Counties in the state | 95 |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 (0%) |
| Plan types available | EPO |
| PPO available on exchange | No |
| Carriers filing in the state | 6 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $646 — Fayette |
Tennessee has no PPO plans on the exchange at all. For a real estate agent covering distance, that single fact outweighs premium: 0 of 95 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. 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
This only matters if you can actually choose — you buy in the state where you live, not where you work. If you are a real estate agent who moved this year, that move is a qualifying life event and opens a special enrollment period.
Self-employed Real Estate Agents in Tennessee typically deduct: Vehicle, licensing, MLS dues, E&O insurance, marketing. 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 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.
No. Under the ACA, carriers cannot rate, decline, or exclude based on occupation or health history. Rates vary only by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size.
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.
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 Real Estate Agents in Tennessee and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
Tennessee loses a carrier this cycle: Cigna is out of the ACA individual market from January 1, 2027, leaving 5 filing here. For Real Estate Agents that is a forced decision, and a better one made in November than in January.
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.
Enrollment opens November 1, 2026. Treat December 15 as the deadline: it guarantees January 1 cover on every marketplace, Tennessee 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 Tennessee. All 95 counties offer EPO plans only, so care outside the network is effectively emergency-only. If your work as a real estate agent 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 now than in the second week of December.
Enter a ZIP and a licensed agent will tell you three things:
There is no single Tennessee price. Enter your ZIP and a licensed agent will pull what is filed in your county, then work out what help you qualify for.
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