Ranked 15 of 15 states · median $875/mo · CMS PY2026
Prefer to talk? Call (713) 575-9904
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 23 States
A 40-year-old therapist in Nebraska pays a median $875/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — the most expensive of the states covered here. The cheapest plan in the state is $640 from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska in Burt. On median Silver premium, Nebraska ranks 15 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: Emotional load and burnout; sedentary strain.
This is background for choosing a plan, not for pricing one. Since 2014 every Nebraska 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 therapist or an accountant. Occupation changes the shopping criteria, nothing else.
Premium is set by rating area, so a therapist in one Nebraska 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge | $640 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska | $6,000 | 5 |
| Cass | $694 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
| Pawnee | $694 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
| Buffalo | $755 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska | $6,000 | 5 |
| Boyd | $778 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
| Dakota | $778 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
The spread across just these six is $138/month — $1,650 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $640 to $1,460. Coverage by County publishes all 93 Nebraska counties individually.
| Nebraska — network and cost | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Median Silver premium @40 | $875 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $640 — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (Burt) |
| Most expensive Silver @40 | $1,460 |
| Carriers filing in the state | 5 — Ambetter Health, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, Medica, Oscar |
| Plan types available | EPO, PPO |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 of 93 |
Nebraska has 5 carriers filing and 0 of 93 counties served by a single issuer. For a 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. 5,902 plan records across 93 Nebraska counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Texas ($807), North Carolina ($828), Arkansas ($828).
Side-by-side: Nebraska vs North Carolina · Nebraska vs Arkansas
Read the comparison as context, not as a shopping list. Your county of residence determines what you can buy, and for a 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.
If you file a Schedule C as a therapist, the categories that usually show up are: Licensing, malpractice insurance, EHR software, supervision. 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 cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in Nebraska is $640 per month from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, with a state median of $875. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
No. Nebraska exchange plans are guaranteed issue and community rated, so a therapist pays exactly what anyone else of the same age in the same ZIP pays. Occupation is not on the application as a rating factor.
Yes. Plan types filed for 2026: EPO, PPO.
Nebraska ranks 15 of 15 states covered here, at a median $875 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 7 of the 20 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 Marriage and Family Therapists (SOC 21-1013) in Nebraska. 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 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 Nebraska specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Therapists in Nebraska and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
Right now 5 carriers file plans across the 93 counties of Nebraska. Participation is reset annually, which is why Therapists should check the roster in November rather than assume this year’s options carry over.
Nobody can tell you your 2027 Nebraska premium yet. Filings nationally cluster around a 15% median increase, with the full spread running −1% to 54% — and until this state signs off, a specific local number is invention.
Mark November 1, 2026 to open and December 15 to act. That second date guarantees cover from January 1 in Nebraska regardless of how the current litigation over the enrollment window resolves.
Check before renewing: PPOs are sold in 34 of Nebraska’s 93 counties, not all. Whether yours has one decides how much out-of-network care is covered — usually a bigger question for Therapists than the monthly figure.
Nothing about 2027 is urgent yet, which is exactly why it is worth ten minutes now. Come November you will be choosing between Nebraska’s carriers under a deadline; today you can do it without one.
Give me a ZIP and I will tell you three things:
There is no single Nebraska price. Enter your ZIP and I will pull what is filed in your county, then work out what help you qualify for.