Ranked 15 of 15 states · median $875/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old welder 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 highest out-of-pocket maximum, Nebraska ranks 8 of 15 for this occupation.
For work with real injury exposure the premium is the wrong headline number. What decides a bad year is the annual out-of-pocket maximum — the ceiling you stop paying at. A fall, a fracture, an imaging series and a course of physical therapy will reach that ceiling on any metal tier, so the states below are ordered by worst-case exposure.
Occupational context: Fume inhalation, arc eye, and burn risk; hearing loss.
Worth being clear about what this does and does not affect: a carrier in Nebraska cannot ask what you do for a living, cannot charge a welder 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 welder 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | $778 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
| Madison | $778 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
| Rock | $778 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
| Arthur | $826 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
| Dawes | $826 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
| Hitchcock | $826 | Ambetter Health | $6,000 | 5 |
The spread across just these six is $48/month — $582 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 — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $685 — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska |
| Gold deductible | $2,000 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $640 — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $895 |
For a welder, the gap between $0 and $0 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. 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
This only matters if you can actually choose — you buy in the state where you live, not where you work. If you are a welder who moved this year, that move is a qualifying life event and opens a special enrollment period.
Deduction categories that generally fit this trade: Welding rig, consumables, PPE, truck, certification. 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 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 welder 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.
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 Welders in Nebraska and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.