Ranked 11 of 15 states · median $805/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old welder in Utah pays a median $805/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 11th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $559 from Select Health in Davis. On highest out-of-pocket maximum, Utah ranks 14 of 15 for this occupation.
Trade work concentrates cost into rare, expensive events rather than spreading it across the year. That inverts the usual shopping logic: a lower premium with a $9,200 ceiling is a worse deal than a higher premium with a $6,000 one, because the ceiling is what you actually hit. These rankings follow the ceiling.
Occupational context: Fume inhalation, arc eye, and burn risk; hearing loss.
Two things get confused here constantly. Risk exposure decides what coverage you should buy. It does not decide what you are charged — Utah carriers rate on age, ZIP, tobacco and family size, full stop. A welder 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 welder in one Utah 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 4 |
| Kane | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 2 |
| Wayne | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 2 |
| Wasatch | $574 | Select Health | $5,900 | 2 |
| Beaver | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 2 |
| Juab | $798 | Select Health | $6,000 | 4 |
The spread across just these six is $224/month — $2,694 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $559 to $1,125. Coverage by County publishes all 29 Utah counties individually.
| Utah — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $5,200 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $10,600 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $646 — Select Health |
| Gold deductible | $0 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $559 — Select Health |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $804 |
For a welder, the gap between $5,200 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. 699 plan records across 29 Utah counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Oklahoma ($731), Kansas ($765), Florida ($789). More expensive: Texas ($807), North Carolina ($828), Arkansas ($828).
Side-by-side: Utah vs Kansas · Utah vs Florida · Utah vs Texas · Utah vs North Carolina
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether Utah is treating you well, not for arbitrage. You cannot buy an out-of-state exchange plan. If you are a welder weighing a relocation for other reasons, the premium difference is a real line item worth putting in the decision.
Expense categories that typically apply to this trade: Welding rig, consumables, PPE, truck, certification. Premiums are generally deductible above the line under IRC §162(l) when no employer plan is available to you or your spouse — a question for your CPA, not your agent.
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 Utah is $559 per month from Select Health, with a state median of $805. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in Utah uses four inputs only: age, ZIP code, tobacco use and how many people are on the policy. Trade, injury history and pre-existing conditions are all excluded from pricing by law.
No. Only EPO and HMO plans were filed for 2026.
Utah ranks 11 of 15 states covered here, at a median $805 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
Below the cliff. At this income a single-person household remains eligible for a premium tax credit in 2026.
This occupation is below the cliff in all 21 states reported.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers (SOC 51-4121) in Utah. 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 welder. 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 Utah specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Welders in Utah and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
Utah has 6 carriers filing across 29 counties right now. That list is rebuilt every year, so what you can choose from in November may not match what you see today — and for a welder buying your own cover, who stays matters more than the headline rate.
Rate filings for 2027 point to roughly a 15% median increase nationally, from −1% at one end to 54% at the other. Utah 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 Utah regardless of how the current litigation over the enrollment window resolves.
There is still no PPO on the Utah marketplace — not in any of its 29 counties. Every plan is an HMO, EPO or POS, which for a welder working across a wide area is the binding constraint, not price.
Because Utah sells no PPO in any of its 29 counties, the thing that will decide your 2027 experience is which network your providers sit in — and that is far easier to check now than during the rush.
Give me a ZIP and I will tell you three things:
The sticker price is rarely what Welders in Utah end up paying. Start with a ZIP and I will work out your actual number.