How Much Is Obamacare in 2025?
Obamacare health insurance costs an average of $621 per month for a full price plan or $74 per month after discounts, on average, for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan.
Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes in Your Area
Obamacare costs an average of $621 per month. Several factors affect the cost of Obamacare health insurance, also called Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans, including your age, the level of coverage you buy, your state and the company you choose.
Depending on your income, you may be eligible for a discount, called a subsidy, that makes your coverage more affordable. The average cost of an Obamacare medical plan after subsidies is $74 per month.
How much is Obamacare health insurance?
Obamacare medical insurance, also called Affordable Care Act (ACA) or marketplace coverage, costs an average of $621 per month before discounts
The average cost of health insurance is based on a 40-year-old with a Silver plan. Most people don't pay full price for Obamacare. More than 9 out of 10 people who buy an Obamacare plan get discounts, called subsidies or premium tax credits, and almost half of Obamacare customers pay under $10 per month for coverage
- Obamacare costs an average of $74 per month after discounts.
- 21-year-olds pay an average of $486 per month for a Silver plan.
- Obamacare costs $1,319 per month, on average, for a 60-year-old before discounts.
How much does Obamacare cost by plan tier?
Obamacare policies come in different coverage levels, called tiers. Gold and Platinum plans cost more per month and cover more of your medical costs. If you go to the doctor often, these plans are a good option because they pay a higher share of your medical bills.
You can get more affordable health plans by choosing a Bronze or Catastrophic policy. These plans have cheap rates, but you have to pay more when you go to the doctor. Bronze and Catastrophic plans can be good if you are young, healthy and don't need much medical care. But keep in mind you can't get discounts for Catastrophic plans.
You may also face a large, unexpected medical bill if you get in an accident or fall sick with a Bronze or Catastrophic health plan. It's important to have enough money in savings to cover your medical bills up to your annual limit, called an out-of-pocket max.
Cost of Obamacare health insurance by plan tier
Plan tier | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Catastrophic | $361 |
| Bronze | $488 |
| Silver | $621 |
| Gold | $676 |
| Platinum | $913 |
Average monthly costs are for a 40-year-old.
Silver plans are the best cheap health insurance for most people. You'll likely pay a bit more for a Silver plan than you would for a Bronze or Catastrophic plan, but Silver plans will pay for more of your medical bills. No matter what plan level you choose, your policy will cover at least 10 different health situations. The plan level determines how much of your medical costs are covered.
Silver plans have the added benefit of cost-sharing reductions if you meet certain income requirements. This feature can help lower your out-of-pocket medical costs, such as your deductible, copay and coinsurance.
- Your deductibleis the amount you have to pay before coverage starts.
- Copays are a flat cost you pay when you go to the doctor.
- Coinsurance is when you split your medical bills with your insurance company and only pay a set percentage.
Monthly Obamacare health insurance cost by age
Your age has a large impact on how much you pay for health insurance. Older individuals pay more for coverage because they tend to need more medical care.
Cost of Obamacare marketplace health insurance by age
Age | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| 21 | $486 |
| 30 | $552 |
| 40 | $621 |
| 50 | $868 |
| 60 | $1,319 |
Average monthly cost of a Silver plan
Monthly Obamacare cost by company
Kaiser Permanente, Ambetter and Molina have the most affordable Obamacare health plans.
If you're looking for cheap health insurance, get quotes from these companies if they're available in your area. Most of the largest health insurance companies have affordable rates.
Getting medical insurance quotes from HealthCare.gov or your state marketplace lets you find the best cheap health insurance in your area.
You also have to get your policy from the federal marketplace or a state marketplace site to qualify for discounts, called premium subsidies. If you buy coverage directly from a health insurance company, you won't get a discounted rate based on your income.
Find Cheap Health Insurance in Your Area
Health insurance companies can set their own rates. This means the cost of the same plan tier will differ depending on the company you choose. Comparing companies and quotes is the best way to find a policy that fits your budget.
Cost of Obamacare marketplace insurance by company
Health insurance company | Monthly cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Molina | $503 |
| Kaiser Permanente | $507 |
| Ambetter | $516 |
| Oscar | $560 |
| Aetna | $587 |
Average monthly cost for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan
Monthly Obamacare health insurance cost by state
New Hampshire is the cheapest state for Obamacare, and Vermont has the most expensive quotes.
But Vermont's rates increased the most between 2024 and 2025. And Iowa had the largest rate decrease. Nationally, health insurance costs 6% more in 2025 than in 2024.
The state you live in affects the cost of Obamacare medical insurance in several ways. State and local laws can affect how the health insurance industry works. Plus, the cost of medical care in each state can change how much a health insurance policy costs. The more expensive it is to get care, the higher your Obamacare quote is likely to be.
Find Cheap Health Insurance in Your Area
Cost of Obamacare medical insurance by state
State | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $564 |
| Alaska | $1,088 |
| Arizona | $529 |
| Arkansas | $494 |
| California | $656 |
Average monthly cost for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan
Monthly Obamacare cost by network type
A health insurance network limits you to certain doctors and hospitals. The most common network types are HMOs (health maintenance organizations) and PPOs (preferred provider organizations). Other plan types, like POS (point of service) plans and EPO (exclusive provider organization) plans, are less common.
HMO plans will only pay if you go to in-network doctors and hospitals. If you see a doctor outside the network, you won't have any coverage, except in emergencies. Because they restrict where you get care, HMOs have the cheapest monthly cost. PPOs cost more because they let you get care anywhere.
Keep in mind, you'll usually pay more for visits to doctors not in your insurance network.
What affects Obamacare health insurance costs?
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) limits the factors that health insurance companies can consider when setting your rates. Under the law, only five things can affect your monthly rate.
- Plan tier: Plans with less coverage have a lower monthly rate, but you'll pay more when you go to a doctor.
- Age: Obamacare medical insurance gets more expensive as you age. Younger people usually need less medical attention, so they pay less for coverage.
- Location: The cost of living and the cost of medical care where you live affects your health insurance rate. The number of companies selling plans in your area can also be a factor.
- Number of people on your plan: You'll pay more to cover more people. Coverage for a family of four costs more than individual health insurance plans.
- Tobacco use: Tobacco use can result in health problems, so health insurance companies can charge more if you smoke or use tobacco in another way.
Some states have banned or restricted the use of age or tobacco use to set health insurance rates.
How to get cheaper Obamacare health coverage
You can get cheaper Obamacare medical insurance if you're eligible for income-based discounts, called subsidies or premium tax credits.
If you buy your Obamacare health coverage from HealthCare.gov or your state marketplace, you may get discounts depending on how much you make.
To qualify, you need to earn about $21,000 as a single person (roughly $43,000 for a family of four) . If you make less than this, you probably qualify for free government health insurance, called Medicaid.
The more people you have in your household, the more you can make and still qualify for a subsidy. If you make more than four times the federal poverty level, you won't qualify for a subsidy unless you pay more than 8.5% of your income on health insurance per year.
Minimum income to qualify for Obamacare medical insurance subsidies
People in household | Minimum income |
|---|---|
| 1 | $20,783 |
| 2 | $28,207 |
| 3 | $35,632 |
| 4 | $43,056 |
| 5 | $50,480 |
Federal poverty levels are higher in Alaska and Hawaii.
Keep in mind that your discount gets larger the less you earn. That means you'll pay less for your health insurance each month if you earn $21,000 per year than if you made $40,000 per year. Roughly 4 in 10 people with exchange plans pay less than $10 per month for coverage.
Extra Covid-era discounts are set to expire at the end of 2025.
Before 2021, you could only get subsidies if you made between 138% and 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL). In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the government temporarily expanded ACA subsidies by capping the amount you'll pay for coverage at 8.5% of your income. For example, someone who earns $100,000 per year won't pay more than $708 per month for health insurance.
This subsidy expansion will go away at the end of 2025. That means you won't be eligible for subsidies if you make more than about $63,000 as an individual (roughly $129,000 for a family of four) starting on Jan. 1, 2026, regardless of the cost of Obamacare plans in your area.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Obamacare cost?
Obamacare medical insurance costs an average of $621 per month for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan. The amount you pay depends on the plan tier you choose. A Bronze plan costs an average of $488 per month. A Gold plan is $676 per month, on average. Your age, state, family size and tobacco use can also impact your health coverage quote.
What is Obamacare?
Obamacare is another name for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is a law that helps make it easier to get health insurance coverage. Although most health insurance plans have to follow the law, "Obamacare" usually refers to a health insurance plan that you buy on the federal marketplace or a state marketplace.
How do I sign up for Obamacare?
To sign up for Obamacare, go to HealthCare.gov. You'll need to enter some basic information, including your date of birth and your ZIP code, to see the plans available in your area. Most people can only sign up for Obamacare during open enrollment in the fall and early winter. You might qualify for special enrollment, which means you can sign up outside the open enrollment period if you meet certain requirements, like recently moving, losing coverage through your job or getting married.
How much does the average person pay for Obamacare?
Obamacare costs an average of $621 per month for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan. Your age affects your monthly rates. A 21-year-old pays an average of $494 per month for a Silver plan, while a 60-year-old pays an average of $1,263 per month, before Affordable Care Act subsidies. Many people don't pay full price because they qualify for discounts based on their income.
What is the lowest income to qualify for Obamacare?
You can qualify for Obamacare coverage at any income level. But you have to make at least 138% and typically no more than 400% of the federal poverty level to qualify for discounts, called subsidies, that reduce your rate. An individual has to make between about $21,000 and $60,000 per year to qualify for subsidies. For a family of four, the range is roughly $44,000 to $125,000 per year.
Methodology and sources
Average health insurance rates for 2024 and 2025 were calculated using public use files (PUFs) data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) government website and from state-run marketplace sites.
Average rates for each plan tier, company, state and network type are for a 40-year-old individual. We calculated average rates for different ages based on the data about health insurance rates by age published by CMS.
The percentage of marketplace plans with federal subsidies came from KFF.
Senior Writer
Talon Abernathy is a ValuePenguin Senior Writer who specializes in health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid. He's also contributed to other insurance verticals including home, renters, auto, motorcycle and flood insurance.
Talon came to ValuePenguin in 2023. Since his arrival, he's helped to expand the site's health insurance-related content offerings. He enjoys helping readers understand the ins and outs of America's all too complicated health insurance landscape.
Before coming to ValuePenguin, Talon worked as a freelance writer. His prior work has touched on a broad range of personal finance-related topics including credit-building strategies, small business incorporation tactics and creative ways to save for retirement.
Insurance tip
In many parts of the country, you can qualify for a free Silver health insurance plan if you meet certain income requirements. Government subsidies in the form of premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions may mean you'll pay nothing for coverage.
Expertise
- Health insurance
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Flood insurance
- Homeowners insurance
- Renters insurance
- Auto and motorcycle insurance
Referenced by
- The Miami Herald
- Money.com
- MSN
- Nasdaq
- The Sacramento Bee
- Yahoo! Finance
Education
- BA, University of Washington
- Certificate in Copyediting, UC San Diego
Editorial note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.
