How Much Does Health Insurance Cost? Average Premiums by Age, Income and County
Updated · figures checked against the sources below
What health insurance costs in 2027: marketplace premiums by age before and after the premium tax credit, a county lookup, employer coverage averages, and what the premium, deductible and out-of-pocket maximum each mean.
On the 2027 HealthCare.gov marketplace the benchmark (second-lowest-cost silver) plan averages $702 a month at age 40, $547 at 21 and $1,489 at 60 before subsidies, across the 29 states that use HealthCare.gov. The premium tax credit cuts that sharply: a 40-year-old at 250% of the poverty line ($39,900) pays about $288 a month. Through an employer, the average single plan cost $8,486 a year in 2024, of which the employee paid $1,789 (AHRQ, Health Insurance Benefits at Private Employers, Estimates from MEPS-Insurance Component: 2008-2024 (Research Findings #54, December 2025)).
Average marketplace premium by age, before subsidies
| Age | 2027 / month | 2027 / year | 2026 / month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | $547 | $6,569 | $488 | 12.2% |
| 30 | $624 | $7,487 | $556 | 12.2% |
| 40 | $702 | $8,420 | $625 | 12.2% |
| 50 | $981 | $11,774 | $875 | 12.2% |
| 60 | $1,489 | $17,863 | $1,327 | 12.2% |
| 64 | $1,642 | $19,707 | $1,464 | 12.2% |
Premiums rise with age on a federal rating curve: for adults the rate may not vary by more than 3 to 1 by age, so a 64-year-old pays up to three times what a 21-year-old pays for the same plan, and tobacco users can be charged more (45 CFR §147.102). The figures are the benchmark plan’s premium for essential health benefits; bronze plans cost less and gold more. The 22 states that run their own marketplace (California and New York among them) are not in this average. Every state, age and county: 2027 ACA benchmark premiums study →
What you pay after the premium tax credit
| Age | Income, % of poverty line | Income | Credit / month | You pay / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 150% | $23,940 | $616 | $86 |
| 40 | 250% | $39,900 | $414 | $288 |
| 40 | 400% | $63,840 | $158 | $544 |
| 40 | $1 over 400% | $63,841 | $0 | $702 |
| 60 | 150% | $23,940 | $1,403 | $86 |
| 60 | 250% | $39,900 | $1,201 | $288 |
| 60 | 400% | $63,840 | $945 | $544 |
| 60 | $1 over 400% | $63,841 | $0 | $1,489 |
A household with income more than 400% of the poverty line gets no credit at all (26 U.S.C. §36B(c)(1)(A) (premium tax credit: household income at least 100% of the poverty line)): one dollar over the line costs a 60-year-old $11,339 a year here. The credit also requires household income of at least 100% of the poverty line (26 U.S.C. §36B(c)(1)(A) (premium tax credit: household income at least 100% of the poverty line)); below it, the answer is usually Medicaid: Medicaid income limits 2026.
Your county’s 2027 benchmark, credit and cliff
400% of the poverty line in the table above is where the 2027 premium tax credit stops. CMS has published the 2027 marketplace premiums for the HealthCare.gov states (CMS QHP Landscape PY2027): pick your county to see its benchmark (second-lowest-cost silver) premium for your ages, the 2027 credit at your income, what a dollar over that line would cost you, and how much income you can add before it. Every state and county: 2027 ACA Benchmark Premiums and Subsidies for Early Retirees, by State and Age (50 to 64).
Plan each year’s income under the cliff (Roth conversions, withdrawals) — ACA Bridge Optimizer → (it runs the 2026 rules)
County level: where a plan serves only part of a county the benchmark at your ZIP code can differ. HealthCare.gov's plan preview shows your exact figure. Sources: CMS QHP Landscape PY2027, CMS Rate PUF PY2027.
Health insurance through an employer
| Coverage | Total premium / year | Employee pays / year | Deductible |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | $8,486 | $1,789 | $2,085 |
| Employee plus one | $16,931 | $4,707 | — |
| Family | $24,540 | — | $4,063 |
The employer pays the rest of the premium: on average $6,697 of the $8,486 for single coverage in 2024 (AHRQ, Health Insurance Benefits at Private Employers, Estimates from MEPS-Insurance Component: 2008-2024 (Research Findings #54, December 2025)). Your share comes out of pay before tax.
Premium, deductible and out-of-pocket: what each one is
The premium is what you pay every month to have the plan, whether you use it or not. The deductible is what you pay for covered care each year before the plan starts paying (preventive care is usually covered before it). After the deductible you pay coinsurance or copays until you reach the out-of-pocket maximum, after which the plan pays 100% of covered care. A cheap-premium plan usually has a high deductible; a high-deductible plan can make you eligible for an HSA: HSA rules 2026.
At 65: Medicare
Most people pay no Part A premium; the standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month in 2026 (CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (released 14 November 2025)), plus a drug plan and any supplement. Every 2026 Medicare cost · 2027 Part B premium
Before 65, your health insurance bill depends on the income you choose to take. QuantCalc runs your whole retirement — Social Security, withdrawals, taxes, health costs and Medicare surcharges — year by year.
Run the free tax-aware simulation →Common questions
How much does health insurance cost per month?
On the 2027 HealthCare.gov marketplace the benchmark silver plan averages $547 a month at 21, $702 at 40 and $1,489 at 60 before subsidies; most buyers pay less after the premium tax credit. Through an employer the average single plan cost $707 a month in 2024, of which the employee paid $149 (AHRQ, Health Insurance Benefits at Private Employers, Estimates from MEPS-Insurance Component: 2008-2024 (Research Findings #54, December 2025)).
What is a health insurance premium?
The fixed amount you pay, usually monthly, to keep the plan in force, whether or not you use care. It is separate from the deductible, copays and coinsurance you pay when you do use care.
How much does health insurance cost for a 60-year-old?
About $1,489 a month for the 2027 benchmark plan before subsidies (U.S. average of the HealthCare.gov states). With income $1 over 400% of the poverty line ($63,841) there is no credit; at 400% exactly the credit is $945 a month.
Why did health insurance premiums go up for 2027?
The average benchmark premium at 40 rose 12.2% from 2026 in the HealthCare.gov states (computed from CMS QHP Landscape and Rate public use files, plan year 2027). For subsidized buyers the change in what they pay also depends on the credit, which stops at 400% of the poverty line (26 U.S.C. §36B(c)(1)(A) (premium tax credit: household income at least 100% of the poverty line)).
Sources
- CMS QHP Landscape and Rate public use files, plan year 2027
- 2027 ACA benchmark premiums study
- AHRQ, Health Insurance Benefits at Private Employers, Estimates from MEPS-Insurance Component: 2008-2024 (Research Findings #54, December 2025)
- 26 U.S.C. §36B(c)(1)(A) (premium tax credit: household income at least 100% of the poverty line)
- CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (released 14 November 2025)
Every figure on this page is read at build time from a dataset or computed by QuantCalc’s calculation modules, and was checked against the documents above on November 4, 2026. Every figure with its source: JSON. QuantCalc is calculation software, not tax, legal or benefits advice.
Related
ACA subsidy planner → Early retirement healthcare → Health insurance cost retiring at 62 → 2027 ACA benchmark premiums study → Medicaid income limits 2026 → Medicare costs 2026 →