How Much Does Health Insurance Cost?

Health insurance costs can range widely from state to state.¹ Where you live, state and federal laws, income level, age, tobacco use, and the specific type of health insurance plan you choose all influence the overarching cost.¹ Let's dive deeper into how much health insurance costs to help you plan better and consider if Aflac supplemental insurance can help bridge coverage gaps.

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Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

The average health insurance premium in 2026 is about $687 per month for a 40-year-old adult and $2,230 per month for a family of four.²
Health insurance premiums and additional costs vary based on a range of factors, including your age, medical history, and location.
Aflac supplemental insurance policies can offer additional coverage to help with expenses your primary health insurance plan doesn’t cover.

How does health insurance work?

In a nutshell, policyholders pay a health insurance company a monthly premium in exchange for protection against the high costs of medical care. It can be expensive to pay healthcare bills entirely out-of-pocket.

In some instances, certain groups of people are given access to less expensive government healthcare options, depending on age and income level. For example, those over 65 are usually are eligible for Medicare, while lower-income individuals may qualify for Medicaid.³ If you think you fall into one of these categories, we recommend doing further research to explore your health insurance options.

Medicaid and Medicare are considered public healthcare options because the government offers them. If you do not fall into one of these categories, you may need to consider the costs of private health insurance. You also may be able to get health insurance through your employer, depending on where you work. In this instance, health insurance payments may be taken out of your paycheck directly.

Types of health insurance costs

While monthly premiums make up the bulk of health insurance costs, they aren’t the only cost to consider. Let’s review a few more terms to understand what influences the cost of health insurance.

Deductibles

The deductible is the amount of money the health insurance requires you to pay out-of-pocket before your health insurance benefits are accessible. The deductible usually starts over at the beginning of every coverage year.⁴ Deductibles can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, so we recommend looking closely at each health insurance plan you are considering.

Copays

Copays are a certain dollar value that you agree to pay for healthcare and can help prevent you from paying the entire bill out-of-pocket without any insurance.⁵ Copays can vary depending on if you are getting preventative care, seeing a specialist, or taking a prescription medication.

Depending on the health insurance plan you choose, you may be able to start receiving the benefit of copays before the deductible is met. In other cases, you may be required to meet the deductible entirely before copays are accessible.

Coinsurance

Coinsurance is a certain percentage you agree to pay for healthcare. Percentages vary depending on the type of healthcare you are receiving. Sometimes you will have to pay coinsurance and copays for the same visit, depending on what takes place and what your plan states.⁵

For example, your health insurance company may agree to pay for 80% of the bill and expect you to pay the remaining 20%. If your doctor’s visit costs $300, your insurance would pay $240, and you would pay the remaining $60. Percentage breakdowns vary from plan to plan.

Out-of-pocket limits

The maximum-out-pocket limit is the most amount of money you will pay for healthcare in a coverage year before your health insurance starts paying for 100% of the covered benefits.⁶

At public health insurance companies, the maximum out-of-pocket limit is protected by the Affordable Care Act and changes every year. As of 2026, the limit is $10,600 for individuals and $21,200 for families.⁶ At private health insurance companies, there may be fewer restrictions around this value. We recommend looking at the fine print within each health insurance plan.

What factors impact health insurance costs?

A handful of factors will influence how much health insurance costs for you.

Age: Typically, the younger you are, the less health insurance costs and vice versa.²
Location: As stated earlier, the state you live in will influence how much you’ll spend on health insurance costs.
Type of Plan: HMOs (or health maintenance organizations) are typically the least expensive health insurance plan, but you must receive care from an assigned provider within the given organization. On the other hand, PPOs (preferred provider organizations) can be more expensive, but you can see a wider range of providers.²
Tobacco Use: Using tobacco can dramatically increase the cost of health insurance.¹

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What is the average cost of health insurance?

Healthcare premiums vary significantly state to state and between individuals. Some common baselines to help you understand premium costs include:²

The average health insurance cost for a 40-year-old's individual plan is $687 per month.
Maryland typically has the lowest individual health insurance cost, at about $440 per month.
New York usually has the most expensive individual health insurance cost, at about $1,101 per month.
The average cost for a family of four is $2,230 per month.

Health insurance premium prices are usually higher for families than individuals, so that is another crucial factor to consider. For more information regarding the average costs of health insurance, we recommend researching the state you live in and your age.

How to find affordable health insurance

You can explore affordable health insurance options through the Health Insurance Marketplace at HealthCare.gov. By entering information about your household income and family size, you can compare available plans and estimate your costs. Based on the information you provide, the Marketplace will also show whether you may qualify for premium subsidies or Medicaid, depending on your eligibility.

Aflac supplemental insurance can complement your health insurance plan

Primary health insurance doesn’t cover all of your medical costs. Between deductibles, co-pays, and uncovered treatments, it’s common for people to still owe out-of-pocket expenses. Luckily, Aflac offers supplemental insurance that works with your primary health insurance plan to help pay for uncovered costs. Start chatting with an agent to learn more about supplemental policies like cancer insurance, critical illness insurance, and accident insurance, and get a quote today.

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