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What Is the Cheapest Health Insurance in Ohio?

By Best Worst Insurance Editorial TeamUpdated September 19, 2026

Ohio is the cheapest of the three states we price — the lowest marketplace premium a 40-year-old can buy starts at $4,270 a year in Butler County — and identically in Hamilton and Warren, which share its rating area — and tops out at $6,252 in Athens [1,2][1,2]. It also has, by some distance, the worst premium trap of the three: in 77% of Ohio counties, buying the lowest-premium plan costs $1,000 a year or more once you use any real care, against 58% in Florida and 28% in Texas [1,2]. Those two facts are unrelated and that is the point — a low premium floor tells you nothing about how wide the cost-sharing spread behind it is. Below is every one of the 88 counties, with the cheapest-premium plan, what it actually costs across a year of care, and the plan that beats it.

The six largest Ohio counties, and what the premium sort costs in each

Annual cost of buying the lowest-premium plan instead of the lowest-total-cost plan, at age 40, full price. "Rank" is where the cheapest-premium plan places once the year's care is paid for [1,2].

CountyCheapest premiumA year with a fractureA year managing diabetesA year with a birth
Franklin County$4,767$97 (rank 2 of 130)$2,107 (rank 26 of 130)$5,347 (rank 37 of 130)
Cuyahoga County$4,788$212 (rank 6 of 119)$1,311 (rank 12 of 119)$3,601 (rank 55 of 119)
Hamilton County$4,270$139 (rank 3 of 130)$2,303 (rank 48 of 130)$5,584 (rank 48 of 130)
Summit County$4,627nothing$955 (rank 27 of 125)$3,424 (rank 51 of 125)
Montgomery County$4,669$322 (rank 8 of 130)nothing$5,471 (rank 56 of 130)
Lucas County$4,842nothing$1,411 (rank 12 of 121)$3,700 (rank 58 of 121)

1. Cheap, and the least safe place to buy on price

The cheapest marketplace health insurance in Ohio costs $4,270 a year for a 40-year-old, in Butler County. Franklin (Columbus) starts at $4,767, Cuyahoga (Cleveland) at $4,788, Hamilton (Cincinnati) at $4,270, and the state's ceiling is $6,252 in Athens [1,2]. Those are the lowest floors of the three states we price.

Ohio is also the state where that number misleads most. In 77% of its 88 counties, buying the lowest-premium plan costs $1,000 a year or more once a real year of care is paid for — against 58% in Florida and 28% in Texas — with a median penalty of $2,107 [1,2].

Those two facts sit together and neither explains the other. A low premium floor is a fact about the cheapest plan on sale; the penalty is a fact about the spread between that plan's cost-sharing and everyone else's. Ohio happens to have a low floor and a wide spread, which is the worst combination for anyone shopping the way the marketplace invites you to. The table above prices all three care scenarios for the six largest Ohio counties.

2. Franklin County, and the Gold plan hiding at the bottom of the list

Franklin is the largest county in Ohio, with 130 plans a 40-year-old can buy.

The cheapest premium is Oscar's Bronze Classic Standard at $4,767 a year, with a $7,500 deductible. For a year of managing type 2 diabetes it comes to $9,567 all in; MedMutual's Bronze $8,300 plan costs $6,030 in premium and totals $7,460 — a gap of $2,107 [1,2].

For a year containing a birth, the same cheapest-premium plan costs $14,087. And the plan that beats it is Oscar's own Gold Elite Saver Plus — $7,040 in premium, $2,273 a year more, with a $0 deductible — at $8,740 [1,2].

The same insurer. The same county. The same year. $5,348 apart, and the more expensive-looking plan is the cheaper one. A list sorted by premium puts the Gold plan far below the Bronze one, which is exactly backwards for this buyer.

3. The exceptions, which are real

Nine Ohio counties — Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene and Miami among them — have no gap at all for a diabetes year: the cheapest-premium plan is the cheapest plan outright [1,2]. And for a fracture year the gap never reaches $1,000 anywhere in the state [1,2].

This is why the table below is a table rather than a rule. "Never buy the cheapest plan" is as wrong as "always buy the cheapest plan"; what is true is that the answer changes by county and by the year you expect to have.

4. Every county

Every Ohio county, for a year of managing type 2 diabetes at age 40 — the middle case of the three. Full price. "Total" is twelve months of premium plus the plan's own filed cost-sharing. The fracture and birth-year columns for every county are in the CSV [1,2].

CountyPlansCheapest premiumWhat that plan costs for the yearLowest total costRanking by premium costs you
Adams County99$5,214 — MedMutual$6,644$6,644 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutualnothing — it wins on both
Allen County99$5,529 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$10,949$6,916 — Expanded Bronze, UnitedHealthcare$4,033 a year
Ashland County60$5,416 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$10,836$6,892 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$3,944 a year
Ashtabula County74$5,133 — Molina Healthcare$10,133$6,697 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$3,436 a year
Athens County66$6,252 — CareSource$11,452$8,117 — Silver, CareSource$3,335 a year
Auglaize County82$5,529 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$10,949$7,649 — Silver, CareSource$3,300 a year
Belmont County82$5,106 — Ambetter from Buckeye Health Plan$9,826$7,611 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,215 a year
Brown County130$4,387 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,187$6,644 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,543 a year
Butler County130$4,270 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,070$6,767 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,303 a year
Carroll County113$5,008 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,228$7,008 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$1,220 a year
Champaign County130$4,669 — MedMutual$6,099$6,099 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutualnothing — it wins on both
Clark County130$4,669 — MedMutual$6,099$6,099 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutualnothing — it wins on both
Clermont County130$4,387 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,187$6,644 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,543 a year
Clinton County115$4,387 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,187$6,644 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,543 a year
Columbiana County99$5,093 — Ambetter from Buckeye Health Plan$9,813$6,659 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$3,154 a year
Coshocton County97$4,601 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,401$7,427 — Gold, Oscar Health Insurance$1,974 a year
Crawford County66$6,059 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$11,479$7,963 — Silver, CareSource$3,516 a year
Cuyahoga County119$4,788 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,008$6,697 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$1,311 a year
Darke County130$4,669 — MedMutual$6,099$6,099 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutualnothing — it wins on both
Defiance County121$4,842 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,062$6,651 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$1,411 a year
Delaware County113$4,767 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,567$7,460 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,107 a year
Erie County99$5,081 — Ambetter from Buckeye Health Plan$9,801$6,949 — Expanded Bronze, UnitedHealthcare$2,852 a year
Fairfield County113$4,767 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,567$7,460 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,107 a year
Fayette County98$4,767 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,567$7,460 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,107 a year
Franklin County130$4,767 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,567$7,460 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,107 a year
Fulton County102$5,082 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$10,502$6,651 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$3,851 a year
Gallia County81$5,115 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,335$8,112 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$223 a year
Geauga County105$4,788 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,008$6,697 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$1,311 a year
Greene County130$4,669 — MedMutual$6,099$6,099 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutualnothing — it wins on both
Guernsey County81$5,320 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,540$7,611 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$929 a year
Hamilton County130$4,270 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,070$6,767 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,303 a year
Hancock County82$5,529 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$10,949$7,649 — Silver, CareSource$3,300 a year
Hardin County114$5,291 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,511$6,916 — Expanded Bronze, UnitedHealthcare$1,595 a year
Harrison County98$5,106 — Ambetter from Buckeye Health Plan$9,826$7,611 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,215 a year
Henry County102$5,082 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$10,502$6,651 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$3,851 a year
Highland County115$4,387 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,187$6,644 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,543 a year
Hocking County113$4,754 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,554$7,634 — Gold, Oscar Health Insurance$1,920 a year
Holmes County97$5,071 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,291$6,986 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$1,305 a year
Huron County99$5,081 — Ambetter from Buckeye Health Plan$9,801$6,949 — Expanded Bronze, UnitedHealthcare$2,852 a year
Jackson County97$5,115 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,335$8,112 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$223 a year
Jefferson County82$5,106 — Ambetter from Buckeye Health Plan$9,826$7,611 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,215 a year
Knox County44$6,021 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$11,441$7,460 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$3,981 a year
Lake County105$4,788 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,008$6,697 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$1,311 a year
Lawrence County66$5,719 — Molina Healthcare$10,719$8,112 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,607 a year
Licking County97$4,767 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,567$7,460 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,107 a year
Logan County130$4,767 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,567$7,460 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,107 a year
Lorain County138$4,788 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,008$6,697 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$1,311 a year
Lucas County121$4,842 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,062$6,651 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$1,411 a year
Madison County115$4,767 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,567$7,460 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,107 a year
Mahoning County114$4,783 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,003$6,659 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$1,344 a year
Marion County66$6,120 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$11,540$7,823 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$3,717 a year
Medina County125$4,627 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$7,847$6,892 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$955 a year
Meigs County81$5,676 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,896$8,117 — Silver, CareSource$779 a year
Mercer County82$5,529 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$10,949$7,649 — Silver, CareSource$3,300 a year
Miami County130$4,669 — MedMutual$6,099$6,099 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutualnothing — it wins on both
Monroe County97$5,106 — Ambetter from Buckeye Health Plan$9,826$7,611 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,215 a year
Montgomery County130$4,669 — MedMutual$6,099$6,099 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutualnothing — it wins on both
Morgan County113$4,601 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,401$7,427 — Gold, Oscar Health Insurance$1,974 a year
Morrow County98$4,844 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,644$7,756 — Gold, Oscar Health Insurance$1,888 a year
Muskingum County81$5,320 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,540$7,611 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$929 a year
Noble County97$5,106 — Ambetter from Buckeye Health Plan$9,826$7,611 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,215 a year
Ottawa County99$5,081 — Ambetter from Buckeye Health Plan$9,801$6,949 — Expanded Bronze, UnitedHealthcare$2,852 a year
Paulding County97$5,291 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,511$7,649 — Silver, CareSource$862 a year
Perry County113$4,601 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,401$7,427 — Gold, Oscar Health Insurance$1,974 a year
Pickaway County113$4,767 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,567$7,460 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,107 a year
Pike County82$5,719 — Molina Healthcare$10,719$8,112 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,607 a year
Portage County125$4,627 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$7,847$6,892 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$955 a year
Preble County130$4,669 — MedMutual$6,099$6,099 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutualnothing — it wins on both
Putnam County97$5,291 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,511$7,649 — Silver, CareSource$862 a year
Richland County66$6,059 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$11,479$7,963 — Silver, CareSource$3,516 a year
Ross County82$5,719 — Molina Healthcare$10,719$8,112 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,607 a year
Sandusky County99$5,081 — Ambetter from Buckeye Health Plan$9,801$6,949 — Expanded Bronze, UnitedHealthcare$2,852 a year
Scioto County82$5,719 — Molina Healthcare$10,719$8,112 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,607 a year
Seneca County114$5,081 — Ambetter from Buckeye Health Plan$9,801$6,949 — Expanded Bronze, UnitedHealthcare$2,852 a year
Shelby County115$4,669 — MedMutual$6,099$6,099 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutualnothing — it wins on both
Stark County130$5,008 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,228$7,008 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$1,220 a year
Summit County125$4,627 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$7,847$6,892 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$955 a year
Trumbull County114$4,783 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,003$6,659 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$1,344 a year
Tuscarawas County60$5,847 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$11,267$7,611 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$3,656 a year
Union County130$4,767 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,567$7,460 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,107 a year
Van Wert County82$5,529 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$10,949$7,649 — Silver, CareSource$3,300 a year
Vinton County113$4,753 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,553$7,633 — Gold, Oscar Health Insurance$1,920 a year
Warren County130$4,270 — Oscar Health Insurance$9,070$6,767 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$2,303 a year
Washington County59$5,676 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,896$8,117 — Silver, CareSource$779 a year
Wayne County113$5,071 — Antidote Health Plan of Ohio$8,291$6,986 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$1,305 a year
Williams County80$5,082 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$10,502$6,651 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$3,851 a year
Wood County106$5,082 — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield$10,502$6,651 — Expanded Bronze, MedMutual$3,851 a year
Wyandot County99$5,081 — Ambetter from Buckeye Health Plan$9,801$6,949 — Expanded Bronze, UnitedHealthcare$2,852 a year

88 rows — scroll inside the table to read them all.

5. Download the whole thing

Every Ohio county, all three care scenarios, both plans named with their deductibles, premiums, out-of-pocket costs and totals:

Ohio county plan costs (CSV, 264 rows)

The three-state version — Florida, Texas and Ohio, 1,227 rows — is here.

These price one buyer, a single 40-year-old, at full price; family and tobacco rating move them, and a subsidy lowers them all, changing the ordering only where it covers the cheapest plan outright [1,3,4]. The three care scenarios are CMS's own stylised courses of care. And they say nothing about networks or formularies — check both before buying anything named here.

The same table for the other two states is at Texas and Florida, and the full three-state analysis is at what ranking by premium costs you.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest health insurance in Ohio?
The lowest marketplace premium available to a 40-year-old in Ohio is $4,270 a year, in Butler County, rising to $6,252 in Athens County [1,2]. In Franklin County it is $4,767 and in Cuyahoga $4,788. But Ohio is the state where the lowest premium is least often the lowest cost: in 77% of its counties, buying it costs $1,000 a year or more once you use real care [1,2].
Why does Ohio have the worst premium trap?
Because its cheapest plans carry unusually punishing cost-sharing relative to the rest of the field, not because its premiums are high — Ohio in fact has the lowest premium floor of the three states we price [1,2]. The result is a median penalty of $2,107 a year for a diabetes year, against $1,438 in Florida and $150 in Texas, and a cheapest-premium plan that ranks 27th of the field in the median county [1,2].
Is a Gold plan ever the cheapest in Ohio?
Yes, and Franklin County is the clearest case in the whole dataset. For a year containing a birth, Oscar's Gold Elite Saver Plus — $7,040 in premium, $0 deductible — totals $8,740, while Oscar's own cheapest-premium Bronze plan at $4,767 totals $14,087. The Gold plan is $5,348 a year cheaper, from the same insurer, in the same county [1,2]. Across all 409 counties we price, Gold wins 40% of birth years [1,2].
How much is health insurance a month in Ohio?
The cheapest plans run from about $356 a month in Butler County to about $521 in Athens, at age 40 and before any premium tax credit [1,2]. A credit subtracts the same amount from every plan in your county, so it lowers all of these without changing which plan is cheapest — unless it covers the cheapest one outright [1,3,4].
Are there Ohio counties where buying the cheapest premium is right?
Nine of them for a diabetes year — Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene and Miami among them — where the cheapest-premium plan is also the cheapest plan overall [1,2]. And for a year whose only significant event is a simple fracture, the gap never reaches $1,000 anywhere in Ohio [1,2]. The county table above is the way to check rather than generalising from the state.
Which Ohio county is worst for this?
Allen County, on both measures. For a year of managing diabetes the cheapest-premium plan — an Anthem Bronze at $5,529 — costs $4,033 more than UnitedHealthcare's Expanded Bronze and ranks 79th of the 99 plans on sale; for a birth year the same plan costs $5,794 more, ranking 89th of 99 [1,2].

Sources

Every figure on this page is footnoted to one of the primary documents below. Reliability tiers: A = regulator, court or filed document; B = reputable publisher or carrier official page; C = user-generated (reported by users).

  1. 1.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Qualified Health Plan Landscape and Benefits & Cost Sharing Public Use Files, plan year 2026. https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/resources/data/public-use-filesTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2026-08-01 · Accessed 2026-09-03
  2. 2.Best Worst Insurance — Annual cost of every marketplace plan in 409 counties, ranked two ways (PY2026). https://bestworstinsurance.com/data/us-health/county-plan-costs.csvTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2026-09-19 · Accessed 2026-09-19
  3. 3.Internal Revenue Service — Revenue Procedure 2025-25 — Applicable Percentage Table for 2026. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-25.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2025-07-18 · Accessed 2026-09-19
  4. 4.US Department of Health and Human Services, ASPE — 2025 Poverty Guidelines. https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelinesTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2025-01-17 · Accessed 2026-09-19