Best Cheap Health Insurance in North Dakota (2024)

Sanford Individual True is the cheapest Gold health insurance policy in North Dakota. At $405 per month, it is 23% cheaper than the state average.

In North Dakota, Gold plans are cheaper on average than Silver plans, which cost $548 per month on average.

How much does health insurance cost in North Dakota?

Lower-tier policies, like Bronze, have more affordable rates. However, with the lower monthly cost, you will be paying more out of pocket than if you had a higher-tier policy.

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In North Dakota, a Silver plan costs an average of $20 per month more than a Gold plan, even though a Gold plan pays for more of your medical costs. This is uncommon since in most other states, monthly rates increase by metal tier.

Your health insurance rates increase as you age across all metal tiers. For example, a 60-year-old would pay $119 more per month than a 40-year-old for an average Silver plan.

Cheapest health insurance in ND

Your financial situation and health will play a large part in finding which plan is the best and cheapest for you. Although these are the cheapest plans in the state, the rates and availability of health plans will change depending on where you live.

Finding your best health insurance coverage in North Dakota

In North Dakota, Gold plans are a good choice because they are more affordable on average than Silver plans, and when you have to go to the doctor, you'll pay lower out-of-pocket costs like deductibles, copays and coinsurance. On the other hand, a Bronze plan may be a better choice for those who are young and healthy or don't expect to have many medical costs. Ultimately, the best health insurance plan for you depends on your monthly budget and how much medical care you need.

Gold plans: Best for high expected medical costs

Gold is the highest metal tier available in North Dakota, and you can expect these policies to cover roughly 80% of your health care expenses, while you pay the other 20%. Gold health plans typically cover the largest share of your bill when you need care, which means lower deductibles, copays and coinsurance.

Generally, Gold health insurance policies are the best health plans in North Dakota, especially if you expect to have high medical expenses, such as from chronic conditions or costly prescriptions.

Silver plans: Best for those with low incomes or average medical costs

In North Dakota, Silver plans are, on average, more expensive per month than Gold plans. However, Silver plans can be a better option for households with lower incomes because these policies are eligible for subsidies called cost-sharing reductions (CSRs). Typical Silver plans cover about 70% of your health care costs, while you pay 30%. But with cost-sharing reductions, you could qualify for a Silver plan that covers up to 94% of your health care costs.

Bronze and Catastrophic plans: Best for young, healthy people

Catastrophic and Bronze health insurance plans offer the cheapest monthly rates. However, Catastrophic plans are only available to those under 30 or those who qualify for an exemption. Also, you cannot use a premium tax credit to reduce the cost of a Catastrophic plan.

Bronze plans tend to have low premiums, but they come with reduced coverage. This means that you will pay more for care than with higher metal tier plans.

On average, you can expect a Bronze plan to cover about 60% of your health care costs, while you pay for the other 40%. Therefore, these plans are only a good idea if you have the money to cover high costs in the case of a medical catastrophe.

Medicaid: Best for people with low incomes

If you make less than about $20,000 as a single person or $41,000 as a family of four, Medicaid might be the best health insurance option. Medicaid is a federal program reserved for people with low incomes. You might also qualify if you are pregnant or under age 19, even if you make more.

Are health insurance rates going up in North Dakota?

The average cost of a health plan in North Dakota is 4% more expensive for 2024 than it was in 2023, an increase of around $15 per month.

Rates increased for each tier. Catastrophic and Bronze plans increased by 8%, or $18 per month and $30 per month for a 40-year-old, respectively. Rates for Silver plans increased by 2%, or $10 per month, while Gold plans increased by 1%, or $6 per month.

Best cheap health insurance companies in North Dakota

There are three health insurance providers on the North Dakota exchange, though the availability of each company depends on your location. The three companies in North Dakota are Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, Medica and Sanford Health Plan.

It's a good idea to begin your search for the best health insurance with Sanford because it offers the cheapest Gold plan for more than 8 in 10 North Dakota residents. However, Blue Cross Blue Shield offers the cheapest Gold plan in some counties as well.

Cheapest health insurance plan by county

The county where you live in North Dakota will determine the health insurance companies and plans available.

Average cost of health insurance by family size in North Dakota

The average monthly health insurance cost for a family of three, with two 40-year-old parents and a child on a Gold plan, is $1,372 per month in North Dakota. If you were to add another child to the plan, the monthly cost would increase by $316 per month. So for a family of four, the total monthly cost of health coverage would be $1,688.

In addition to your chosen health plan, the number of people covered and their ages will help determine the cost of health insurance for your family in North Dakota. If you add children to your health insurance plan, each child will cost a flat rate for coverage until they are 15 years old. Upon reaching the age of 15, the child's monthly rate will increase every year as they grow older.

Short-term health insurance in North Dakota

Short-term health insurance can be purchased in North Dakota. A short-term plan can be a good choice if you miss the open enrollment period or lose employer-sponsored health insurance. However, in North Dakota, these plans can only provide coverage for up to 12 months and likely won't cover all the health benefits that state marketplace plans are required to cover.

Methodology

North Dakota health insurance rate and policy information is from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) government website. ValuePenguin used the CMS public use files (PUFs) to calculate the average premium by age, plan tier, family size and county. Plans and providers for which county-level data was included in the CMS Crosswalk file were used in this analysis; those excluded from this data set may not appear.