Best and cheapest health insurance in Pennsylvania
Cheapest health insurance companies in Pennsylvania
Ambetter has the cheapest Silver plan insurance in Pennsylvania, with rates as low as $349 per month.
Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes in Pennsylvania
Affordable health insurance in Pennsylvania
Company |
Cost
| |
|---|---|---|
| Ambetter | $349-$627 |
| UPMC Health Plan | $398-$737 | |
| Independence Blue Cross | $400-$627 | |
| Highmark | $411-$945 | |
- In Pennsylvania, Gold plans often cost less than Silver plans if you pay full price.
- But over half of all shoppers in Pennsylvania qualify for discounts that let you pay less for medical care with a Silver plan. This might make a Silver plan better than a Gold plan.
Cheapest Gold plan: UPMC
UPMC sells the cheapest Gold plans in PA, with rates as low as $327 per month.
If you make more than $37,650 per year as a single person or $78,000 per year as a family of four, a Gold plan is a better option for health insurance in Pennsylvania. When you make that much, you don't qualify for discounts called cost-sharing reductions (CSRs), which lower the amount you have to pay for medical care if you have a Silver plan. If you get CSRs, Silver could be a better option.
Gold plans usually cost more than Silver plans, but in PA, they're often cheaper. And UPMC is the cheapest option for Gold plans. It also has good customer service, with 15% fewer complaints than an average company its size.
Best health insurance companies in Pennsylvania
Highmark sells the best health insurance plans in Pennsylvania.
It has excellent customer service and cheap rates. It also has a high 4.0 rating from HealthCare.gov, which means its plans are high quality and its customers are usually satisfied with their experience.
Best-rated health insurance companies in Pennsylvania
Company |
Editor rating
|
ACA rating
|
|---|---|---|
| Highmark | 4.0 | |
| Independence Blue Cross | 4.0 | |
| UPMC Health Plan | 4.0 | |
| Ambetter | 3.0 | |
| Jefferson Health Plans | N/A |
Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes in Pennsylvania
Independence Blue Cross and UPMC are also good options, but they aren't as widely available as Highmark. If you're not sure which company to go with, get quotes from all three, if you can get them where you live, to compare prices and coverage.
How much does health insurance cost in Pennsylvania?
Health insurance in PA costs an average of $610 per month, but it averages $133 per month if you qualify for discounts based on your income.
- Bronze plans have the cheapest average rates. But you'll also pay more when you visit the doctor or get a prescription filled because they pay less of the bill.
- Gold plans cost less, on average, than Silver plans in Pennsylvania. Unless you qualify for discounts called cost-sharing reductions, a Gold plan is a good option.
- Only Highmark sells Platinum plans in PA, but they're often cheaper than Silver or Gold plans. If you want a plan from Highmark, a Platinum plan is often the best choice since it has the best coverage. You can only get Platinum plans in five counties in western PA.
- Your age also has an impact on your health insurance rates. You'll usually pay more for health insurance as you get older since it's more likely you'll face medical issues.
Get affordable health insurance in Pennsylvania with subsidies
You could pay an average of $133 per month for health insurance in PA if you qualify for discounts based on your income.
More than 87% of Pennsylvania residents who shop for health insurance on the state's marketplace, Pennie, qualify for discounts. One type of discount, called a rate subsidy, makes your monthly insurance bill cheaper. In Pennsylvania, about 1 in 5 people who get a plan on Pennie pay $10 or less for a plan.
In Pennsylvania, you can apply rate subsidies to any Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum plan. You can't use subsidies on Catastrophic plans. To qualify, your income has to be between $15,606 and $60,240 if you're single or between $31,200 and $124,800 for a family of four. You can't get subsidies if you can get Medicaid based on your income.
The other type of discount you might qualify for is called a cost-sharing reduction. This lowers your medical bills instead of your monthly rate.
Cheap Pennsylvania health insurance plans by city
Ambetter sells the most affordable health insurance in Philadelphia.
UPMC has the cheapest Silver plans in Pittsburgh. But Ambetter has the cheapest Silver plans for about two-thirds of the state's population, including the cheapest rates in Allentown, Reading, Bethlehem and Lancaster, which are outside Philadelphia, and Scranton.
Cheapest health insurance by PA county
County | Cheapest Silver plan | Monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Adams | Highmark my Direct Blue EPO Silver 7000 | $691 |
| Allegheny | UPMC VirtualCare + Partner Network Silver $4,400 | $398 |
| Armstrong | Highmark my Direct Blue EPO Silver 7000 | $507 |
| Beaver | UPMC VirtualCare + Select Network Silver $4,400 | $420 |
| Bedford | UPMC VirtualCare + Partner Network Silver $4,400 | $416 |
Cheapest Silver plan with rates for a 40-year-old
Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes in Pennsylvania
The best way to find affordable health insurance in PA is to get quotes from several companies. That lets you compare rates and coverage so that you find a cheap plan that also works for your medical needs.
Best health insurance in PA by level of coverage
The best health insurance plan for you will depend on your health and budget. In Pennsylvania, many people will be better off with Gold plans since they often cost less than Silver plans and let you pay less when you visit the doctor. If you like Highmark, a Platinum plan may even be better since it could be cheaper than a Gold plan. But if you don't need much medical care, a Bronze plan might be a better option.
Platinum plans: Best if you need frequent medical care
| Platinum plans pay for about 90% of your medical care. |
Platinum plans are best if you go to the doctor often or need expensive medical care. These plans pay the highest portion of your medical bills. In Pennsylvania, coverage on a Platinum plan starts right away. That's because the plans have no deductible.
Highmark is the only company in PA that sells Platinum plans. You can only get Platinum plans in Erie, Washington, Butler, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties in western Pennsylvania. If your doctor doesn't take Highmark insurance or if you would prefer another company, a Gold plan is a better option.
In Pennsylvania, Platinum plans cost $481 per month, on average.
Gold plans: Best for most people
| Gold plans pay for about 80% of your medical care. |
Gold plans are the best option for people who need medical care often. With a Gold plan, you'll pay less when you go to the doctor compared to a Silver or Bronze plan. That's because Gold plans have low deductibles, copays and coinsurance.
Gold plans are also a good option if you earn more than $37,650 per year as a single person or $78,000 per year as a family of four. Unlike in most states, Gold plans in PA are usually cheaper than Silver plans if you pay full price. If you make less than that, a Silver plan is probably better because you might qualify for a few discounts.
Gold plans cost an average of $584 per month in Pennsylvania.
Silver plans: Best if you have average health needs
| Silver plans pay for about 70% of your medical care. |
Silver plans give you a middle-ground level of coverage. They can be a good option if you go to the doctor a handful of times each year or have manageable health conditions.
Silver plans are best if you have a low income and average health needs. That's because you could qualify for discounts that let you pay less when you visit the doctor. To qualify, you have to make between $15,060 and $37,650 per year as a single person or between $31,200 and $78,000 as a family of four.
You might also qualify for savings on your monthly rate. If you get both these discounts, a Silver plan might be cheaper and pay for more of your health care bills than a higher-tier plan.
Silver plans cost an average of $610 per month in Pennsylvania.
Bronze plans: Best if you're healthy and have emergency savings
| Bronze plans pay for about 60% of your medical care. |
Bronze plans typically have the lowest monthly rates. You may save money with a Bronze plan if you don't have to go to the doctor often.
But even a single accident or unexpected illness can be expensive to treat, and with a Bronze plan, you have to pay a higher share of your medical bills compared to other plan tiers. You should only consider a Bronze plan if you have enough money saved up to meet your policy's high deductible.
Bronze plans cost $431 per month, on average, in Pennsylvania.
Catastrophic plans: Best as a last resort
A Catastrophic plan is only a good idea if you can't afford anything else but you can't get Medicaid. Catastrophic plans require you to pay up to $9,200 of your medical bills yourself each year, so make sure you have savings in the bank.
You can only get a Catastrophic plan if you're under 30 or qualify for an exemption. And you can't use premium tax credits to lower your monthly rate.
Catastrophic plans cost an average of $272 per month for a 21-year-old in Pennsylvania.
Cheap or free health insurance in Pennsylvania if you have a low income
If you have a low income in Pennsylvania, you might qualify for cheap or even free health insurance through Medicaid. If you make too much to qualify for Medicaid, you might still get discounts that lower what you have to pay at the doctor.
Medicaid in Pennsylvania
Medicaid is a type of free health insurance that the government offers to people with low incomes. In Pennsylvania, you can qualify for Medicaid if you earn about $21,000 or less per year as a single person or roughly $44,000 per year for a family of four.
Seniors who earn a low income might qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, which could help lower their medical bills even more.
Use cost-sharing reductions for cheaper medical care
If you earn between $15,060 and $37,650 per year as a single person or between $31,200 and $78,000 per year as a family of four, consider buying a Silver health insurance plan.
In this income range, you qualify for discounts that lower what you pay when you go to the doctor, called cost-sharing reductions (CSRs). These discounts are only available for Silver plans, but they could make your coverage the same as or even better than a Gold or Platinum plan.
And if you also qualify for rate subsidies, your monthly cost for insurance could be cheap too.
Are health insurance rates going up in PA?
Average health insurance costs in Pennsylvania rose by 6% across all plan levels from 2024 to 2025.
Tier | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | $409 | $431 | 5% |
| Silver | $576 | $610 | 6% |
| Gold | $549 | $584 | 6% |
Monthly costs are for a 40-year-old.
Catastrophic and Platinum plans are new for 2025.
In Pennsylvania, you can buy Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans, also called "Obamacare" plans, from the state's health insurance marketplace, Pennie.
No matter what plan level you buy, you'll have coverage for at least 10 medical situations.
- Doctor visits
- Preventive and wellness care
- Emergency care
- Hospital stays
- Prescription medications
- Lab services
- Pregnancy, maternity and newborn care
- Pediatric care
- Mental health and substance use care
- Rehab services
The plan you buy affects how much you have to pay for medical care. For example, if you need blood work, you'll probably have to pay more if you have a Bronze plan than you would with a Gold plan. But with both plan levels, you'll have coverage.
COBRA insurance in Pennsylvania
In PA, COBRA insurance costs an average of $781 per month for a single person or $2,328 per month for a family.
COBRA lets you keep the health insurance you had with your job when you leave, get fired or retire, but you have to pay the full cost each month. You can usually have COBRA insurance for a year and a half from the time you leave your job, but it can last up to three years in some cases.
Because COBRA is so expensive, it's almost always cheaper to get a marketplace plan from Pennie. But COBRA might be a good idea if you rely on a specific coverage that your employer plan had.
Short-term health insurance in Pennsylvania
You can buy short-term health insurance in Pennsylvania for up to four months at a time. Your initial plan will only last for three months, and you might have the option to continue it for another month. But you can't keep the plan for more than four months in total.
Pros of short-term health insurance in PA
Cons of short-term health insurance in PA
Frequently asked questions
How much is health insurance in PA per month?
Health insurance in Pennsylvania costs $610 per month for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan. Your costs will depend on your age and the plan tier you choose. But if you get discounts on your monthly rate, you could pay an average of $133 per month.
Is health insurance free in Pennsylvania?
You can qualify for Medicaid, a type of free government health insurance, if you earn about $21,000 per year or less (roughly $44,000 for a family of four).
What's the best health insurance in Pennsylvania?
Highmark is the best health insurance company in PA. It has cheap rates, excellent customer service and good coverage quality.
Methodology
Health insurance rates for 2025 come from Pennsylvania's state health insurance marketplace, Pennie. Rates are for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan, unless another age or plan tier is mentioned. Monthly rates for plans with subsidies are based on everyone who purchased a plan during 2024 open enrollment and had advance premium tax credits (APTCs) on their bills.
Ratings for each company are based on ValuePenguin's review of the company's average rates, plan quality, customer satisfaction and unique features. COBRA plan rates and info about the most popular plans in Pennsylvania came from KFF.
Other sources include the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and S&P Global Capital IQ.
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.