Short answer
On the two published plans shown below, monthly premiums run from the $240s to the $500s for a single person, and from roughly $770 to $1,130 for a family, depending on the age band, the plan design and the deductible you choose. Other plans we offer are quoted individually, and availability varies by state, carrier and plan.
"Private health insurance" is an umbrella consumer term covering several different kinds of products — medically underwritten major medical style plans, fixed indemnity, ERISA/association coverage, short-term medical and supplemental plans. They are not all ACA-compliant major medical. A fixed-indemnity plan paired with a catastrophic layer prices differently from a medically underwritten major medical plan on a national PPO. The tables below show two real plans at opposite ends of that spread.
Real 2026 rates: an underwritten PPO plan
This is the Bright Life Copay PPO on the Cigna PPO network, at the $3,500 deductible level — the lowest-premium of its three levels. It is a medically underwritten plan, so the health questions matter, and it uses a national PPO network with both in-network and out-of-network benefits. Network size and access still depend on the plan and your area, so check your own doctors in the plan's directory before you apply.
| Age band | Single | Couple | Family | Child only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–29 | $359 | $689 | $949 | $679 |
| 30–44 | $379 | $719 | $989 | $709 |
| 45–54 | $399 | $779 | $1,079 | $769 |
| 55–64 | $429 | $809 | $1,099 | $799 |
Source: Bright Life carrier brochures, rates effective 9/1/2026, shown as an example. The $1,250 and $2,200 deductible levels cost more per month. Your quote depends on state, age, household and underwriting. Availability varies by state, carrier and plan; Bright Life is not available in AK, HI, MD, MN, NH, OR, VT, WA or DE. LifeX publishes rates on the PHCS PPO network as a further comparison.
Real 2026 rates: a second underwritten PPO plan
This is LifeX on the PHCS PPO network at the $1,500 / $3,000 deductible level. It is also medically underwritten, so the health questions matter.
| Age band | Single | Couple | Family | Child only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–29 | $369 | $729 | $999 | $719 |
| 30–44 | $419 | $759 | $1,039 | $743 |
| 45–54 | Quote required | $809 | $1,109 | $789 |
| 55–64 | $509 | $839 | $1,129 | $799 |
Source: LifeX carrier rates effective 1/1/2026, shown as an example. Availability varies by state, carrier and plan; LifeX is not available in AK, HI, MD, MN, NH, OR, VT or WA.
What actually moves your premium
Six things drive the number, and only some of them are inside your control.
- Your age. Every plan on this page is age-banded. Moving from the 30–44 band to 45–54 adds roughly $20 a month on the Bright Life Copay PPO for a single adult.
- Who you are covering. A couple is not double a single, and a family rate usually covers children without charging per child. On the Bright Life Copay PPO a 45–54 family pays $1,079 — about 2.7 times the single rate, not four times it.
- Your health. These are medically underwritten plans, which means an application can be declined, rated or issued with an exclusion. Good health can mean a standard offer; a significant history can mean an exclusion rider, a higher rate, or a decline that sends you to a guaranteed-issue option instead.
- Your state. Not every carrier is filed in every state, and the cheaper plan is often simply unavailable where you live. That is usually the single biggest swing.
- The deductible you pick. The Bright Life Copay PPO $3,500 level shown above is the lowest-premium of its three levels; the $1,250 and $2,200 levels cost more per month.
- Tobacco use. Most underwritten carriers rate tobacco separately.
Why private coverage often costs less than an unsubsidized exchange plan
ACA exchange plans are community rated. Everyone in your area and age band pays the same premium regardless of health, because the plan has to accept everyone. That is a genuinely good thing if you have significant health conditions or you qualify for a subsidy.
Medically underwritten private plans work the other way. They ask health questions and price your household on its own risk. For a healthy household this often costs less than an unsubsidized exchange plan, though the outcome depends on health, household, location and subsidy eligibility.
The honest caveat: if your household qualifies for a large premium tax credit or a cost-sharing reduction on the exchange, that subsidy is very hard to beat, and an exchange plan is likely your better deal. Private coverage tends to win for households that get little or no subsidy. We will tell you either way.
Costs beyond the monthly premium
The premium is not the whole picture, and a plan with a low premium and a weak structure can cost more over a year than a slightly pricier plan that pays properly.
- Deductible — what you pay before the plan's major medical benefits engage.
- Coinsurance and copays — your share after the deductible.
- Out-of-network exposure — much larger on an EPO than on a national PPO. Check whether your own doctors participate in the specific plan's directory before you apply.
- Prescriptions — formularies differ sharply between plans. If you take a brand-name or specialty drug, this can matter more than the premium.
- Layered plans — some designs pair a day-to-day plan with a separate catastrophic layer, so you are looking at two premiums that make sense as one package.
Can you get a real price without giving up your phone number?
Yes. That is the entire point of how this site is built. Our marketplace shows the plans that fit your household, your state and your health history, with published pricing where the carrier publishes rates, before you have identified yourself at all.
When a plan requires a formal quote — several of ours do, because the rate depends on underwriting — the marketplace says so instead of inventing a number. If you then want that quote, you decide to ask for it. Nobody calls you because you looked.