Meet The Team
Real local people on your side
No 1-800 numbers and no online quote mills — just licensed Minnesota agents out of our Chaska office who pick up the phone when your plan changes and actually remember your name.
Most cost pages dodge the question. We won’t. Below are the real 2026 numbers — what a plan runs at full price, what subsidies can drop it to, and the six things that actually move your premium. Then, if you want, we’ll find your exact number for free.
It’s a fair question, and it’s weirdly hard to get a straight answer to. The honest version is “it depends” — but it depends on a short, knowable list of things, and once you see that list the number stops being a mystery.
2026 made it sharper: Minnesota individual-market premiums rose about 21.5% on average, and the enhanced federal tax credits that had been holding prices down expired at the end of 2025. That combination is exactly why last year’s number is a bad guide to this year’s.
For an individual buying their own coverage in Minnesota in 2026, a mid-level Silver plan averages somewhere around $550 a month at full price — but that single number hides a huge range, because age alone can more than double it.
| Age | Avg. Silver premium / month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 21 years old | ~$390 | ~$4,700 |
| 40 years old | ~$555 | ~$6,700 |
| 60 years old | ~$1,145 | ~$13,700 |
Averages for a Silver plan at full price (before subsidies), based on 2026 Minnesota marketplace data. Your real rate depends on your county, exact age, plan, and tobacco use — a Bronze plan runs less per month, a Gold plan more.
The single biggest lever. A 60-year-old can pay more than double a 40-year-old for the same plan.
Minnesota is split into geographic rating areas, so the same plan can cost differently in the Metro than in Duluth or Rochester.
Bronze, Silver, Gold. Lower tiers mean lower premiums but higher out-of-pocket costs when you actually use care.
Tobacco users can be charged a surcharge of up to 50% on top of the base premium.
Adding a spouse and kids stacks up — a family plan typically runs two to three times an individual one.
Income decides whether you get a premium tax credit through MNsure — and that can change your real cost more than anything else on this list.
Those full-price figures are the sticker price. Many Minnesotans who buy their own coverage still qualify for a premium tax credit through MNsure, and it’s the only place you can use one. Here are real 2026 examples the Minnesota Department of Commerce and MNsure published:
Examples published by the Minnesota Department of Commerce and MNsure for 2026, reflecting the help still available after the enhanced credits expired. Important: the enhanced federal tax credits in place since 2021 expired on December 31, 2025. Subsidies didn’t vanish — the regular premium tax credit still exists for households between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level — but the credits are smaller than the last few years, and people earning above that line no longer qualify for help at all. That’s exactly why 2026 is the year to recheck your own number instead of assuming last year’s applies — a five-minute thing we can do with you.
For 2026, the Minnesota Department of Commerce approved an average individual-market increase of about 21.5%, the steepest since 2017. But “average” hides a lot — the increase you actually see depends heavily on which carrier you’re with:
| Carrier | Approved 2026 individual-market increase |
|---|---|
| Quartz Health Plan MN | +7.4% |
| HealthPartners, Inc. | +13.3% |
| Blue Plus | +18.7% |
| HealthPartners Insurance Company | +19.2% |
| UCare * | +27.5% |
| Medica Insurance Company | +30.8% |
Final approved 2026 rate changes, Minnesota Department of Commerce. This is exactly why staying on the same plan out of habit can quietly cost you — the carrier that was cheapest last year may not be this year.
One thing working in your favor: Minnesota runs its own reinsurance (“premium security”) program that keeps individual premiums roughly 25% lower than they’d otherwise be. It’s a big reason coverage here is more affordable than in many states — even after this year’s increase.
Ages, ZIP code, household income, your doctors and prescriptions. That’s enough to price you accurately.
We check your subsidy through MNsure and compare it against off-exchange plans, side by side, with the after-help price.
Premium plus likely out-of-pocket, not just the sticker. Then you pick — and we handle the paperwork.
Send a few basics and a licensed Minnesota agent will come back with your actual cost, subsidy included. Free, and no pressure.
We’ll get back to you within one business day.
No 1-800 numbers and no online quote mills — just licensed Minnesota agents out of our Chaska office who pick up the phone when your plan changes and actually remember your name.
