Cheapest Health Insurance in Missouri (2026)

Among the seven marketplace insurers we compared, Oscar, Cox HealthPlans and Anthem have the lowest average premiums in Missouri, each in a different plan tier. Oscar's Silver plans average $620 a month, $100 below the $720 statewide Silver average. Cox HealthPlans' $473 Bronze plan is the cheapest, but with a $7,950 deductible, it costs less overall only for adults who rarely need more than preventive care. Anthem's Catastrophic plan costs $476 a month on average, and only adults under 30 or people with a hardship exemption can buy one.

Only Silver plans come with cost-sharing reductions, which lower deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. Insurers price Silver higher to cover them, so Oscar's $620 Silver costs more a month than its $570 Gold. If your income is up to 250% of the federal poverty level ($39,125 for a single person in 2026) and you don't qualify for MO HealthNet, you get these reductions on any Silver plan. Before you enroll, weigh Silver's reduced deductible against Gold's lower premium.

* Rates are averages for a 40-year-old across the insurer’s plans in the tier listed. Your rate depends on your age, county and plan. MOOP (out-of-pocket maximum) is the most you’ll pay for covered care in a year before the plan pays 100% of your costs.

Filter Missouri's marketplace plans by plan type, metal level, age and HSA eligibility to find the cheapest options for you.

Which Missouri plan costs least depends on how much care you use. If you spend $1,000 on care in a year, Cox HealthPlans' $473 Bronze plan has the lowest estimated yearly cost, $6,676, or $168 less than Oscar's Expanded Bronze. Once your medical bills reach $3,450, Oscar's $570 Gold plan costs less, and at $5,000 in care, it saves $1,246 over Cox's Bronze.

*Annual costs are estimated by adding 12 months of premiums to out-of-pocket spending at each level. Calculations assume you pay covered expenses until reaching your deductible, then 20% co-insurance (meaning you pay 20% of costs while the plan covers the rest) up to your out-of-pocket maximum.

Gold costs less than Silver on Missouri's 2026 marketplace, averaging $693 a month vs. $720. If you skip Gold assuming it costs more, you'll pay $27 more a month for Silver and have a higher deductible.

Bronze has the lowest premiums and the most cost-sharing, and Silver is the only tier with cost-sharing reductions.

Missouri adults 65 and older can get Medicare, and so can some younger adults with qualifying disabilities. If you're approaching 65, compare Medicare costs at Medicare.gov before buying a marketplace plan, since Medicare Part B (which covers doctor visits and outpatient care) has its own enrollment window and costs, separate from marketplace plans.

• Best Medicare Supplement Plans in Missouri: These plans pay costs Original Medicare doesn't, including deductibles, copays and coinsurance.
• Best Medicare Advantage Plans in Missouri: These plans replace Original Medicare, and many include prescription drug, dental, vision and hearing benefits.

Missouri and federal agencies give free help with enrollment, subsidy eligibility and insurance complaints.

• HealthCare.gov: Missouri residents use this site to compare ACA plans, check subsidy eligibility and enroll, either during Open Enrollment (Nov. 1 to Jan. 15, or by Dec. 15 for coverage starting Jan. 1) or during a Special Enrollment Period after a qualifying life event.
• Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance: The department handles insurance complaints, publishes consumer guides and explains policyholder rights. Its consumer hotline is 800-726-7390.
• MO HealthNet: Since Missouri expanded Medicaid in 2021, single adults earning up to $22,025 a year may qualify for coverage with no monthly premium. You can apply or check eligibility on this site.
• Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services: The department's public health resources include immunization information, chronic disease management and community health programs.
• Off-Marketplace Health Insurance in Missouri: Some insurers sell plans outside HealthCare.gov, but you lose premium tax credits if you buy off-marketplace. Short-term plans may exclude pre-existing conditions, and many don't cover all essential health benefits. Before enrolling, review exclusions and confirm the plan meets minimum essential coverage requirements (the legally required set of benefits all ACA-compliant plans must include).

Our Missouri marketplace data covers seven insurers, and MoneyGeek compared 2026 plans from all of them: Ambetter, Anthem, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, Cox HealthPlans, Medica, Oscar and UnitedHealthcare.

Research Approach

Our analysis uses 2026 plan-level data from the federal Health Insurance Marketplace for Missouri residents, covering six age groups (0 to 14, 18, 26, 40, 50 and 60) and five plan tiers (Bronze, Expanded Bronze, Silver, Gold and Catastrophic).

Why We Focus on 40-Year-Olds

Our rankings use rates for 40-year-olds. A 40-year-old is used to reflect a typical working-age buyer. With one age, comparisons stay direct, since age-based pricing differences don't affect the rankings, but the cheapest provider for an 18-year-old may not be the cheapest for a 60-year-old.

How We Score Insurers

MoneyGeek scores each insurer out of 100 within each plan tier and age group, with affordability worth 60 points, deductible 20 and out-of-pocket maximum 20. In each category, the insurer with the lowest cost gets full points, and higher-cost insurers get fewer. Because the minimum is 70 of 100, every insurer's overall rating is at least 3.5 out of 5. Each card's ratings reflect the tier shown on that card.

Cheapest Overall

For our cheapest-overall rankings, we compared 40-year-olds' monthly premiums across the available metal tiers. Lower premiums tend to come with higher deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, so a plan's total cost depends on how much care you use in a year, not only on its premium.

Every figure on this page comes from the federal Health Insurance Marketplace's 2026 data for Missouri.