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Best Health Insurance in Tennessee In 2025

Updated: Jan 2, 2025, 5:44am
Written By
Deputy Editor, Insurance
Reviewed
Managing Editor, Insurance
& 1 other
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

Key Takeaways

  • Cigna Healthcare is the best health insurance in Tennessee.
  • We evaluated rates, deductibles, complaints and types of individual plans offered in Tennessee.
  • Tennessee health insurance costs an average of $648 a month for a silver plan.
Read more

Summary: Best Health Insurance In Tennessee

Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor

We analyzed costs, complaints to state insurance departments, deductibles, breadth of health plans and metal-tier offerings in Tennessee. Our editors are committed to bringing you unbiased ratings and information. Advertisers do not and cannot influence our ratings. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and the methodology for the ratings below.

  • 18 Tennessee health plans evaluated: 6 gold, 6 silver and 6 bronze or expanded bronze plans
  • 108 years of insurance experience on the editorial team
  • Unbiased editorial teams


Best Health Insurance Companies In Tennessee


Best overall

Cigna Healthcare

Cigna Healthcare
5.0
Our ratings are calculated based on fees, rates, rewards and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Bronze plan avg. cost

$548/month

Silver plan avg. cost

$625/month

Gold plan avg. cost

$829/month

Cigna Healthcare
See Plans Arrow

On Healthcare.com's Website

$548/month

$625/month

$829/month

Our Expert Take

Cigna is the best health insurance company in Tennessee in our analysis. It combines good rates with competitive deductibles, which makes it an excellent option.

More: Cigna Health Insurance Review

Pros & Cons
  • Large provider network of more than 1.5 million providers.
  • Low complaint level to state insurance departments.
  • Also offers dental insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, supplemental health insurance and accident insurance.
  • You may find cheaper premiums and lower deductibles by shopping around for an Affordable Care Act plan in Tennessee.
  • Similar to the other insurance companies in the Tennessee marketplace, Cigna offers only EPO plans, which limits your choice.

Best for low deductible

UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare
4.6
Our ratings are calculated based on fees, rates, rewards and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Bronze plan avg. cost

$537/month

Silver plan avg. cost

$699/month

Gold plan avg. cost

$989/month

UnitedHealthcare
See Plans Arrow

On Healthcare.com's Website

$537/month

$699/month

$989/month

Our Expert Take

UnitedHealthcare has the lowest average bronze plan and gold plan deductibles ($2,730 and $667, respectively), which we believe makes it a good option if you want to reduce out-of-pocket costs when seeking healthcare.

More: UnitedHealthcare Health Insurance Review

Pros & Cons
  • Large provider network of 1.3 million providers across the country.
  • Very low complaint level to state insurance departments.
  • Aso offers dental, vision, accident and critical illness plans.
  • Highest average premium in Tennessee.

Best for price

USHealth

USHealth
4.1
Our ratings are calculated based on fees, rates, rewards and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Bronze plan avg. cost

$462/month

Silver plan avg. cost

$637/month

Gold plan avg. cost

$732/month

USHealth
See Plans Arrow

On Healthcare.com's Website

$462/month

$637/month

$732/month

Our Expert Take

We like that USHealth offers the cheapest health insurance premiums in the Tennessee marketplace. It would be wise to get quotes from the company and compare it to other insurers in the state.

Pros & Cons
  • Offers good average deductibles for bronze, silver and gold plans.
  • Cheapest health insurance premiums across every age group we analyzed.
  • Owned by UnitedHealthcare, USHealth also offers dental and vision plans.
  • Very high complaint level to state insurance departments.

Cheapest Health Insurance by Plan Type in Tennessee

Health insurance companies that offer health plans on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace may provide four types of health plans, but Tennessee insurers only offer one type: exclusive provider organization (EPO) plans.

  • Cheapest EPO in Tennessee: USHealth

How Much Does Health Insurance Cost in Tennessee?

Health insurance costs in Tennessee vary by age, location, metal tier chosen, smoking status and the plan type you choose. Your health and gender aren’t factors in premiums when you buy health insurance from the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

Cost of EPO Plans in Tennessee

Our analysis found that EPOs cost an average of $632/month in Tennessee. Here are average premiums among the top health insurance companies in Tennessee.

Company EPO cost per month Learn More
Cigna Healthcare
$627
On Healthcare.com's Website
UnitedHealthcare
$704
On Healthcare.com's Website
USHealth
$576
On Healthcare.com's Website
Source: Federal health insurance marketplace at HealthCare.gov. Costs are for unsubsidized plans. Averages are based on costs for buyers ages 21, 27, 30, 40, 50 and 60.

Cost of Health Plans by Metal Tier in Tennessee

Silver health plans cost an average of $648/month in Tennessee. Here’s a look at prices among the top-scoring Tennessee health plans in our analysis.

Company Bronze or Expanded bronze plan cost per month Silver plan cost per month Gold plan cost per month Learn More
Cigna Healthcare
$548
$625
$829
On Healthcare.com's Website
UnitedHealthcare
$537
$699
$989
On Healthcare.com's Website
USHealth
$462
$637
$732
On Healthcare.com's Website
Source: Federal health insurance marketplace at HealthCare.gov. Costs are for unsubsidized plans. Averages are based on costs for buyers ages 21, 27, 30, 40, 50 and 60.

Average Cost of Bronze Plans in Tennessee at Age 27

ACA law allows children to stay on a parent’s health plan until age 26. After that, they may need their own plan from the state’s health insurance marketplace. Since younger people usually need less healthcare, we looked at average prices for bronze plans at age 27 in Tennessee. Overall, expect to pay an average of $367 a month for a bronze plan at age 27.

Average Cost of Silver Plans in Tennessee at Age 40

Silver plans are the most popular health plan tier and have an average cost of $554 a month for 40-year-olds in Tennessee. Here’s a look at the average costs by county.

Average Cost of Gold Plans in Tennessee at Age 60

Before you’re eligible for Medicare at age 65 you may be looking for a good health plan. Gold plans can be a smart choice for older people who may require more healthcare. The average cost for a Gold plan at age 60 in Tennessee is $1,485 a month. Here’s how average costs look in Tennessee counties.


How to Find the Best Health Insurance Coverage in Tennessee

Platinum Plans: Good for People Who Expect to Need Regular Healthcare

Platinum plans are the priciest ACA marketplace plans and they’re also the hardest to find. Less than 10% of ACA plans are platinum plans, so there’s a good chance you might not even be able to buy one.

If a health insurance company in your region offers platinum plans, these types of plans may work for you if you need regular healthcare and several costly prescriptions. Platinum plans have low health insurance deductibles and coinsurance, so you pay less when you receive healthcare. But they also have the most expensive premiums, so you pay the most for your coverage each month.

Gold Plans: Good for People Who Want Lower Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Gold plans have lower out-of-pocket costs than silver or bronze plans, but they come with higher health insurance premiums. If you expect to get regular healthcare, a gold plan could be a smart option since you will pay less when you receive care compared to a silver or bronze plan.

You’ll want to balance the cost of premiums with the out-of-pocket costs like coinsurance and deductibles when you’re choosing an ACA plan.

Silver Plans: Good for People Who Are Looking to Balance Premiums and Out-of-Pocket Costs

If you don’t want very high deductibles but also don’t want to pay high premiums, a silver plan might be a savvy choice. Silver plans have lower out-of-pocket costs than bronze plans and lower premiums than platinum and gold plans, which make them a good middle ground.

Silver and bronze plans are the most common ACA plans offered, so you shouldn’t have a problem getting a silver plan in your area.

Bronze Plans: Good for People Who Desire the Lowest Premiums

Bronze plans are an excellent option if you don’t use healthcare often and want the cheapest coverage. The downside is that bronze plans have higher out-of-pocket costs when you go to the doctor or get prescriptions.

If you’re looking for the cheapest health plans that still offer comprehensive coverage, a bronze plan could be a smart option.

Some health insurers also have “expanded bronze” plans. These plans have higher coinsurance levels for in-network care (up to 65%) than standard bronze plans (average of 60%).

More: Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum Health Insurance

Catastrophic Plans: Good for Young People Who Don’t Often Need Healthcare

The ACA marketplace offers catastrophic health insurance to people under age 30 and those who have severe economic issues like homelessness. If you’re eligible for a catastrophic plan, you may like the low monthly premium but watch out for the high out-of-pocket costs.

One thing that makes catastrophic plans different from other health insurance policies is that they don’t have coinsurance. Instead, you pay an extremely high deductible when you receive care. Once you’ve paid that deductible, a catastrophic plan pays the rest of your in-network healthcare costs for the year.


Methodology

We analyzed Affordable Care Act marketplace health insurance companies in Tennessee to determine the best options. Our ratings are based on:

  • Average premiums (30% of score):  We calculated average premiums for health insurance companies that offer ACA plans in Tennessee. Averages were based on premiums for buyers ages 21, 27, 30, 40, 50 and 60. Source: HealthCare.gov.
  • Complaints made to state insurance departments (30% of score): We used complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
  • Average silver plan deductible (20% of score): The deductible is how much you have to pay for healthcare in a year before the health plan begins picking up a portion of the costs. Companies with health plans that had low deductibles got more points. Source: HealthCare.gov.
  • Breadth of health plans (10% of score): Health insurance companies may offer up to four types of plan benefit designs (PPO, HMO, EPO and POS). We gave points to companies that offer more types of plans. Source: HealthCare.gov.
  • Metal tier offerings (10% of score): The ACA marketplace has four metal tier levels. We gave points to companies that offered more tier options. Source: HealthCare.gov.

Read more: How Forbes Advisor Rates Health Insurance Companies

Find The Best Health Insurance In Tennessee

Get a free quote and availability for the best plans in Tennessee

See Plans

On Healthcare.com’s Website


Next Up In Health Insurance


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