Individual Health Insurance in Florida: Every Option, Explained

Who buys individual coverage in Florida

Self-employed people, early retirees under 65, people between jobs, workers at small businesses without a group plan, gig workers, new residents and families whose employer only subsidizes the employee. Florida has more Marketplace enrollees than any other state, and many more people buy private plans outside the Marketplace. If you are in any of those groups, the options below are yours.

Option 1: The ACA Marketplace on HealthCare.gov

Florida uses the federal Marketplace. Plans accept everyone, cover pre-existing conditions and include the ten essential health benefits.

• Enrollment: November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027 for 2027 coverage, or within 60 days of a qualifying life event.
• Help with cost: a premium tax credit for households between 100 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level, roughly $15,960 to $63,840 for one person and $33,000 to $132,000 for four. Above the line there is no credit for 2027.
• Extra help on silver plans: cost-sharing reductions lower deductibles and copays for households near the lower end of the range.
• Plan types: many Florida plans are HMOs or EPOs with regional networks.

The 2027 Florida changes guide lists what is new this year.

Option 2: Private, medically underwritten plans

Sold outside the Marketplace by licensed agents, priced on age, zip code and health history, never income. Applicants answer health questions and are approved, offered a plan with an exclusion or a higher rate, or declined.

• Enrollment: any month.
• Networks: often national PPOs.
• Best for: healthy people above the subsidy line, and people who want year-round flexibility.
• Not for: anyone with a condition that would lead to a decline, or who needs guaranteed maternity coverage.

Option 3: Short-term health insurance

Florida law allows short-term plans with an initial term under 12 months and a total of up to 36 months with renewals. They start fast and cost less because they exclude pre-existing conditions and cap benefits. Use them as a bridge with an end date, not as permanent coverage. The short-term versus ACA guide covers the details.

Option 4: If your income is very low

Florida did not expand Medicaid. Most adults without dependent children do not qualify regardless of income. Parents with very low income, pregnant women within the income limits, people with disabilities and children may qualify. Florida KidCare covers many children in families above the Medicaid limits, often at a low monthly cost. Both accept applications year-round.

Option 5: Keeping a small employer's plan

Federal COBRA applies to employers with 20 or more employees. For smaller employers, Florida's continuation law generally lets you keep the group plan for up to 18 months after a qualifying event, at up to 115 percent of the group premium, if you notify the carrier within the deadline. It is often expensive, but it keeps your doctors and your progress toward this year's deductible.

Option 6: Health care sharing ministries

These are not insurance. Florida exempts qualifying religious sharing ministries from the insurance code, and they must tell members that they are not insurance companies and do not guarantee payment. Some people use them to lower monthly costs; the trade-offs are real. The health sharing guide explains them honestly.

Option 7: An ICHRA or QSEHRA from an employer

Some Florida employers reimburse employees for individual coverage through an individual coverage HRA or a qualified small employer HRA instead of offering a group plan. If yours does, you buy an individual plan and the employer reimburses part of it. How it affects your tax credit depends on the type and the amount. The employer stipend guide explains how they work.

How to choose, in order

1. Do you or anyone in your household have a significant health condition, or a possible pregnancy? Start with the Marketplace.
2. Is your household income under the 400 percent line? Price the Marketplace with your credit.
3. Is your income over the line, and is everyone healthy? Price a private plan next to the full-price Marketplace.
4. Do you have children? Check Florida KidCare for them separately.
5. Is the need temporary? Consider short-term or continuation coverage only for a defined gap.

Florida-specific pitfalls

• Assuming your doctor is in network because the plan name sounds familiar. Florida plans with similar names often have very different networks.
• Letting auto-renewal pick your plan. Plans are discontinued and replaced every year.
• Ignoring the county. The same plan type can cost very different amounts in Hillsborough, Polk and Miami-Dade.
• Missing a verification notice. Answer HealthCare.gov document requests by the deadline or coverage can end.
• Treating short-term or a sharing ministry as the same as insurance. They can work for some people, but they are not the same thing.

Costs by region, without the prices

I do not publish prices, but the pattern across Florida is consistent. Premiums for the same type of plan tend to be higher in South Florida than in central Florida, rural counties often have fewer carriers and less price competition, and the Panhandle's networks frequently cross into Alabama and Georgia hospital systems. A plan that is the best value in Hillsborough may not even be offered in Hernando. That is why county-by-county comparisons matter here more than in smaller states.

Seasonal residents and snowbirds

People who split the year between Florida and another state should buy coverage in their primary residence state, and check how the plan handles care in the other state. Most Florida Marketplace HMOs cover only emergencies outside Florida. A national PPO, available on many private plans, is often the better fit for part-year residents under 65.

Timeline for the year

• January to October: private plans any month; Marketplace only with a qualifying event.
• October: review your plan and income estimate.
• November 1 to December 15: choose a Marketplace plan for January 1.
• December 16 to January 15: choose a Marketplace plan for February 1.

Where to start

If you are self-employed, the Florida self-employed guide goes further. If you are new to the state, see moving to Florida. Or skip the reading: send me your zip code, ages, income estimate and any medications, and I will lay out the Marketplace and private options for your county with networks checked. Get a quote or call or text (786) 218-2384. I am based in Tampa and serve all of Florida. No fee.