Health Insurance for Travel Nurses in Michigan
Most travel nurses in Michigan are paid in ways that leave them shopping for their own coverage, whether they work around Detroit or anywhere else in the state. Most of the ones I work with choose a private plan priced on their health, not their income, that can start any month if approved. Michigan Marketplace premiums are rising 14.5% on average for 2027, so the private option is worth pricing first.
Private health insurance in Michigan
Most travel nurses I help in Michigan end up on a private plan, not a Marketplace plan. Private, medically underwritten health insurance is priced on your age, zip code and health instead of your income, so a strong year never raises your premium and there is no tax credit to pay back in April.
Why people leave the Marketplace
- Premiums keep climbing. Michigan Marketplace premiums are rising 14.5% on average for 2027.
- The subsidy cliff. Above 400 percent of the poverty level ($63,840 for one person, $132,000 for a family of four) you pay full price.
- Surprise tax bills. Underestimate your income and you repay the tax credit in April.
- Narrow networks. Many plans are local HMOs or EPOs that need referrals and cover little outside the area.
- High out-of-pocket costs. 2027 out-of-pocket maximums reach $12,000 per person and $24,000 per family.
- One window a year. Outside open enrollment you need a qualifying life event to enroll or switch.
What a private plan does differently
- Start any month. If approved, coverage can begin the first of next month, with no wait for open enrollment.
- Networks that travel. Many private plans use national PPO networks, which can give you in-network doctors outside Michigan too. Networks vary by plan.
- Can cost less than full-price Marketplace plans for some healthy applicants above the subsidy line.
- Accident coverage the Marketplace does not offer. A private plan can be paired with accident coverage, a separate policy. What it includes varies by plan.
- Approval is based on health. You answer health questions, and acceptance is not guaranteed.
With a significant health condition, or income low enough for a large tax credit, a Marketplace plan can be the better fit, and I will tell you if it is. Either way you see both side by side.
Private plans are not ACA Marketplace plans. Benefits, exclusions and pre-existing condition rules differ by plan and by state, so review the plan details before you enroll.
Get a private plan quoteLearn more: coverage not based on income · how underwriting works · private vs Obamacare · PPO plans for individuals · switching from the Marketplace
Michigan health insurance in 2027
Michigan's finalized 2027 individual-market increase averages about 14.5 percent, with small-group plans up about 10 percent. Michigan has a relatively competitive market, with several insurers, including regional HMOs tied to hospital systems in Detroit, Grand Rapids and other metro areas.
- Marketplace rates: up 14.5% on average for 2027 (final).
- Benchmark silver plan, age 40: $595 a month in 2027, up from $523 in 2026.
- The subsidy cliff in Michigan: earning $1 over $63,840 costs a single 60-year-old about $8,638 more a year for that plan, and $1 over $86,560 costs a 60-year-old couple about $21,479.
- Where to enroll: HealthCare.gov. Open enrollment runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027; choose by December 15 for coverage starting January 1.
More: Michigan 2027 rate changes · 2027 subsidy cliff by state. General information, not tax advice.
How travel nurses work in Michigan
Travel contracts in Michigan typically run about 13 weeks, while per diem nurses pick up shifts as hospitals need them, often through a staffing agency or as 1099 contractors. Interest in travel work has cooled: the same statewide study found the share of nurses planning to take travel jobs fell from about 18 percent in 2022 to 7 percent in 2023. Michigan has no state licensing program for nurse staffing agencies. Agency health coverage usually ends with the assignment, so a few weeks between contracts can leave a nurse uninsured unless a personal plan is already in place.
Michigan licensing for travel nurses
The Michigan Board of Nursing, under the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, licenses registered and practical nurses. Michigan is not a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact. A House-passed bill to join went to a Senate committee in June 2025. Nurses from other states apply by endorsement. While that application is pending, the board can grant an RN licensed in another state or in Canada a nonrenewable temporary license that lasts up to one year or until the full license is issued. State law calls for that temporary license within 48 hours once the other license is verified.
The Michigan market for travel nurses
Michigan employs about 108,000 registered nurses, and long-term projections built with state labor agencies call for roughly 6,510 RN openings a year through 2034, with total RN jobs growing about 8 percent. A University of Michigan statewide study found that 32 percent of practicing nurses planned to leave their position within a year in 2023, down from 39 percent in 2022, and 41 percent reported understaffing in their most recent week. Demand stretches from large health systems in Detroit, Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids to small hospitals in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.
Michigan coverage rules that apply to you
- Leaving a job: Michigan has no state continuation law for small employer plans, so people leaving an employer with fewer than 20 workers generally lose group coverage when the job ends, while federal COBRA still applies at larger employers.
- Short-term plans: Michigan limits short-term plans to 185 days in any 365-day period, with no renewals or extensions past that, regardless of the federal enforcement pause.
- Where to enroll: Michigan uses HealthCare.gov. Open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Private, medically underwritten plans can start the first of any month if approved.
- 2027 rates: individual plans 14.5% on average. See the Michigan 2027 rate page.
The gap between contracts
Agency health plans usually end when an assignment ends, sometimes on the last day of that week or month. If your next contract starts three weeks later, you are uninsured in between unless you plan for it. Losing agency coverage opens a 60-day Marketplace special enrollment period, and if approved, a private plan can start the first of any month, so either can bridge the gap. Many travelers keep their own plan year-round and decline agency coverage so they never face a gap.
Keeping your own plan across states
A nurse who changes states every 13 weeks needs a plan that works where the contract is. Nationwide PPO networks travel well. A Marketplace plan is tied to your tax home, so if you work far from home you may have only emergency coverage there. Check the network for each assignment city before you sign.
Per diem and 1099 nursing
Per diem and independent contract nurses buy their own coverage and pay self-employment tax. Estimate a full year of net income for the Marketplace, including stipends only if they are taxable. General information, not tax advice — confirm with your CPA based on your specific entity structure.
When the Marketplace still makes sense
The Marketplace fits travel nurses with a significant health condition, because acceptance is guaranteed, and households whose 2027 income stays under 400 percent of the poverty level ($63,840 for one person, $132,000 for a family of four), where a tax credit lowers the price. Above that line it costs full price. The full guide for travel nurses goes deeper.
Quote for a travel nurse in Michigan
Private plans priced first, with the Marketplace alongside when it fits. No fee.
Questions from Michigan travel nurses
What license do travel nurses need in Michigan?
The Michigan Board of Nursing, under the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, licenses registered and practical nurses. Michigan is not a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact. A House-passed bill to join went to a Senate committee in June 2025. Nurses from other states apply by endorsement. While that application is pending, the board can grant an RN licensed in another state or in Canada a nonrenewable temporary license that lasts up to one year or until the full license is issued. State law calls for that temporary license within 48 hours once the other license is verified.
How much are Michigan health insurance premiums rising for 2027?
Individual-market premiums in Michigan are set to rise 14.5% on average for 2027. Households above 400 percent of the poverty level get no tax credit and pay the full increase.
What happens to my coverage if I leave a job in Michigan?
Michigan has no state continuation law for small employer plans, so people leaving an employer with fewer than 20 workers generally lose group coverage when the job ends, while federal COBRA still applies at larger employers. Losing employer coverage also opens a 60-day Marketplace special enrollment period, and if approved, a private plan can start the first of any month.
Should a travel nurse take the agency's health plan?
It can work for back-to-back contracts, but coverage usually ends with the assignment. Nurses with gaps between contracts often keep their own plan instead.
Can a travel nurse buy a plan that works in every state?
Some private plans and some Marketplace plans use national PPO networks. Many Marketplace plans are local HMOs or EPOs, so check the network before you choose.
Sources: www.onetonline.org, jamanetwork.com, www.legislature.mi.gov, www.ncsbn.org. Facts checked October 2026. See all Michigan health insurance rules.
Travel Nurses in other states
Written by Frank Caballero, licensed health insurance agent in Michigan and 30 other states, NPN 21032307.