Best Cheap Health Insurance in Missouri (2025)
Anthem BCBS has the best medical insurance in Missouri. Silver plans start at $440 per month before discounts.
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Best and cheapest health insurance in Missouri
Starting in 2026, you will no longer be able to buy Aetna insurance on the Missouri health marketplace.
Current Aetna customers will have to switch to a different company. During open enrollment (Nov. 1 to Jan. 15), you'll have the opportunity to shop for a new plan.
Blue Cross Blue Shield offers the best combination of quality service and affordable prices among major health insurance companies in Missouri. Ambetter is a good choice if you want the cheapest coverage in MO.
Cheapest health insurance companies in Missouri
Ambetter, Anthem and Oscar have the cheapest health insurance plans in Missouri, with Silver plans starting at $417 per month on average before discounts.
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Affordable health plans in MO
Company |
Cost
| |
|---|---|---|
| Ambetter from Home State Health | $417-671 |
| Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield | $440-$760 |
| Oscar Insurance Company | $449-$595 |
| Medica | $474-$732 |
- Ambetter has the cheapest rates for 9 out of 10 people in Missouri, with rates as low as $417 per month for a Silver plan. The company has the most affordable quotes in 4 out of 5 Missouri counties.
- Medica has the cheapest rates in Columbia. The company also has the most affordable plans for nearly 1 in 10 people in Missouri and a similar proportion of the state population.
If you had a plan from Ambetter or UnitedHealthcare in 2025, you'll get some money back. Both insurance companies failed to meet Affordable Care Act guidelines for medical care spending in 2025, which means they have to return money to their customers.
Best health insurance companies in Missouri
Anthem BCBS has the best health insurance for most people in Missouri.
Anthem BCBS has a good 3-out-of-5-star rating from HealthCare.gov. The company scored a perfect five-out-of-five rating for member experience. Plus, the company gets significantly fewer complaints than an average company its size.
Anthem BCBS customers also have access to the largest network of doctors nationwide. That makes it a good choice if you want more choice when it comes to choosing the doctors in your area or you travel often.
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Best-rated health insurance companies in Missouri
Company |
Editor rating
|
ACA rating
|
|---|---|---|
| Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield | 3.0 | |
| UnitedHealthcare | NA | |
| Ambetter from Home State Health | 3.0 | |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City | 3.0 | |
| Aetna CVS Health | 3.0 |
Medica offers 4-star rated plans in the St. Louis area. That's the highest rating given by HealthCare.gov in Missouri.
UnitedHealthcare (UHC) also offers high-quality health plans. The company gets fewer complaints than an average company its size. However, UnitedHealthcare is too new to the Missouri health marketplace to have a star rating from HealthCare.gov.
How much does health insurance cost in Missouri?
Missouri residents pay an average of $616 per month for health insurance at full price or $61 per month after discounts, on average.
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Roughly half of all Missourians with marketplace plans pay less than $10 per month for coverage. The size of your discount depends on your household size and income.
Gold plans have expensive rates and affordable costs when you visit the doctor. Bronze plans have cheap monthly costs, but you pay more when you get medical care.
Silver plans offer a middle ground between the two with average rates and middle-of-the-road costs when you go to the doctor. That makes Silver health plans a good choice for most people.
Get affordable health insurance in Missouri
Health insurance in Missouri costs an average of $61 per month after discounts.
To qualify for subsidies, you need to earn between about $15,000 and $60,000 per year as a single person or roughly $31,000 to $125,000 for a family of four. If you don't earn enough to qualify for subsidies, you're probably eligible for free government health insurance, called Medicaid.
Cheap health insurance in Missouri by city
Ambetter has the most affordable medical insurance in Kansas City, at $467 per month before discounts.
Ambetter also has the cheapest rates in St. Louis and Springfield. Medica has the most affordable health insurance in Columbia.
Cheapest health insurance plans by MO county
County | Cheapest plan | Monthly rates |
|---|---|---|
| Adair | Ambetter Health Standard Silver | $637 |
| Andrew | Ambetter Health Standard Silver | $579 |
| Atchison | Ambetter Health Standard Silver | $579 |
| Audrain | Ambetter Health Standard Silver | $586 |
| Barry | Ambetter Health Standard Silver | $498 |
Cheapest Silver plan with rates for a 40-year-old
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Best health insurance by level of coverage
When choosing your level of health coverage, it's important to consider how healthy you are, your finances and discounts you may qualify for.
Gold plans: Best if you have ongoing medical needs
| Gold plans pay for about 80% of your medical care. |
Gold plans in Missouri cost $591 per month, on average.
Consider a Gold plan if you have expensive or ongoing medical needs. Gold plans have high monthly rates, but you'll pay a small portion of the bill when you go to the hospital.
That means Gold plans usually only make sense for people who need high-cost treatment. For example, a Gold plan might be a good choice if you have cancer or arthritis.
Silver plans: Best for most people
| Silver plans pay for about 70% of your medical care. |
Silver plans in Missouri cost $616 per month, on average.
Silver plans have middle-of-the-road rates and costs when you visit the doctor or get a prescription filled. Silver plans are the best choice for most people because they offer a balance between your monthly costs and what you pay when you go to the hospital.
Bronze plans: Best if you're young and healthy
| Bronze plans pay for about 60% of your medical care. |
Bronze plans in Missouri cost $488 per month, on average.
Bronze plans have cheap monthly rates, but you're responsible for a large portion of your bill when you go to the hospital. That makes Bronze plans are a good choice for people who rarely visit the doctor.
Keep in mind that you may have to pay thousands of dollars before coverage starts if you get seriously injured or sick with a Bronze plan. You should only buy a Bronze plan if you have enough money in your savings account to cover your health insurance deductible.
Catastrophic plans: Best to prevent financial disaster
You'll pay $9,200 before coverage starts with a catastrophic plan.
Catastrophic plans cost an average of $262 per month for a 21-year-old in Missouri.
You can only buy a catastrophic plan if you're under the age of 30 or you have a special hardship exemption.
Catastrophic plans are a good choice for preventing financial disaster because you won't pay more than $9,200 in a single year for medical services. In other words, your deductible is the maximum amount you'll pay for care with catastrophic coverage.
Catastrophic plans have the lowest average rates of any plan tier. However, they're not usually a good deal because catastrophic plans offer limited coverage. You have to pay a high deductible before your plan will cover most services.
In addition, catastrophic plans aren't eligible for subsidies. That means you can get better coverage for a cheaper price if you earn a low income.
Discounted and free health insurance in Missouri
You may have access to free or discounted health insurance in Missouri, depending on your income.
Medicaid: Best if you earn a low income
You may qualify for free government health insurance, called Medicaid, if you earn about $21,000 per year or less as a single person or $44,000 per year or less for a family of four.
A pregnant woman with no children and a parent with a child under the age of one are eligible for Medicaid if they make under about $30,000 per year.
Discounted Silver plans: Best if you earn a low income but don't qualify for Medicaid
| Silver plans will pay 73% to 94% of your medical costs if you have a low income. |
You may qualify for extra discounts, called cost-sharing reductions, if you have a Silver health plan and you earn a low income. Cost-sharing reductions cover part of the costs you're responsible for when you visit the hospital, such as your deductible, copays and coinsurance.
Missouri residents are eligible for cost-sharing reductions if they make less than $38,000 per year as an individual or $78,000 per year as a family of four.
Are health insurance rates going up in MO?
Health insurance rates went down by 2% on average between 2024 and 2025.
Health insurance in Missouri got cheaper across most plan tiers from 2024 to 2025. Gold plans fell the most, at 8%. Bronze plans had the smallest decrease: 1%. Silver plans increased by an average of 4%, and Catastrophic plans got 4% cheaper. However, rates are expected to go up across all plan levels in 2026.
Catastrophic
Bronze
Silver
Gold
Year | Cost | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $368 | - |
| 2023 | $396 | 8% |
| 2024 | $348 | -12% |
| 2025 | $335 | -4% |
Monthly costs are for a 40-year-old.
Catastrophic
Year | Cost | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $368 | - |
| 2023 | $396 | 8% |
| 2024 | $348 | -12% |
| 2025 | $335 | -4% |
Monthly costs are for a 40-year-old.
Bronze
Year | Cost | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $447 | - |
| 2023 | $553 | 24% |
| 2024 | $495 | -10% |
| 2025 | $488 | -1% |
Monthly costs are for a 40-year-old.
Silver
Year | Cost | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $620 | - |
| 2023 | $626 | 1% |
| 2024 | $594 | -5% |
| 2025 | $616 | 4% |
Monthly costs are for a 40-year-old.
Gold
Year | Cost | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $738 | - |
| 2023 | $761 | 3% |
| 2024 | $645 | -15% |
| 2025 | $591 | -8% |
Monthly costs are for a 40-year-old.
Why is health insurance expensive in MO in 2026?
As health care costs go up, health insurance rates increase to make up for it.
That's because your health insurance pays for many of your health care costs. When health care is more expensive, it costs the company more when you go to the doctor or get medication. To balance out the higher costs, medical insurance companies raise rates for everyone. Missouri health insurance companies are asking to be able to raise rates by an average of 16%.
One of the major causes for higher health insurance rates is the cost for weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Because these medications are both expensive and widely used, they put a financial burden on insurance companies.
You could also see your rate go up in 2026 because of changes to discounts if you have a low income. Since 2021, people with low incomes have been able to get larger discounts called "enhanced subsidies." However, these extra discounts are set to expire at the end of 2025. Unless they're renewed by Congress, the discounts in 2026 won't be as big. That means you'll probably pay more for health insurance even if you get discounts.
How to prepare for the 2026 rate increases
- Get quotes from other companies. If your plan goes up in price, look at the other companies and plans in your area. You can see all your options on HealthCare.gov, and you might be able to find a cheaper plan from another company.
- Check if you get discounts. Even if discounts aren't as big in 2026, they'll still help you save money if you can get them.
- Consider dropping to a lower-tier plan. Lower-tier plans like Bronze usually come with cheaper monthly rates. However, the tradeoff is that you have to pay more when you go to the doctor or fill a prescription. As of 2026, you can open a health savings account (HSA) to help pay for medical costs.
- See if you can get Medicaid. If you have a very low income, you might be able to get Medicaid in Missouri. Medicaid makes your health care free or very cheap if you qualify.
Marketplace insurance in Missouri
You can buy a marketplace plan in Missouri by going to HealthCare.gov. Marketplace plans have more protections than other types of health insurance, such as short-term or supplemental coverage.
For example, companies selling Obamacare plans can't deny coverage or charge higher rates based on your health. In addition, all marketplace plans have to cover 10 essential services.
Benefits offered by all marketplace health plans in Missouri
- Outpatient care
- Emergency care
- Prescription drugs
- Care for pregnant women and newborns
- Preventive, wellness and ongoing disease services
- Hospital care
- Coverage for babies
- Laboratory services
- Rehabilitation services and devices
- Services for mental health and substance use disorders
Plans bought on the Missouri health exchange limit the total amount you'll pay for health care in a single year, called an out-of-pocket maximum. Once you hit your out-of-pocket max, you won't pay anything else for care until the start of the next year.
Average cost of health insurance by family size in MO
In Missouri, a family of four will pay an average of $1,969 per month before discounts for health insurance. On average, health insurance for an adult in Missouri costs $616 per month, and coverage for a child under the age of 19 costs $369 per month.
Family size | Average monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Individual | $616 |
| Individual + child | $985 |
| Couple, age 40 | $1,232 |
| Family of three | $1,601 |
| Family of four | $1,969 |
Averages based on a Silver plan for 40-year-old adults and children who are under age 15.
Short-term health insurance in Missouri
In January 2025, the Trump administration blocked a new rule that would limit the length of short-term health insurance to three months. That means short-term health insurance in Missouri can last for up to 364 days sometime in the coming year.
Short-term health plans let you get coverage at any time of the year. In other words, you don't have to wait until open enrollment or a life change that gives you a special enrollment period to get coverage.
However, while short-term health plans are convenient, they typically offer worse coverage than regular health plans.
Pros of short-term health insurance in MO
Cons of short-term health insurance in MO
Missouri Farm Bureau plans
In July 2025, Missouri Farm Bureau got permission to begin offering "alternative health plans" to customers in 2026.
Not much is known about these plans yet, but if you do consider one, make sure you understand your coverage. These plans aren't technically insurance, so they don't have to follow Affordable Care Act rules. That means you might not have coverage for things like annual health tests, vaccines or mental health care.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best health insurance in Missouri?
Anthem (BCBS) of Kansas City has the best health insurance in Missouri. The company gets significantly fewer complaints than an average company its size, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Anthem also has some of the cheapest rates in Missouri.
Who has the cheapest health insurance in Missouri?
Ambetter has the cheapest health plans in Missouri. The company has a high membership experience rating from HealthCare.gov but gets more complaints than an average company its size, according to the NAIC.
What is the average cost of health insurance per month in Missouri?
Health insurance in Missouri costs an average of $616 per month at full price or $61 per month on average after discounts.
Can I get health insurance for $100 a month in Missouri?
You might be able to get health insurance for $100 or less in Missouri if you have a low income and you can get monthly rate discounts called subsidies. Otherwise, health insurance costs an average of $616 per month for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan or $482 per month for a 21-year-old with the same coverage.
Methodology
Missouri health insurance rate data for 2025 is from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website. ValuePenguin used data from the CMS public use files (PUFs). Plans and insurance companies not included in the CMS Crosswalk files were not used in our analysis.
Rate increase request data for Missouri health insurance companies is from the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker.
Rates are based on a 40-year-old with a Silver plan, unless otherwise noted. Other sources include S&P Global Capital IQ and the Missouri Department of Social Services.
Senior Writer
Talon Abernathy is a ValuePenguin Senior Writer who specializes in health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid. He's also contributed to other insurance verticals including home, renters, auto, motorcycle and flood insurance.
Talon came to ValuePenguin in 2023. Since his arrival, he's helped to expand the site's health insurance-related content offerings. He enjoys helping readers understand the ins and outs of America's all too complicated health insurance landscape.
Before coming to ValuePenguin, Talon worked as a freelance writer. His prior work has touched on a broad range of personal finance-related topics including credit-building strategies, small business incorporation tactics and creative ways to save for retirement.
Insurance tip
In many parts of the country, you can qualify for a free Silver health insurance plan if you meet certain income requirements. Government subsidies in the form of premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions may mean you'll pay nothing for coverage.
Expertise
- Health insurance
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Flood insurance
- Homeowners insurance
- Renters insurance
- Auto and motorcycle insurance
Referenced by
- The Miami Herald
- Money.com
- MSN
- Nasdaq
- The Sacramento Bee
- Yahoo! Finance
Education
- BA, University of Washington
- Certificate in Copyediting, UC San Diego
Editorial note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.
