Best Cheap Health Insurance in Washington, D.C. (2025)
Kaiser Permanente has the best cheap health insurance in Washington, D.C. Silver plans start at $526 per month before discounts.
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Best and cheapest health insurance in Washington, D.C.
Cheapest health insurance companies in Washington, D.C.
Kaiser Permanente has the cheapest health insurance in the District of Columbia, at $526 per month, on average.
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Affordable health insurance in Washington, D.C.
Company |
Cost
| |
|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Permanente | $526-$589 |
| CareFirst | $582-$590 |
- Kaiser Permanente has the cheapest Silver, Gold and Platinum plans in Washington, D.C. The company also has the highest quality coverage according to HealthCare.gov.
- CareFirst sells the most affordable Bronze plans in the District. That makes CareFirst a good option if you're young and healthy.
- CareFirst is a Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) company. That means CareFirst customers can use the BCBS network of doctors and hospitals, which is the largest in the nation.
Best health insurance companies in Washington, D.C.
Kaiser Permanente is the best health insurance company in Washington, D.C.
The company scored a perfect 5-star rating from HealthCare.gov. These ratings measure customer satisfaction, plan quality and management.
Best-rated health insurance companies in Washington, D.C.
Company |
Editor rating
|
ACA rating
|
|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Permanente | 5.0 | |
| CareFirst | 4.0 |
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- Kaiser Permanente also has a good rating of 4 out of 5 stars from ValuePenguin editors. In contrast, CareFirst scored a poor 2.5 out of 5 stars.
- Kaiser Permanente runs its own hospitals in addition to its insurance business. If you have Kaiser insurance, you have to use a Kaiser hospital. This means you're trading flexibility for more streamlined coverage and billing.
How much is health insurance in Washington, D.C.?
Health insurance in Washington, D.C., costs $573 per month, on average, at full cost or $447 after discounts.
- You'll pay more for health insurance as you get older. Coverage is typically cheap in your 20s and 30s and gets significantly more expensive as you enter middle age.
- Higher plan tiers have high monthly rates, but you'll pay less when you get medical care. Lower plan tiers cost less each month, but you're responsible for a larger portion of your hospital bill.
Save on Washington, D.C., health insurance with discounts
Roughly 1 in 5 people in Washington, D.C., who have marketplace health insurance qualify for discounted rates.
Those who qualify for discounted coverage pay $447 per month, on average. That's an average savings of $126 per month.
The size of your discount, also called a premium tax credit or subsidy, depends on how much money you make. Typically, you pay less for health insurance if you make a lower income.
If you make between about $21,000 and $60,000 per year as an individual (about $35,000 to $125,000 per year for a family of four), you'll automatically see discounted rates when you shop for coverage on DC Health Link, the District's health exchange.
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Best health insurance by plan tier
To find the best health insurance plan tier for you, consider your health, savings and the discounts you qualify for.
You may qualify for extra discounts if you earn a low or average income and you have a Silver plan. These discounts, called cost-sharing reductions (CSRs), help you pay for most of the costs you're responsible for when you go to the hospital.
Platinum plans: Best if you have a serious health condition
| Platinum plans pay for about 90% of your medical care. |
Platinum health plans pay for most of the costs you're responsible for when you go to the doctor. That makes these plans a good choice if you have a serious medical condition, such as cancer, heart disease or a stroke.
If you don't have severe medical needs, a Platinum plan rarely makes sense because of its high monthly costs. Platinum plans cost an average of $812 per month in Washington, D.C.
Gold plans: Best if you have ongoing medical issues
| Gold plans pay for about 80% of your medical care. |
Gold plans have high monthly rates, but they cover a large portion of your bills when you get medical care. Consider a Gold plan if you have an ongoing medical problem.
Gold plans cost $684 per month, on average, in Washington, D.C.
Silver plans: Best for average medical needs
| Silver plans pay for about 70% of your medical care. |
Silver health plans have average rates and middle-of-the-road costs that you're responsible for paying when you go to the hospital. A Silver plan is a good option if you have average medical needs.
Silver health plans cost an average of $573 per month in Washington, D.C.
Bronze plans: Best if you're healthy and have savings
| Bronze plans pay for about 60% of your medical care. |
Bronze plans have affordable rates but high costs that you're responsible for paying when you go to the doctor. A Bronze plan may be a good choice if you're young, healthy and can afford to pay a large, surprise medical bill from your savings.
Bronze plans cost an average of $498 per month in Washington, D.C.
More discounts and free health insurance in Washington, D.C.
You may be eligible for extra discounts or free coverage if you live in Washington, D.C., and you have a low income.
Medicaid: Free coverage for those who qualify
You can qualify for free government health insurance, called Medicaid, if you make $32,379 per year or less as a single person ($68,952 for a family of four). Pregnant women, families with young children, those younger than 21, elderly people and those with qualifying disabilities may be eligible for Medicaid with a higher income.
Silver plans with cost-sharing reductions (CSRs): Best for discounted coverage
| 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 (CSRs), if you earn less than about $38,000 per year as a single person ($78,000 for a family of four) and you have a Silver health plan. Cost-sharing reductions help pay for the costs that you're responsible for when you go to the doctor, such as your deductible, copays and coinsurance.
Are health insurance rates going up in Washington, D.C.?
The cost of health insurance in Washington, D.C., rose by 4%, on average, between 2024 and 2025.
Gold plans had the largest increase, at 7%, on average. Both Platinum and Bronze plans rose by an average of 5%, and Silver plans got 2% cheaper, on average.
Tier | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | $474 | $498 | 5% |
| Silver | $583 | $573 | -2% |
| Gold | $642 | $684 | 7% |
| Platinum | $770 | $812 | 5% |
Monthly costs are for a 40-year-old.
Plans sold through the Washington, D.C., health marketplace, DC Health Link, are required to cover certain services, called minimum essential coverage. This includes 10 important coverage types, such as rehabilitation services, prescription drugs, care for pregnant women and mental health services.
Marketplace plans have other important protections. For example, all marketplace plans limit how much you'll have to spend in a single year on out-of-pocket costs with an out-of-pocket maximum. Plus, companies aren't allowed to consider your health history when selling coverage or setting rates. That means you won't face higher prices if you currently have (or have had in the past) a serious illness, like cancer or heart disease.
Short-term health insurance in Washington, D.C.
Short-term health insurance is not currently available in Washington, D.C., because of restrictive local rules.
If you need to buy health insurance outside of open enrollment (Nov. 1 through Jan. 31), see if you're eligible for a special enrollment period.
You may qualify if you've recently lost your coverage for any reason, or if you've moved, married, divorced, had a child or lost your job.
If you were recently laid off or fired, you can keep your workplace coverage by enrolling in COBRA. Keep in mind that your costs will go up by a lot because you'll now have to pay for the portion of your monthly bill that your employer used to cover.
Marketplace coverage usually makes better sense from a financial standpoint. However, COBRA can be a good option if you want to continue seeing the doctors in your network or you've met your annual deductible.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best cheap health insurance in Washington, D.C.?
Kaiser Permanente has the best cheap health insurance in Washington, D.C. The company scored a perfect 5-star rating from HealthCare.gov. Plus, Kaiser has the cheapest rates in D.C. for Silver, Gold and Platinum plans.
What is a disadvantage of choosing Kaiser?
If you have Kaiser Permanente insurance, you have to use a Kaiser Permanente hospital. That's a disadvantage for those people who want to see a doctor who's not in the Kaiser Permanente system. Plus, you're further limited to the doctors in your plan's network because Kaiser only sells HMO plans in Washington, D.C.
What is the average cost of health insurance in Washington, D.C.?
Health insurance in Washington, D.C., costs $573 per month, on average. Coverage averages $447 per month for the roughly 1 in 5 D.C. residents who qualify for discounts.
Methodology
Washington, D.C., health insurance rate data for 2025 is from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website. ValuePenguin used the CMS public use files (PUFs) to find average rates for different plan tiers.
Rates are for a 40-year-old with a Silver plan, unless otherwise noted. Other sources include S&P Global Capital IQ, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and DC Health Link.
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.