Short answer: they are two different kinds of coverage. An off-exchange Blue Cross Blue Shield plan is an ACA plan at full price: no health questions, pre-existing conditions and maternity covered, a deductible first and a yearly out-of-pocket cap. A private plan on the UnitedHealthcare network asks health questions, pays set amounts for covered care, and has no deductible on the main plan. For a healthy 40-year-old in 2027, Anthem’s cheapest off-exchange Bronze plan costs $410 to $536 a month, depending on the state, and the private plan starts at about $210 to $350. Healthy and above the tax-credit line: the private plan usually costs far less. An ongoing condition, a pregnancy or an income under the line: the Blue plan. (Reviewed by Daniel Griffin, licensed independent advisor, NPN #22052447.)
Side by Side
| Off-exchange Blue Cross Blue Shield | Private plan, UnitedHealthcare network | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An ACA plan bought outside the marketplace | A fixed-indemnity plan, sold outside the ACA rules |
| Who insures it | The Blue company in your state (Anthem in seven of the states served here) | Freedom Life Insurance Company of America; UnitedHealthcare provides the network |
| Price at 40, 2027 | Bronze from $410 to $536, Silver from $470 to $649 | From about $210 to $350 |
| Health questions | None | Yes: they decide whether you are accepted and the price |
| Pre-existing conditions | Covered | Can be excluded |
| Deductible | Comes first: up to $11,700 on the cheapest Bronze plans | None on the main plan |
| How it pays | After the deductible, a share of the bill; past the yearly cap, all of it | A set dollar amount for each covered visit, test or hospital day |
| Yearly out-of-pocket cap | Yes, no more than $12,000 for one person in 2027 | No; if a bill is larger than the set payment, you pay the rest |
| Maternity care | Covered | Left out on most plans |
| Prescriptions | Covered | Some plans leave them out |
| Network | The Blue company’s own; every 2027 Anthem plan in Georgia is an HMO | UnitedHealthcare’s national PPO network |
| Tax credit | Not off the marketplace; the same plan on it can get one | Never |
| When you can start | Open Enrollment, from November 1, or after a qualifying life event | Any month |
| Healthy applicants pay | The same as anyone their age in their area | Less: the price is set on your health |
Prices are monthly for one person who does not use tobacco. In Colorado the private plan has no deductible for day-to-day care. In Illinois and South Dakota the private plan uses the PHCS network instead.
2027 Prices in the Seven Anthem States
Anthem is the Blue company in Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin, and its 2027 off-exchange prices are already out. The cheapest Bronze plan anywhere in each state against the private plan, at 40:
| State, age 40 | Cheapest Anthem Bronze | Its deductible | Private, no deductible, from | Premium difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $441 | $7,500 $10,000 cap | $350* | $1,089 |
| Georgia | $448 | $10,600 $10,600 cap | $210 | $2,862 |
| Indiana | $420 | $11,700 $11,700 cap | $270 | $1,799 |
| Nevada | $410 | $7,800 $10,600 cap | $210 | $2,395 |
| Ohio | $488 | $11,700 $11,700 cap | $245 | $2,920 |
| Virginia | $411 | $8,700 $12,000 cap | $300 | $1,333 |
| Wisconsin | $536 | $5,000 $12,000 cap | $300 | $2,827 |
In Georgia, Indiana and Ohio the cheapest Bronze plan’s deductible equals its yearly cap, so apart from preventive care and any copays the plan lists, you pay for your own care until you have spent that much. The premium difference alone runs $1,089 to $2,920 a year at 40.
At 30, 40 and 60
| State | Age 30 | Age 40 | Age 60 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Bronze | Private | Blue Bronze | Private | Blue Bronze | Private | |
| Colorado* | $391 | $260 | $441 | $350 | $936 | $650 |
| Georgia | $398 | $155 | $448 | $210 | $952 | $480 |
| Indiana | $373 | $230 | $420 | $270 | $892 | $480 |
| Nevada | $364 | $155 | $410 | $210 | $870 | $480 |
| Ohio | $434 | $210 | $488 | $245 | $1,037 | $415 |
| Virginia | $365 | $245 | $411 | $300 | $873 | $570 |
| Wisconsin | $476 | $245 | $536 | $300 | $1,137 | $570 |
Monthly premiums for one person. Blue: the cheapest Off-Marketplace Bronze plan in Anthem’s own quotes for every 2027 rating area, October 24, 2026, on the federal age curve (a 60-year-old pays 2.12 times the age-40 price). Private: the low end of the estimate in the ZIP check below, the main plan with no deductible, averaged for men and women, assuming good health. Not an offer: the health questions decide the private price. *Colorado: no deductible for day-to-day care. In the other states served here the Blue company is a different one, such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas or Florida Blue; the off-exchange BCBS plan lookup shows its plans for your ZIP code. Ranked by state, with each state’s Blue company: PlansByState’s state-by-state comparison. City by city: PlansByCity’s comparison for Columbus, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and more.
The Network Question
The UnitedHealthcare name on a private plan refers to its network. A doctor or hospital in the UnitedHealthcare PPO network charges members the network’s discounted rate, and the private plan’s set payment goes toward that lower bill. UnitedHealthcare is not the insurer: Freedom Life Insurance Company of America is.
A Blue plan uses the Blue company’s own network, and many Blue individual plans are HMOs or EPOs, which pay for care outside the network only in an emergency: every off-exchange Anthem plan in Georgia for 2027 is an HMO. Whichever way you lean, check your doctors first. A licensed agent here checks whether a doctor or hospital is in a plan’s network before you apply.
Which One Fits You
Keep or buy the Blue plan if:
- someone in the household has a condition that needs ongoing care, or takes costly prescriptions;
- someone is pregnant or planning to be;
- a large bill, such as major surgery, would far outrun a set payment;
- you would not pass the health questions;
- your income is under the tax-credit line ($63,840 a year for one person, $132,000 for a family of four, for 2027 coverage). Then buy the same plan on the marketplace: the credit can cut the price sharply.
Look at the private plan if:
- everyone in the household is in good health;
- you earn too much for a tax credit and pay the full premium;
- you mostly use doctor visits, tests and urgent care, and want them paid without a deductible first;
- you need coverage to start this month rather than in January.
A licensed agent here sells both, and recommends the Blue plan only when you really need it.
“I switched off my BCBS private plan and went to United, and now I don’t pay anything when I go to the doctor.”
Lourdes V., now on a private plan with the UnitedHealthcare network
A real client, in her own words (all client reviews). One client’s experience: your price depends on your age, location and health, and a lower premium can mean different coverage.
Switching From a Blue Plan to a Private Plan
- Apply for the private plan first. The health questions decide whether you are accepted and the final price.
- Pick the month it starts. A private plan does not wait for Open Enrollment.
- Cancel the Blue plan only after approval, with its end date matching the new start date, so you are never uncovered.
- Plan around care in progress. A condition you are already treated for can be excluded, so finish or ask about ongoing treatment before you switch.
Healthy, and paying full price for a Blue plan?
Send your ZIP code. A licensed agent compares your Blue price with a private plan on the UnitedHealthcare network.
See My Prices →Free · No obligation · Licensed in 23 states · NPN #22052447
Common Questions
Is a UnitedHealthcare private plan cheaper than Blue Cross Blue Shield?
For a healthy 40-year-old in the seven states where Anthem is the Blue company, a private plan on the UnitedHealthcare network starts at about $210 to $350 a month, against $410 to $536 for Anthem’s cheapest off-exchange Bronze plan in 2027. They are different coverage: the private plan asks health questions and pays set amounts, and the Blue plan is an ACA plan with a deductible and a yearly out-of-pocket cap.
Is a private plan on the UnitedHealthcare network the same as UnitedHealthcare insurance?
No. The private plans a licensed agent here places are underwritten by Freedom Life Insurance Company of America and use the UnitedHealthcare PPO network, so network doctors and hospitals bill at the network’s discounted rates. UnitedHealthcare is the network, not the insurer.
Does a private plan cover pre-existing conditions?
Not the way an ACA plan does. Private plans ask health questions, a condition you already have can be excluded, and some applicants pay more or are declined. Anyone with an ongoing condition is usually better off keeping an ACA plan, Blue or otherwise.
Can I switch from Blue Cross to a private plan in the middle of the year?
Yes. A private plan can start in any month, without waiting for Open Enrollment. Apply first, and cancel the Blue plan only after the private plan is approved and its start date is set, so there is no gap in coverage.
When should I keep my Blue Cross Blue Shield plan?
When someone in the household has a condition that needs ongoing care, is pregnant or planning to be, or would not pass the health questions, and when your income is under the tax-credit line ($63,840 a year for one person for 2027 coverage), in which case the same plan on the marketplace costs less.
Sources
- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Off-Marketplace plan quotes for every 2027 rating area in Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin, October 24, 2026.
- Freedom Life Insurance Company of America, PremierAdvantage and HealthAccess III fixed indemnity plan brochures, and private plan quotes for each state, October 2026.
- CMS, Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2027, final rule: the $12,000 out-of-pocket limit.
- 45 CFR 156.255(b): the same premium inside and outside the exchange.
- HealthCare.gov: tax credit income limits.
General information, not a quote or an offer of coverage. Prices can change before enrollment, and the insurer’s final rate applies. Medically underwritten coverage is not available in every state, and acceptance depends on health history. Each Blue Cross and Blue Shield company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. UnitedHealthcare is named only as the network the private plans use. Daniel Griffin is a licensed independent insurance agent, NPN #22052447, not tied to any single carrier and not affiliated with the U.S. government.