Dataset · published 2026-09-13 · Daniel Griffin, licensed independent agent (NPN #22052447)
In 1,104 of 2,055 counties, Gold undercuts benchmark Silver
Price the 2026 marketplace for a 40-year-old and a result looks backwards: in 1,104 of 2,055 counties (53.7%) across the 30 states in the CMS Plan Year 2026 landscape file, the cheapest Gold plan costs less than the benchmark Silver plan — the second-cheapest Silver, the one the premium tax credit is pegged to. In 899 counties (43.7%) the cheapest Gold undercuts even the cheapest Silver.
Where it happens, the cheapest Gold runs a median $48 a month below benchmark Silver. Gold is the higher tier: it pays around 80% of covered costs on average, against about 70% for Silver without cost-sharing help.
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2,055 rows, one per county. Free to use, cite “Coverage by County (Health Advisory, NPN #22052447)”.
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Why Gold can cost less than Silver
Insurers must reduce deductibles and copays for lower-income people who buy Silver — the cost-sharing reductions. Until October 2017 the federal government reimbursed insurers for that. When the payments stopped, the obligation did not, so most insurers moved the cost into what they charge for Silver. It is usually called silver loading.
That pushes Silver premiums up relative to Gold, and in a large share of counties it pushes Silver above the cheapest Gold plan. Because states and insurers price it differently, the effect is close to all-or-nothing by state: every county in Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Missouri, Texas, West Virginia, Wyoming, and none in Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina.
State by state
| State | Counties | Gold < benchmark Silver | Gold < cheapest Silver | Median benchmark minus cheapest Gold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 30 | 30 (100.0%) | 30 (100.0%) | $128 |
| Arkansas | 75 | 75 (100.0%) | 75 (100.0%) | $127 |
| West Virginia | 55 | 55 (100.0%) | 55 (100.0%) | $114 |
| Texas | 254 | 254 (100.0%) | 254 (100.0%) | $110 |
| Wyoming | 23 | 23 (100.0%) | 23 (100.0%) | $91 |
| Missouri | 115 | 115 (100.0%) | 115 (100.0%) | $28 |
| Hawaii | 5 | 5 (100.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | $1 |
| Iowa | 99 | 93 (93.9%) | 88 (88.9%) | $32 |
| Nebraska | 93 | 80 (86.0%) | 80 (86.0%) | $9 |
| North Dakota | 53 | 44 (83.0%) | 21 (39.6%) | $7 |
| Florida | 67 | 52 (77.6%) | 20 (29.9%) | $15 |
| Tennessee | 95 | 73 (76.8%) | 41 (43.2%) | $10 |
| South Dakota | 66 | 38 (57.6%) | 16 (24.2%) | $4 |
| Oklahoma | 77 | 39 (50.6%) | 31 (40.3%) | $1 |
| Utah | 29 | 12 (41.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | −$60 |
| Ohio | 88 | 35 (39.8%) | 21 (23.9%) | −$21 |
| Louisiana | 64 | 21 (32.8%) | 1 (1.6%) | −$12 |
| Wisconsin | 72 | 23 (31.9%) | 7 (9.7%) | −$22 |
| Kansas | 105 | 27 (25.7%) | 14 (13.3%) | −$30 |
| Montana | 56 | 10 (17.9%) | 7 (12.5%) | −$29 |
| South Carolina | 46 | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | −$19 |
| North Carolina | 100 | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | −$24 |
| Michigan | 83 | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | −$31 |
| Delaware | 3 | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | −$36 |
| New Hampshire | 10 | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | −$39 |
| Oregon | 36 | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | −$54 |
| Alabama | 67 | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | −$58 |
| Arizona | 15 | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | −$90 |
| Mississippi | 82 | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | −$142 |
| Indiana | 92 | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | −$168 |
A negative median means the cheapest Gold usually costs more than benchmark Silver in that state.
The biggest gaps
Premiums are filed by rating area, so the widest gaps repeat across every county that shares one filing. Each is listed once.
| County | Cheapest Gold insurer (plan type) | Cheapest Gold | Benchmark Silver | Gold saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron County, TX | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (HMO) | $466.97 | $710.18 | $243 |
| Callahan County, TX +9 same-area counties | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (HMO) | $810.49 | $962.55 | $152 |
| Crockett County, TX +1 same-area county | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (HMO) | $810.29 | $962.32 | $152 |
| Hidalgo County, TX | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (HMO) | $500.58 | $648.73 | $148 |
| Archer County, TX +6 same-area counties | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (HMO) | $776.26 | $921.90 | $146 |
| Karnes County, TX | CHRISTUS Health Plan (HMO) | $589.08 | $725.36 | $136 |
| Bowie County, TX +6 same-area counties | CHRISTUS Health Plan (HMO) | $588.89 | $725.13 | $136 |
| Duval County, TX +1 same-area county | UnitedHealthcare (HMO) | $761.87 | $897.13 | $135 |
| Washington County, TX | Baylor Scott and White Health Plan (HMO) | $661.18 | $792.37 | $131 |
| Johnson County, TX | WellPoint (HMO) | $624.81 | $755.62 | $131 |
Who this matters to
If your income is above 400% of the poverty level — $62,600 for one person or $128,600 for a family of four for 2026 coverage — there is no premium tax credit and you pay the filed rate. In these counties that means the Gold plan can be both the cheaper premium and the richer coverage.
If you get a premium tax credit, the credit is the benchmark Silver premium minus the share of income you are expected to pay, and you can spend it on Gold. Where the cheapest Gold costs less than benchmark Silver, it costs you less than your expected contribution.
If your income is below 250% of the poverty level, look hard at Silver anyway. Cost-sharing reductions apply only to Silver, and they lift it to roughly 94%, 87% or 73% of costs covered depending on income — more than Gold below 200% of poverty.
Check the network before the price. In 884 of the 1,104 counties where Gold undercuts benchmark Silver, the cheapest Gold plan is an HMO or EPO, which covers nothing out of network except emergencies. The lowest premium is often the narrowest network.
Across the 17 states in this data where Health Advisory is licensed, the cheapest Gold beats benchmark Silver in 708 of 1,491 counties. In Tennessee it is 73 of 95. A quote from a licensed agent can price both tiers for your ZIP, age and income before you pick.
Method and sources
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file, individual market, the 30 states in that file. Premiums are filed monthly rates for a 40-year-old before any premium tax credit; they are not a quote or an offer of coverage. Benchmark Silver is the second-lowest distinct Silver premium in each county; cheapest Silver and cheapest Gold are the lowest filed premium in each tier. Actuarial values are the ACA tier targets, not plan-specific figures. Poverty guidelines are HHS 2025, which govern 2026 coverage. Compiled by Daniel Griffin, licensed independent insurance agent (NPN #22052447). Reuse freely under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Coverage by County.