CoveragebyCounty

Health Insurance in Mississippi (2026)

2,834 plans, 5 carriers and all 82 counties — what Mississippi coverage actually costs.

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Health Coverage Options for Mississippi Residents

Mississippi uses healthcare.gov rather than running its own exchange. For 2026 there are 2,834 plan records filed across all 82 counties, from 5 carriers: Ambetter from Magnolia Health, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna Healthcare, Molina Healthcare and Oscar Health Plan, Inc.. How many of those you can actually choose from depends on your county — coverage ranges from 16 plans in the thinnest counties to 48 in the richest.

There is no PPO on the Mississippi exchange. Every one of the 2,834 plan records is an HMO (2,424) or an EPO (410). The state splits almost exactly in half on which you get: 41 counties offer HMOs only, and 41 offer both. That matters more than the premium, because an HMO usually routes you through your primary care doctor before you can see a specialist, while an EPO generally lets you book one directly. Neither covers you outside its network except in a genuine emergency.

What Coverage Actually Costs in Mississippi

Subsidies are calculated from the benchmark — the second-cheapest Silver plan in your county. In Mississippi that benchmark runs from $602 a month in DeSoto County to $709 in Yazoo County for a 40-year-old at full price, with a statewide median of $700. That is a $107 spread between the cheapest and dearest county, which is why a quote a friend two counties over got is not your quote.

Premiums are filed by rating area, not by county, and Mississippi has 6 of them. One of those, Rating Area 6, covers 55 of the 82 counties — so across most of the state the filed premium barely moves, and the real variable is which carriers chose to sell there.

The Mississippi Medicaid Gap

Mississippi has not expanded Medicaid, and that creates a genuine hole rather than an inconvenience. Premium tax credits begin at the federal poverty line — about $15,650 for a single adult in 2026. Expansion states cover people below that line through Medicaid. Mississippi does not, so an adult earning less than the poverty line can be too poor to qualify for marketplace help while still not qualifying for Medicaid.

If your income sits near or below that figure, do not assume you have no options — Mississippi Medicaid still covers pregnancy, children, some parents and disability categories on their own rules, and a small change in projected annual income can move a household over the line into subsidy territory. It is worth an actual conversation rather than a guess.

Above the Subsidy Cliff in Mississippi

At the other end, credits stop completely above 400% of the federal poverty level — $62,600 for a single adult, $128,600 for a family of four. The enhanced rules that removed that cap expired on 31 December 2025, so the cliff is back for 2026, and above the line there is no cap on repaying a credit you turn out not to have earned. If your income is anywhere near it, estimating it carefully is worth more than shopping plans.

Who Sells in Mississippi

Five carriers filed on the Mississippi exchange for 2026, and their footprints are very different:

  • Ambetter from Magnolia Health — 82 of the 82 counties
  • UnitedHealthcare — 69 of the 82 counties
  • Cigna Healthcare — 41 of the 82 counties
  • Molina Healthcare — 82 of the 82 counties
  • Oscar Health Plan, Inc. — 11 of the 82 counties

Only two of the five sell in every county. That is why the plan comparison on a county page is worth reading before you assume a carrier you know is available where you live.

More Mississippi Resources

Mississippi Cities

City pages carry the hospitals Medicare lists in each city alongside the plans filed for its county.

All Mississippi Counties

Each page carries that county’s own filed premiums, its carrier list, and whether it offers EPOs as well as HMOs.

How Mississippi compares to other states

This page is about Mississippi. To see how Mississippi stacks up against other states — premiums, carrier counts, plan types and how many counties have only one insurer — I publish a cross-state comparison on a companion site: compare Mississippi with any other state, or see the full state cost ranking.