Best Health Insurance in September 2026
Our team evaluated 12 health insurance marketplaces and brokers and kept the six below. No insurer prices a plan differently depending on where you buy it, so the question that matters is where you can see every plan you qualify for, at the real price, with help if you want it. We compared each marketplace on how many carriers and plan types it quotes, whether it shows premiums before asking for a phone number, the quality and independence of its enrolment help, how fast the process is, and its complaint and licensing record. The criteria are set out in What We Look For so you can see why each one sits where it does.
Best Health Insurance of 2026
eHealth
#1eHealth is the site most people have in mind when they type health insurance into a search box, and it earns the top spot by breadth. ACA marketplace plans, Medicare Advantage, Part D and Medigap, short-term medical, dental, vision and small-business group plans from more than 180 carriers all sit on one screen, and the plan finder lets you filter by your own doctors and prescriptions before you compare prices. Enrol online or with a licensed agent by phone. Remember what it is, though: a sales platform whose agents are paid by the carriers, and a Medicare quote will bring calls. If you want every option in one place, this is still where to start.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓ The largest online health insurance marketplace, quoting more than 180 carriers since 1997
- ✓ ACA marketplace, Medicare, short-term, dental and vision plans all quoted on one site
- ✓ Filter plans by the doctors and prescriptions you already use before you see a price
- ✓ Licensed agents on the phone seven days a week during open enrollment
- ✓ Publicly listed, with more than 25 years of state licensing behind it
Cons
- ✗ It sells plans, not advice, and the call volume after a Medicare quote is real
- ✗ Agents are paid by the carriers, so the advice tilts toward the plans it sells
- ✗ In some states a short-term or dental quote ends in a phone call rather than a price
GoHealth
#2GoHealth is a specialist. Its licensed agents compare Medicare Advantage, Part D prescription plans and Medicare Supplement policies from the major national carriers, and they stick around after you enrol for plan changes and questions, which matters because Medicare has more enrollment windows than any other kind of coverage. You can look plans up on the website, but the real work happens on the phone with an agent, and whether that is a plus or a minus depends on you. If you are turning 65 or reviewing your Medicare Advantage plan this fall, it is the quickest route to a licensed human.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓ Among the three biggest Medicare marketplaces in the United States
- ✓ One call covers Medicare Advantage, Part D and Medigap with a licensed agent
- ✓ Support continues year round for enrollment windows, plan changes and claims questions
- ✓ Quotes the big national Medicare carriers, including Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna and Anthem
- ✓ Agents licensed in every state where it sells
Cons
- ✗ Medicare only, so nothing for anyone under 65 unless they qualify through disability
- ✗ You hand over a phone number early and the agent drives the process
- ✗ Some regional Medicare Advantage plans are not on its shelf
- ✗ Filed for Chapter 11 in June 2026 in a lender-led restructuring; it kept operating and said it expected to emerge before the fall enrollment period
HealthSherpa
#3HealthSherpa is a certified enrollment partner of healthcare.gov, so it sells exactly the plans the federal marketplace sells, at exactly the same prices, with the same subsidies applied. What you gain is speed: a shorter application, a subsidy estimate before you commit, and a plan list you can filter by your doctors and prescriptions. There are no commissioned agents, which means no sales pressure but also nobody to tell you which plan to pick. It only operates in the roughly 30 states on healthcare.gov and will send you to your state exchange otherwise. It is here because it is what people actually use.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓ The largest private enrollment platform for healthcare.gov plans, used by millions of people a year
- ✓ Identical plans and prices to healthcare.gov, with a faster, shorter application
- ✓ Shows your estimated tax credit before you type in personal details
- ✓ Filters every plan in your ZIP code by doctor, hospital and prescription
- ✓ No commissioned sales agents, so nobody phones you to upsell
Cons
- ✗ ACA marketplace plans only, with no short-term, dental or Medicare
- ✗ Only works in states on healthcare.gov, not in state-run exchanges such as California or New York
- ✗ The support team helps with the form, not with choosing a plan
Pivot Health
#4Pivot Health sells short-term medical insurance, the stopgap for people between jobs, waiting for employer coverage to kick in, or outside open enrollment without a qualifying event. Quotes take minutes, prices are shown up front, and coverage can start tomorrow. Be clear about what you are buying: short-term plans are not ACA plans. They exclude pre-existing conditions, cap what they pay and usually skip maternity and mental health. For a healthy person who needs a few months of protection against a big accident or illness, it is the cleanest way to get it. If you have an ongoing condition, an ACA plan through a special enrollment period is the better route.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓ Short-term medical quotes in minutes, with coverage that can begin the next day
- ✓ Made for the gap between jobs, the wait for employer coverage or a missed open enrollment
- ✓ Plan terms, deductibles and real prices appear before you give any contact details
- ✓ Accident, critical illness and dental add-ons can go in the same checkout
- ✓ Cheaper than an unsubsidized ACA plan for a healthy person who needs a few months of cover
Cons
- ✗ Short-term plans exclude pre-existing conditions and are not ACA-compliant
- ✗ Annual and lifetime caps apply, and maternity and mental health are usually left out
- ✗ Not sold in every state, and term limits change from state to state
Chapter
#5Chapter is advice, not a shop. Its licensed advisors compare every Medicare Advantage, Part D and Medigap plan available where you live, including plans Chapter earns nothing on, and they run your doctors and prescriptions against each one. That independence is the reason to use it. The trade-off is that the whole thing is a phone conversation, so there is no five-minute self-serve quote. It costs nothing and the review repeats every fall. If you would rather have someone tell you which Medicare plan to choose than sort a list yourself, this is the one.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓ Independent advisors compare every Medicare plan in your ZIP code, including ones Chapter is not paid on
- ✓ Free, with no obligation to enrol through Chapter
- ✓ Checks your doctors and prescriptions against each plan before recommending one
- ✓ Reviews your plan again every year at open enrollment, not only when you first sign up
- ✓ Well funded and growing, with partnerships across health systems and financial advisors
Cons
- ✗ Medicare only, so nothing for people under 65
- ✗ Phone-led, with no quick self-serve quote on the website
- ✗ Newer and smaller than eHealth or GoHealth
Cigna Global
#6Cigna Global is the odd one out on this page: a carrier rather than a marketplace. It is included because it is the one major insurer that lets you quote international private medical insurance online, and because people moving abroad for work or retirement have nowhere else on this list to turn. Plans come in three tiers with optional outpatient, dental and vision cover, and you decide whether to include treatment in the United States, which is the biggest single driver of price. It is not a replacement for domestic US coverage. If you live in the United States, use one of the five marketplaces above.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓ The only big-name insurer that quotes expat medical cover online, in minutes
- ✓ Three plan tiers, a choice of deductibles and optional outpatient, dental and vision modules
- ✓ Treatment in the United States can be included, which most international plans exclude
- ✓ Backed by a big-five US carrier with a worldwide provider network
- ✓ Direct billing with hospitals in most countries, so you are not paying and claiming back
Cons
- ✗ Only for people living or working outside the United States; it will not cover a US resident's domestic care
- ✗ Adding US treatment roughly doubles the premium
- ✗ A single insurer, so there is no comparison against other expat carriers
Also evaluated: HealthMarkets, Healthcare.com, SelectQuote, Sidecar Health, DentalPlans.com and Stride Health.
Quick Comparison
Swipe left to see more columns →
| Marketplace | Score | Plan Types | How To Enrol | Agents | Best For | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Editor's Choice  #1 eHealth | ★ 4.4 | ACA, Medicare, short-term, dental | Online or phone | Yes | Best Overall | Get Quote |
 #2 GoHealth | ★ 4.1 | Medicare Advantage, Part D, Medigap | Phone, online lookup | Yes | Best for Medicare | Get Quote |
 #3 HealthSherpa | ★ 4.0 | ACA marketplace plans | Online, with support | Support team, no sales | Best for ACA Marketplace Plans | Get Quote |
 #4 Pivot Health | ★ 3.5 | Short-term, supplemental, dental | Online | Phone support | Best for Short-Term Coverage | Get Quote |
 #5 Chapter | ★ 3.3 | Medicare Advantage, Part D, Medigap | Phone, with an advisor | Yes, independent | Best Medicare Advisor | Get Quote |
 #6 Cigna Global | ★ 3.0 | International medical | Online or phone | Yes | Best for International and Expat Cover | Get Quote |
Every marketplace on this page is free to use. Premiums are set by the insurer and filed with your state, so the same plan costs the same wherever you buy it.
What We Look For
Our team evaluated 12 health insurance marketplaces and brokers against the same five criteria. Plan choice matters most, because the point of a marketplace is seeing everything you qualify for in one place. Price transparency comes next, because a site that hides premiums behind a phone number is selling leads, not plans.
Plan choice
How many carriers and plan types (ACA, Medicare, short-term, dental, international) you can quote in one place.
Price transparency
Whether you see real premiums before you hand over a phone number.
Enrolment help
Licensed agents or advisors, how they are paid, and whether they compare plans that do not pay them.
Speed and ease
Minutes from landing page to a plan list, form length, and doctor and drug filters.
Trust and complaints
BBB record, state licences and FTC history. Assurance IQ, once a major broker, was shut down in 2024 after an FTC settlement over misleading sales.
Everything You Need to Know Before Buying Health Insurance
When you can buy, what a subsidy is worth, ACA against short-term, the Medicare windows, and the two checks to run before you click enrol.
Open Enrollment Dates for 2026 and 2027 Coverage
- Open enrollment for 2027 ACA plans opens November 1, 2026. On healthcare.gov you must enrol by December 15, 2026 for coverage that starts January 1; enrollment stays open until January 15, 2027 for coverage starting February 1. States that run their own exchanges set their own closing dates, and several run to the end of January, so check your state site if you are not on healthcare.gov.
- Open enrollment for 2026 plans has closed. It ran from November 1, 2025 to January 15, 2026. If you need a plan today you need a special enrollment period (below) or a short-term plan.
- Medicare's annual enrollment period runs October 15 to December 7, 2026 for changes that take effect January 1, 2027. Employer plans have their own windows, usually in the fall.
Do not wait for the deadline. Call centres and agents are swamped in the final week, and a plan chosen in a rush is the one you regret in March.
What a Subsidy Is and Who Qualifies
- The premium tax credit is money the government pays toward your monthly premium for an ACA marketplace plan. It goes straight to the insurer, so you see the reduced price at checkout. Every marketplace on this page applies it exactly as healthcare.gov does.
- Who qualifies in 2026: households with income between 100 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level, which for 2026 coverage is about $15,650 to $62,600 for one person and about $32,150 to $128,600 for a family of four, who do not have affordable employer coverage, Medicare or Medicaid. The enhanced credits that ran from 2021 through 2025 expired at the end of 2025, so the 400 percent cap is back and most people pay more toward their premium than last year.
- Cost-sharing reductions are a second, separate subsidy for households under 250 percent of the poverty level. They cut your deductible and copays, but only on a Silver plan. If you qualify, a Silver plan is almost always the right buy even when a Bronze premium looks cheaper.
Estimate your income honestly. The credit is reconciled on your tax return, and underestimating means paying some of it back in April. Our guide to ACA subsidies in 2026 walks through the income table with worked examples.
ACA Plans vs. Short-Term Plans
- An ACA marketplace plan covers pre-existing conditions and the ten essential benefits, including maternity, mental health and prescriptions, has no annual or lifetime cap, and qualifies for subsidies. You can only buy one during open enrollment or a special enrollment period. Unsubsidized, a 40-year-old pays roughly $500 a month for a benchmark Silver plan.
- A short-term medical plan can be bought any day of the year and can start tomorrow, and for a healthy person it costs a fraction of an unsubsidized ACA premium. It excludes pre-existing conditions, usually leaves out maternity and mental health, caps what it pays, and does not qualify for subsidies. Term limits vary by state.
- Choose ACA if you have any ongoing condition, take regular prescriptions, might become pregnant, or qualify for a subsidy. Choose short-term only for a gap of a few months when you are healthy, have no qualifying event, and want protection against a large accident or illness rather than everyday care.
More detail in our short-term health insurance guide.
Medicare Enrollment Windows
- Initial enrollment: the seven months around your 65th birthday: three before, the month of, and three after. Miss it without other coverage and Part B carries a lifetime late penalty.
- Medigap open enrollment: the six months after your Part B starts. In most states this is the only guaranteed window to buy a Medicare Supplement policy without medical underwriting.
- Annual enrollment: October 15 to December 7 every year, for switching Medicare Advantage or Part D plans.
- Medicare Advantage open enrollment: January 1 to March 31, for one switch between Advantage plans or back to Original Medicare if the plan you chose in the fall is not working.
GoHealth and Chapter both handle all of these windows. Use an advisor for the first two; they are the decisions that are hardest to undo.
Two Checks to Run Before You Enrol
- Check your doctors. Every plan has a provider directory. Search for your primary care doctor, any specialist you see, and the hospital you would want in an emergency. Directories go out of date, so call the office and ask whether they are in network for this exact plan, using the plan's full name rather than just the insurer.
- Check your prescriptions. Every plan has a formulary, the list of drugs it covers and at what tier. A drug that is tier 1 on one plan can be tier 4 on another at ten times the copay, or missing altogether. eHealth, HealthSherpa and Chapter all let you enter your prescriptions and filter plans by them. Do that before you compare premiums.
- While you sort out coverage, you can still see a doctor. Sesame Care sells same-day video and in-person visits at a flat cash price with no insurance needed, often cheaper than an urgent care visit on a high-deductible plan.
Why a Marketplace Shows the Same Price as the Insurer
Health insurance premiums are filed with and approved by your state's insurance department, and federal rules require the insurer to charge the same premium for the same plan through every channel. A marketplace or broker is paid a commission by the insurer out of that premium, not by you. That is why every site on this page is free, why the price on eHealth matches the price on the carrier's own site, and why there is no such thing as a marketplace discount.
What does change between marketplaces is what you can see and who helps you. That is what this page ranks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about buying health insurance online.
Is it cheaper to buy health insurance direct from the insurer?
No. The premium for every ACA marketplace plan and every Medicare plan is filed with and approved by regulators, and the insurer has to charge that same price whether you buy on its own website, on healthcare.gov, or through a marketplace or broker. The marketplace earns a commission from the insurer out of that same premium. The only thing that lowers the price of a given plan is a subsidy, and marketplaces apply the same subsidies as the government site.
Should I just use healthcare.gov instead of a marketplace like HealthSherpa or eHealth?
They sell the same plans at the same prices with the same subsidies, because private enrollment platforms are certified partners of healthcare.gov and draw from the same plan list. What differs is the experience. HealthSherpa's form is shorter and shows your subsidy estimate first; eHealth adds Medicare, short-term and dental plans that healthcare.gov does not carry. If your state runs its own exchange, for example California, New York or Massachusetts, you buy ACA plans through that state site or a broker connected to it.
Can I buy a health plan outside open enrollment?
Yes, two ways. A special enrollment period lets you buy an ACA plan within 60 days of a qualifying life event: losing job coverage, moving, marriage, a new baby, or an income change that affects your subsidy. Medicaid and CHIP enrol year round if you qualify. With no qualifying event, a short-term medical plan from a marketplace like Pivot Health can cover you for a few months, but it is not ACA-compliant and excludes pre-existing conditions.
How much does health insurance cost in 2026?
Before subsidies, a benchmark Silver ACA plan for a 40-year-old runs roughly $500 a month in most states, and a family of four is often $1,500 or more. After the premium tax credit most marketplace enrollees pay far less, and many pay under $100 a month. The enhanced credits that ran from 2021 through 2025 expired at the end of 2025, so 2026 subsidies are smaller and stop entirely above 400 percent of the federal poverty level. Enter your income on any marketplace above to see your actual number.
Do marketplaces charge me a fee?
No. Every marketplace and broker on this page is free to the shopper. The insurer pays them a commission when you enrol, and that commission is already built into the filed premium, so your price is the same with or without a broker. Be suspicious of any site that charges to compare plans, or that wants your phone number before it shows a single price.
What is the difference between Medicare Advantage and Medigap?
Medicare Advantage replaces Original Medicare with a private plan that usually bundles drug coverage and extras such as dental, often for a low or zero premium, but with a network and prior authorizations. Medigap sits alongside Original Medicare and pays the deductibles and coinsurance Medicare leaves behind, with any doctor who accepts Medicare, in exchange for a monthly premium. You cannot hold both. The right choice depends on how much you travel, which doctors you want to keep, and whether you would rather pay a premium every month or pay when you use care. GoHealth and Chapter both compare the two.
Contact Us
Have questions about our reviews? We'd love to hear from you.
Email: contact@healthplanify.com