How Much Is Health Insurance in Massachusetts?

On this page

• What a Massachusetts Marketplace plan costs before subsidies
• What you’d pay after a tax credit
• Costs beyond the premium
• Massachusetts Marketplace facts
• When to enroll
• Other options in Massachusetts
• Frequently asked questions

What a Massachusetts Marketplace plan costs before subsidies

Massachusetts doesn’t price plans the way most other states do. Instead of the federal age curve, which charges a 64-year-old about three times what a 21-year-old pays for the same plan, the Health Connector uses its own age-rating rules. Costs don’t scale with age the same way there, so this article doesn’t estimate a state age table the way it does for other states.

For a 40-year-old, the 2026 benchmark silver plan averaged $494 a month before subsidies, compared with $625 nationally. Your actual price depends on your plan, insurer, household size and where in the state you live.

What you’d pay after a tax credit

If your household income is between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level, a premium tax credit caps what you pay for the benchmark plan at a share of your income. A single 40-year-old in Massachusetts earning $40,000 would pay about $287 a month for the benchmark plan in 2026, with a federal tax credit of about $207. For 2027, the same person’s share would be about $289 a month. Above 400% of the poverty level ($62,600 for one person for 2026 coverage, $63,840 for 2027), the federal credit disappears, though Massachusetts residents may still qualify for ConnectorCare, described below. If you end up with more advance credit than you qualified for, you may have to pay some back at tax time.

Costs beyond the premium

What you pay when you get care depends on your plan’s deductible, copays and coinsurance, up to the out-of-pocket maximum of $10,600 for one person in 2026 ($12,000 in 2027). If your income is under 250% of the poverty level, a silver plan’s cost-sharing reductions lower those costs.

Massachusetts Marketplace facts

• Marketplace: The Massachusetts Health Connector, the country’s oldest state-run exchange. You enroll directly through the Health Connector rather than HealthCare.gov.
• Enrollment: 403,624 plan selections for 2026, a record high, up from 389,191 in 2025. About 73% of enrollees got a premium tax credit or cost-sharing reduction.
• Insurers: Eight companies sell Health Connector plans, and all eight plan to continue for 2027: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Boston Medical Center Health Plan (WellSense), Fallon Community Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Health New England, Mass General Brigham Health Plan, Tufts Health Public Plans and UnitedHealthcare. Cigna doesn’t sell plans in Massachusetts.
• 2027 prices: The state’s Division of Insurance approved a weighted-average increase of 10.8% for the combined individual and small-group risk pool, finalized in August 2026. By insurer, approved changes range from 6.7% (Harvard Pilgrim) to 19.2% (Fallon Community Health Plan).
• Individual mandate: Massachusetts requires residents to carry coverage or pay a penalty on their state tax return. For 2026, the penalty is $0 at or below 150% of the poverty level, rising in steps to $2,532 for a full year uninsured above 400%. Gaps of 63 days or less don’t trigger a penalty.
• State help: ConnectorCare layers state assistance on top of federal tax credits, eliminating deductibles and capping copays on a sliding scale. A pilot currently extends it to households up to 500% of the poverty level, running into 2027. See what is a subsidy in health insurance.
• Medicaid: MassHealth. Massachusetts expanded Medicaid in 2014, and adults qualify up to 138% of the poverty level through MassHealth CarePlus.

When to enroll

Open enrollment for 2027 coverage on the Massachusetts Health Connector runs from October 23, 2026 to January 23, 2027, which starts earlier and ends later than the HealthCare.gov schedule most other states use. For ways to keep your bill down, see how to lower your Marketplace premium.

Other options in Massachusetts

• Job-based coverage, usually the cheapest route if it’s offered.
• MassHealth and CHIP for children, pregnant people and low-income adults, plus the Health Safety Net, which covers hospital and community health center care for uninsured residents up to 300% of the poverty level; see health insurance for children.
• Medicare at 65.

Health insurance costs in nearby states: New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. You can also compare health insurance costs in every state.

See 2027 plans and prices in your Massachusetts area: compare quotes by ZIP code.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a penalty for not having health insurance in Massachusetts?

Yes. Massachusetts has its own individual mandate. For 2026, the penalty ranges from $0 at or below 150% of the poverty level up to $2,532 for a full year uninsured above 400%, assessed on your state tax return.

What is ConnectorCare and who qualifies?

It’s the Health Connector’s own subsidized plan tier, layered on top of federal tax credits, with no deductible and income-based premiums. A pilot currently extends eligibility up to 500% of the poverty level, running into 2027.

Does Massachusetts price plans by age like other states?

No. Massachusetts sets its own age-rating rules for Health Connector plans instead of using the federal age curve, so prices don’t scale with age the same way they do in most other states.

How much are Massachusetts health insurance rates going up in 2027?

The state approved an average increase of 10.4% to 10.8%, smaller than the increases many other states approved for 2027.

This article is general information, not insurance or tax advice. Prices are averages and estimates; your actual premium depends on your plan, income and household. Last reviewed September 2026.