Tennessee Health Insurance Help: Comparing Four Marketplace Insurers Side by Side

Reviewed by Steve Turner, CLU, REBC · Tennessee License 3002630978 · NPN 18030539 · November 2026

I’m Steve Turner, a licensed health insurance agent and broker, and I’m licensed in Tennessee. My office is in Tampa, Florida, and I work with Tennessee clients from Johnson City to Memphis by phone, video, and secure e-signature. Insurance companies pay my commission, so my help costs you nothing, and you pay the same premium you’d pay if you bought directly.

In Tennessee, I represent four of the five Marketplace insurers: BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Ambetter, UnitedHealthcare, and Alliant Health Plans. That means I can compare their plans side by side for your county, with your doctors and prescriptions, and enroll you in the one that fits.

Buying your own plan on HealthCare.gov

Tennessee uses the federal Marketplace, so you can buy individual and family plans through HealthCare.gov.

• 2027 open enrollment: November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Enroll by December 15 for coverage starting January 1.
• Cigna is leaving. It won’t offer Marketplace plans in Tennessee for 2027. If you have Cigna, you need a new plan for January 1.
• Five insurers remain: BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Ambetter, UnitedHealthcare, Alliant Health Plans, and Oscar. Which ones you can buy depends on your county.
• Increases vary a lot by insurer. Before subsidies, average 2027 increases run roughly 10% to 11% for BlueCross and Ambetter, and more than 20% for Alliant, Oscar, and UnitedHealthcare. That’s on top of more than 35% increases in 2026, so staying put without comparing could cost you.
• Subsidies are smaller than in 2025. The extra federal help ended after 2025. Households earning more than four times the poverty level no longer qualify, and most others get less.

Networks matter as much as price

Two plans with similar premiums can have very different doctor and hospital networks, especially between East, Middle, and West Tennessee. Before I recommend anything, I check that your doctors, your hospital (Vanderbilt, Ballad Health, Methodist Le Bonheur, Erlanger, Covenant Health, TriStar, or wherever you go), and your prescriptions are covered by the specific plan, not just the insurer.

TennCare and CoverKids

Tennessee hasn’t expanded Medicaid. TennCare covers children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and low-income parents and caretakers, but healthy adults without dependent children don’t qualify at any income. Adults below the poverty line usually can’t get Marketplace subsidies either. If you’re in that gap, I’ll tell you plainly.

CoverKids covers children under 19 in families that earn too much for TennCare, up to about 250% of the poverty level (around $82,500 a year for a family of four in 2026). There’s no monthly premium, just small copays. It’s common for kids to be on CoverKids while parents have a Marketplace plan, and I can help you set up both.

I’m also licensed to sell life insurance in Tennessee, if you want to protect your family’s income while we review your coverage.

How working with me from Tampa works

• Phone or video, seven days a week: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern (6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central).
• E-signature for everything. No printing or mailing.
• I compare all four of my insurers for you, then tell you which plan fits and why.
• I stay your agent after you enroll for claims, billing issues, income changes, and moves.

Tennessee questions

I have Cigna. What happens on January 1? Cigna is leaving Tennessee’s Marketplace after 2026, so your plan won’t renew. Choose a new plan by December 15 to avoid a gap.

Is BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee always the best choice? Not always. It’s the largest insurer in the state and had one of the smaller 2027 increases, but the best plan for you depends on your county, your doctors, and your prescriptions. I’ll compare it side by side with Ambetter, UnitedHealthcare, and Alliant.

You’re in Florida. Can you really help me in Tennessee? Yes. I’m licensed by the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (license 3002630978), and I work with Tennessee clients by phone, video, and e-signature. You can verify my license before we talk.

Talk with Steve

Call or text (813) 388-8373, seven days a week, 7 a.m.–8 p.m. Eastern (6 a.m.–7 p.m. Central), or book a call.

Related: Individual & family health insurance · All areas we serve