ICHRA in Ohio.
The ICHRA itself is federal — a fixed, tax-free monthly allowance your employees use to buy their own individual plans. What's local is the market underneath it. Here is what that market looks like in Ohio.
The Ohio market underneath it.
Ohio buys marketplace plans on HealthCare.gov across 88 counties and 17 rating areas, and it is one of the more competitive federal-exchange markets — eleven marketplace insurers offered 2026 plans, though Molina and CareSource have announced exits for 2027.
Where employees buy plans
HealthCare.gov — the federal exchange, or directly from carriers off-exchange.
How premiums are set
Premiums vary by age (up to a 3:1 ratio), by rating area, and by tobacco use (federal default, up to 50% more) across 88 counties and 17 rating areas — Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati each price differently, so budgets should come from your team's real ZIP codes.
What we price here
Every individual plan in our live 2026 artifact for Ohio — 88 counties across 17 rating areas, from government rate filings.
2027 Open Enrollment
Ohioans buy 2027 plans on HealthCare.gov November 1, 2026 – January 15, 2027; enroll by December 15, 2026 for coverage starting January 1. (A federal rule that would have shortened the window was vacated by a federal court in June 2026; CMS confirmed the January 15 end date in July 2026 while its appeal is pending.)
Legislation watch
Ohio is one bill away from paying employers to switch: HB 133 — a $400-per-covered-employee credit for employers with 2–50 employees contributing at least $400 a year through an ICHRA — passed the Ohio House unanimously in June 2025 and has been pending in Senate Ways and Means since. It is NOT law as of August 2026; nothing ICHRA-specific is enacted yet.
Ohio questions.
Is Ohio's $400 ICHRA tax credit real?
Not yet. HB 133 passed the Ohio House unanimously in June 2025 but is still pending in the Senate as of August 2026 — some marketing you may see claims it already took effect; it has not. If it becomes law, small employers funding ICHRAs would earn a $400-per-covered-employee credit.
Why do Ohio ICHRA budgets depend on ZIP code?
Ohio has 17 rating areas and carriers price the same plan differently across them. An allowance computed for Columbus can be wrong in Cleveland or Athens — we price from your actual census, not a state average.
See your Ohio team's number.
Insurf, Inc. is not a licensed insurance agency, does not sell insurance, and receives no commissions; enrollment applications are submitted by an individually licensed insurance producer. This page is an educational overview — not an offer of coverage, not a recommendation to buy any plan, and not financial, tax, legal, medical, coverage, or insurance advice.