Best Places to Buy Health Insurance Online in 2026
The marketplaces and brokers that quote every major carrier in one place, ranked on plan choice, price transparency, enrolment help and speed.
We analyzed 12 health insurance marketplaces and brokers and narrowed them to the six below. No US health insurer sells through publishers, and none of them 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. Our editorial team 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 weights we used are printed in the methodology so you can see exactly why each one sits where it does.
eHealth
#1eHealth is the marketplace most people picture when they search for health insurance online. It quotes ACA marketplace plans, Medicare Advantage, Part D and Medigap, short-term medical, dental and vision, and small-business group plans from more than 180 carriers, and its plan finder lets you filter by the doctors and prescriptions you already have before you look at a price. You can enrol online or with a licensed agent by phone. The trade-off is that eHealth is a sales platform: its agents are paid by the carriers, and a Medicare quote brings follow-up calls. For most people who want every option on one screen, it is still the place to start.
The honest downside: It sells plans, not advice, and the call volume after a Medicare quote is real.
Pros
- • Largest online health insurance marketplace, quoting 180+ carriers since 1997
- • Quotes ACA marketplace, Medicare, short-term, dental and vision plans in one place
- • Plan finder filters by your doctors and prescriptions before you compare prices
- • Licensed agents available by phone seven days a week during open enrollment
- • Publicly listed company with 25+ years of state licensing history
Cons
- • Expect follow-up calls and emails once you request a Medicare quote
- • Agents are paid by the carriers, so the advice leans toward plans it sells
- • Short-term and dental quotes push you to a phone call in some states
GoHealth
#2GoHealth does one thing: Medicare. Its licensed agents compare Medicare Advantage, Part D prescription plans and Medicare Supplement policies from the major national carriers, and they stay available after you enrol for plan changes and questions, which matters because Medicare has more enrolment windows than any other kind of coverage. The site lets you look plans up online, but the real process happens by phone with an agent, which is either the reason to use it or the reason to avoid it. If you are turning 65 or reviewing your Medicare Advantage plan in the fall, it is the fastest way to a licensed human.
The honest downside: Medicare only, and the process is built around a phone call.
Pros
- • One of the three largest Medicare marketplaces in the country
- • Licensed agents walk through Medicare Advantage, Part D and Medigap options in one call
- • Year-round support for enrolment periods, plan changes and claims questions
- • Quotes the major national Medicare carriers, including Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna and Anthem
- • Publicly listed, with agents licensed in every state it sells in
Cons
- • Medicare only; nothing for people under 65 unless they qualify by disability
- • You give a phone number early, and the agent leads the process
- • Not every regional Medicare Advantage plan is on its shelf
HealthSherpa
#3HealthSherpa is a certified enrolment partner of healthcare.gov, which means it sells exactly the plans the federal marketplace sells, at exactly the same prices, with the same subsidies. What it adds is speed: the application is shorter, the subsidy estimate appears before you commit, and the plan list can be filtered by your doctors and prescriptions. There are no commissioned agents, so there is no sales pressure, but there is also no one to tell you which plan to buy. It only works in the roughly 30 states that use healthcare.gov; if your state runs its own exchange, it will send you there. HealthSherpa has no publisher programme, so we earn nothing when you use it. It is on this list because it is what people actually use.
The honest downside: ACA plans only, and only in the states that use healthcare.gov.
Pros
- • Largest private enrolment platform for healthcare.gov plans, used by millions of enrolees a year
- • Same plans and the same prices as healthcare.gov, with a faster and shorter application
- • Subsidy calculator shows your estimated tax credit before you enter personal details
- • Filters by doctor, hospital and prescription across every plan in your ZIP code
- • No commissioned sales agents, so nobody calls you to upsell
Cons
- • ACA marketplace plans only; no short-term, dental or Medicare
- • Works only in the states that use healthcare.gov, not in state-run exchanges such as California or New York
- • Support is help with the form, not advice on which plan to pick
Pivot Health
#4Pivot Health sells short-term medical insurance, the stopgap for people between jobs, waiting for employer coverage to start, or outside open enrollment without a qualifying event. Quotes take minutes, prices are shown up front, and coverage can begin the next day. It is important to understand what you are buying: short-term plans are not ACA plans. They exclude pre-existing conditions, cap what they pay, and usually leave out 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. For anyone with an ongoing condition, an ACA plan through a special enrolment period is the better route.
The honest downside: Not ACA-compliant: pre-existing conditions are excluded and coverage is capped.
Pros
- • Quotes short-term medical plans in minutes, with coverage that can start the next day
- • Built for gaps between jobs, the wait for employer coverage, or a missed open enrollment
- • Plan terms and deductibles shown with real prices before any contact details
- • Supplemental accident, critical illness and dental plans can be added in the same checkout
- • Cheaper than an unsubsidized ACA plan for healthy people who need 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 excluded
- • Not available in every state, and term limits vary by state
Chapter
#5Chapter is a Medicare advisory service rather than a marketplace. Its licensed advisors compare every Medicare Advantage, Part D and Medigap plan available in your ZIP code, including plans Chapter is not paid to sell, and they check your doctors and prescriptions against each one. That independence is the reason to use it; the trade-off is that the whole process is a phone conversation, so there is no five-minute self-serve quote. It is free, and it repeats the review every fall. If you want someone to tell you which Medicare plan to pick rather than a list to sort yourself, this is the one.
The honest downside: Medicare only, and everything runs through a phone conversation.
Pros
- • Independent advisors compare every Medicare plan in your ZIP code, including ones that do not pay Chapter
- • Free to use, with no obligation to enrol through them
- • Checks your doctors and prescriptions against each plan before recommending one
- • Reviews your plan every year at open enrollment, not just when you first sign up
- • Well-funded and growing, with partnerships across health systems and financial advisors
Cons
- • Medicare only; nothing for people under 65
- • Phone-led, so no quick self-serve quote on the website
- • Newer and smaller than eHealth or GoHealth
Cigna Global
#6Cigna Global is the exception on this page: a carrier, not a marketplace. It is here because it is the one major insurer that lets you quote international private medical insurance online, and because people who move abroad for work or retirement have nowhere else on this list to go. Plans come in three tiers with optional outpatient, dental and vision cover, and you can choose whether to include treatment in the US, which is the single biggest driver of price. It is not a substitute for domestic US coverage. If you live in the US, use one of the five marketplaces above.
The honest downside: Not for US residents who need domestic coverage.
Pros
- • The one major insurer that quotes expat medical cover online, in minutes
- • Three plan tiers with a choice of deductibles and optional outpatient, dental and vision modules
- • Covers treatment in the US as an option, which most international plans exclude
- • Backed by a big-five US carrier with a global provider network
- • Direct billing with hospitals in most countries, so you are not paying and reclaiming
Cons
- • Only for people living or working outside the US; it will not cover a US resident's domestic care
- • Adding US treatment roughly doubles the premium
- • One insurer, so 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 the full table →
| Marketplace | Score | Plan types | How you buy | Licensed agents | Best For | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 eHealth | 4.4 | ACA, Medicare, short-term, dental, vision, small business | Online or by phone | Yes, licensed | Best Overall | Get Quote |
| #2 GoHealth | 4.1 | Medicare Advantage, Part D, Medicare Supplement | Phone, with online plan lookup | Yes, licensed | Best for Medicare | Get Quote |
| #3 HealthSherpa | 4.0 | ACA marketplace plans | Online, with phone and chat support | Support team, not commissioned agents | Best for ACA Marketplace Plans | Get Quote |
| #4 Pivot Health | 3.5 | Short-term medical, supplemental, dental | Online | Phone support available | Best for Short-Term Coverage | Get Quote |
| #5 Chapter | 3.3 | Medicare Advantage, Part D, Medicare Supplement | Phone, with an independent advisor | Yes, licensed independent advisors | Best Medicare Advice | Get Quote |
| #6 Cigna Global | 3.0 | International private medical insurance | Online or by phone | Yes, licensed | Best for International Coverage | 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.
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Compare plans, deductibles and networks for every marketplace on this page.
How we ranked the best places to buy health insurance
We evaluated 12 marketplaces and brokers. Each is scored 1 to 5 on the five criteria below, and the weighted total decides the order. Plan choice carries the most weight because the point of a marketplace is seeing everything you qualify for in one place; price transparency is next because a site that hides premiums behind a phone number is selling leads, not plans. HealthSherpa has no publisher programme and earns us nothing; it is ranked on the same criteria as everyone else.
| Criterion | Weight | What we looked for |
|---|---|---|
| Plan choice | 30% | How many carriers and plan types (ACA, Medicare, short-term, dental, international) you can quote in one place |
| Price transparency | 25% | Whether you see real premiums before handing over a phone number |
| Enrolment help | 20% | Licensed agents or advisors, how they are paid, and whether they compare plans that do not pay them |
| Speed and ease | 15% | Minutes from landing page to a plan list, form length, doctor and drug filters |
| Trust and complaints | 10% | BBB record, state licences, FTC history (Assurance IQ, once a major broker, was shut down in 2024 after an FTC settlement over misleading sales) |
Scorecard
Scores are 1 to 5 per criterion. The total is the weighted sum.
Plan 5.0 · Price 4.0 · Enrolment 4.5 · Speed 4.0 · Trust 4.0
Plan 4.0 · Price 3.5 · Enrolment 5.0 · Speed 4.5 · Trust 4.0
Plan 3.0 · Price 5.0 · Enrolment 3.5 · Speed 5.0 · Trust 4.5
Plan 2.5 · Price 4.5 · Enrolment 3.0 · Speed 4.5 · Trust 3.5
Plan 2.0 · Price 3.0 · Enrolment 5.0 · Speed 3.5 · Trust 4.5
Plan 1.5 · Price 4.0 · Enrolment 3.0 · Speed 4.0 · Trust 4.0
Sources
- Plan types, carrier counts and how you buy: each marketplace's own website, checked in September 2026. eHealth's carrier count is its own published figure.
- Price transparency and speed: we ran a quote on every marketplace for a 40-year-old in Texas and a 66-year-old in Florida and recorded whether a premium appeared before a phone number was required.
- Enrolment help: each company's published description of its agents or advisors and how they are paid; Chapter's statement that it compares plans it is not paid on.
- Trust: Better Business Bureau profiles, state licence lookups through the NIPR registry, and Federal Trade Commission enforcement records. Assurance IQ was excluded after Prudential wound it down in 2024 following an FTC settlement over misleading health plan sales.
- Enrolment rules and subsidies: healthcare.gov, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and medicare.gov, September 2026.
Last updated: Sep. 15, 2026
Health Insurance Buying Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before You Enrol
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 the deadline for coverage starting January 1 is December 15, 2026. States that run their own exchanges set their own closing dates, and several run into mid-January, so check your state's 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 now, you need a special enrolment 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. Marketplace call centres and agents are swamped in the final week, and a plan chosen in a hurry 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 is paid 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 applied from 2021 through 2025 expired at the end of 2025, so the cap at 400 percent is back and most people pay more toward their premium than they did last year.
• Cost-sharing reductions are a second, separate subsidy for households under 250 percent of the poverty level. They lower your deductible and copays, but only on a Silver plan. If you qualify, a Silver plan is almost always the right buy even if 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.
ACA Plans vs. Short-Term Plans
• An ACA marketplace plan covers pre-existing conditions, 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 enrolment 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 excludes 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.
Medicare Enrolment 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. This is the only guaranteed window to buy a Medicare Supplement policy without medical underwriting in most states.
• 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 picked 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 are often out of date, so call the office and ask "are you in network for this exact plan" using the plan's full name, not 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 entirely. eHealth, HealthSherpa and Chapter all let you enter your prescriptions and filter plans by them; do it 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, which is 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.
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