Health insurance plans in Polk County, Iowa (2027)

• 3carriers selling 2027 marketplace plans in Polk County
• 43plans on the Polk shelf, from 17 bronze to 14 gold
• $483benchmark silver for a 40 year old in Polk, full price per month

Who sells marketplace plans in Polk County

Polk County and Linn County, the two Iowa counties I track, have the same number of carriers, three each. Across all 79 counties and parishes I track, 58 have more carriers than Polk. Ambetter Health alone accounts for 17 of the 43 plans in Polk, 40 percent of the shelf, so a lot of what you see when you shop is one company's lineup in different metal levels.

Polk plan counts from the CMS 2027 landscape file (county FIPS 19153, Rating Area 2). Bronze includes expanded bronze, and companies CMS lists under more than one legal issuer are grouped with the legal names underneath.

What changed in Polk County for 2027

What it costs in Polk County before any subsidy

These are the full monthly prices, before any premium tax credit, for the cheapest Polk plan at each metal level. I show the sticker price because it is what your subsidy is subtracted from, and most people who enroll in Polk pay less, often a lot less.

Benchmark silver is the second lowest of the 12 silver premiums listed for Polk. The last column is two adults aged 40 plus two children.

What these numbers mean if you live in Polk County

The gold row is the surprise in Polk County. The cheapest gold plan for a 40 year old, $465 a month, is $6 cheaper than the cheapest silver plan at $471. That happens because Iowa carriers load the cost of the extra silver discounts into silver premiums. If your income is too high for those discounts, silver is the worst value on the Polk shelf, and a gold deductible here tops out at $2,500.

In Polk County the benchmark is $127 above the cheapest bronze at age 40, and six of the other 78 counties and parishes I track have a narrower one. That gap decides whether bronze can be free, because your subsidy is the $483 benchmark minus what the government expects you to pay from your income. A 40 year old in Polk whose expected share is $127 a month or less would pay nothing for the cheapest bronze. At 60 the Polk gap grows to $270 and at 21 it shrinks to $99, which is why older enrollees are the ones most likely to find a $0 plan.

Linn County, around Cedar Rapids, is the other Iowa county I track. Compared with Linn County, the Polk benchmark is $54 lower at 40 and the cheapest bronze is $4 lower. The same three carriers sell in both, so moving between Polk and Linn changes the price you pay but not the companies you can pick from.

Polk plans by metal level, network and deductible

There is not a single PPO on the 2027 marketplace in Polk County. The 43 plans split into 27 HMO and 16 EPO. Outside emergencies, the 16 EPO and 27 HMO plans in Polk generally pay nothing out of network, so the network list matters more than the premium. 5 plans in Polk have a $0 medical deductible (3 expanded bronze and 2 gold). The 3 bronze ones among them still have out of pocket maximums of $11,800 to $12,000, so a $0 deductible does not mean a small bill.

2027 plans for Polk County

These are the 2027 plans and prices for Polk County, from the CMS plan file released at the end of October 2026. Open enrollment for 2027 coverage in Iowa runs from November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027, and December 15 is the last day to pick a plan that starts January 1. If you already have a Polk plan, compare before you let it renew, because your carrier and your benchmark may both have changed.

Questions about Polk County coverage

More for Polk County residents

• Health insurance brokers in Iowa, how to choose one and what it costs
• Every 2027 carrier change in Iowa
• How Polk compares with the other 78 counties and parishes I track
• Estimate a Polk subsidy