Montana · Yellowstone County

Health insurance plans in Yellowstone County, Montana (2026)

I pulled every 2026 marketplace plan sold in Yellowstone County, Montana out of the official CMS plan file. There are 42 plans from three carriers, and a 40 year old in Yellowstone pays $561 a month at full price for the benchmark silver plan. That is $110 less than in Missoula County, the other Montana county I track. Across all 79 counties and parishes I track in 24 states, only twelve have a lower benchmark. PacificSource also sells in Yellowstone now and is leaving for 2027, so some of your neighbors have to switch plans this fall. Below are the carriers, the plan counts, the full prices before subsidy, and what I think the numbers mean if you live in Billings, Laurel, Lockwood, Shepherd or anywhere else in the county.

Who sells marketplace plans in Yellowstone County

Yellowstone County and Missoula County, the two Montana counties I track, have the same number of carriers, three each. Across all 79 counties and parishes I track in 24 states, 62 have more carriers than Yellowstone. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana alone accounts for 19 of the 42 plans in Yellowstone, 45 percent of the shelf, so a lot of what you see when you shop is one company's lineup in different metal levels.

CarrierPlansBronzeSilverGoldNetwork types
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana19666POS 9, PPO 10
Mountain Health CO-OP15545PPO 15
PacificSource Health Plans Leaving for 20278332EPO 8

Yellowstone plan counts from the CMS 2026 landscape file (county FIPS 30111, Rating Area 1). Bronze includes expanded bronze, and companies CMS lists under more than one legal issuer are grouped with the legal names underneath.

Leaving Yellowstone County for 2027

PacificSource sells 8 of the 42 plans in Yellowstone County this year. PacificSource is leaving the Montana individual market for 2027. After that exit, two carriers are left from the 2026 Yellowstone lineup: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana and Mountain Health CO-OP. If you are enrolled with PacificSource in Yellowstone, you will get a notice this fall. If you do nothing you are moved to a replacement plan picked on price and metal level, and nothing in that process checks your doctors or prescriptions.

What it costs in Yellowstone County before any subsidy

These are the full monthly prices, before any premium tax credit, for the cheapest Yellowstone 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 Yellowstone pay less, often a lot less.

Monthly premium, full priceAge 21Age 40Age 60Couple, both 40Couple 40 + 2 kids
Lowest bronze$277$354$751$707$1,131
Lowest silver$431$551$1,169$1,101$1,760
Benchmark silver (second lowest)$439$561$1,192$1,123$1,795
Lowest gold$443$566$1,202$1,132$1,809

Benchmark silver is the second lowest of the 13 silver premiums listed for Yellowstone. The last column is two adults aged 40 plus two children.

What these numbers mean if you live in Yellowstone County

Yellowstone County is one of 32 of the 79 counties and parishes on my list where the metal levels are priced in the order you would expect. The cheapest gold at 40 is $566, which is $4 above the benchmark silver and $15 above the cheapest silver. In Yellowstone the extra gold premium pays for a lower deductible rather than coming free.

In Yellowstone County the benchmark is $208 above the cheapest bronze at age 40, and 24 of the other 78 counties and parishes I track have a wider one. That gap decides whether bronze can be free, because your subsidy is the $561 benchmark minus what the government expects you to pay from your income. A 40 year old in Yellowstone whose expected share is $208 a month or less would pay nothing for the cheapest bronze. At 60 the Yellowstone gap grows to $441 and at 21 it shrinks to $163, which is why older enrollees are the ones most likely to find a $0 plan.

Missoula County, around Missoula, is the other Montana county I track. Compared with Missoula County, the Yellowstone benchmark is $110 lower at 40 and the cheapest bronze is $71 lower. The same three carriers sell in both, so moving between Yellowstone and Missoula changes the price you pay but not the companies you can pick from.

Yellowstone plans by metal level, network and deductible

Metal levelPlans$0 deductibleDeductible range
Catastrophic20
Bronze20$10,600 to $10,600
Expanded Bronze120$3,500 to $9,000
Silver130$2,000 to $8,000
Gold130$250 to $2,000
Total420

By network type the 42 Yellowstone plans break down as 25 PPO, 9 POS and 8 EPO. PPOs are the majority here, 25 of the 42, and they come from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana and Mountain Health CO-OP, so a plan that lets you see specialists without a referral is easy to find in Yellowstone. No plan in Yellowstone has a $0 medical deductible for 2026.

Every Yellowstone price on this page is before subsidies, and most enrollees pay less. For a 40 year old in Yellowstone the premium tax credit is measured against the $561 benchmark. Estimate your own subsidy, or send me your ZIP and I will run the Yellowstone numbers for you.

2027 plans for Yellowstone County

These are the 2026 plans and prices for Yellowstone County. The 2027 plans and prices are published around November 1, 2026, and I will update this page with the new Yellowstone numbers then. Open enrollment for 2027 coverage in Montana runs from November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027, and December 15 is the last day to pick a plan that starts January 1.

Questions about Yellowstone County coverage

How many health insurance companies sell marketplace plans in Yellowstone County, Montana?

For 2026, three carriers sell individual marketplace plans in Yellowstone County: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana, Mountain Health CO-OP and PacificSource Health Plans. Together they offer 42 plans across the metal levels, according to the CMS plan landscape file.

What is the cheapest health insurance in Yellowstone County?

At full price before any subsidy, the cheapest bronze plan in Yellowstone County is $277 a month for a 21 year old, $354 at 40 and $751 at 60. In Yellowstone a couple both aged 40 pays $707 for the cheapest bronze, and two 40 year olds with two children pay $1,131. Catastrophic plans in Yellowstone, open only to people under 30 or with a hardship exemption, start at $244 at age 21. Most people in Yellowstone who qualify for a premium tax credit pay less than these prices.

What is the benchmark silver plan premium in Yellowstone County for 2026?

The second lowest cost silver plan, the benchmark your subsidy is calculated from, is $561 a month for a 40 year old in Yellowstone County before subsidies. In Yellowstone it is $439 at age 21 and $1,192 at age 60, and the lowest silver plan is $551 at 40.

Which insurance companies are leaving Yellowstone County for 2027?

PacificSource is leaving the Montana individual market for 2027. In 2026 it sells 8 plans in Yellowstone County. Two carriers from the 2026 Yellowstone lineup remain: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana and Mountain Health CO-OP. The full 2027 lineup and prices are published around November 1, 2026.

Can I get a PPO or a $0 deductible plan in Yellowstone County?

A PPO yes, a $0 deductible no. 25 of the 42 plans in Yellowstone are PPOs, all from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana and Mountain Health CO-OP, and no plan has a $0 medical deductible. The cheapest gold plan for a 40 year old in Yellowstone is $566 a month before subsidies.

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