Home › Blog › Same Person, Same Maryland ZIP, Two Very Different Health Insurance Prices
Same Person, Same Maryland ZIP, Two Very Different Health Insurance Prices
Here's a real pattern we see every week in Maryland. Same person, same ZIP code, same month — and two quotes that are hundreds of dollars apart. Here's why.
The person
A 50-year-old self-employed consultant in Baltimore. Healthy, no medications, earns about $110,000. No subsidy.
Quote one: Maryland Health Connection
Full-price Silver PPO-style plan from one of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Kaiser Permanente, and UnitedHealthcare: around $900 a month in 2026, $5,000 deductible, network concentrated around Baltimore. The price has nothing to do with his health — guaranteed-issue plans can't ask.
Quote two: private shared-network
A PPO on the Cigna, Aetna and PHCS PPO network: around $450 a month, $2,500 deductible, national network. The price has everything to do with his health — he answered a questionnaire and qualified.
Why both prices are "right"
They're answering different questions. The marketplace asks "what does it cost to insure everyone?" and spreads it evenly. The private plan asks "what does it cost to insure you?" For a healthy person, the second question has a lower answer. For someone with a serious condition, it wouldn't — and the marketplace would be the better deal.
What it means for you in Maryland
Maryland runs its own state-based marketplace, Maryland Health Connection, and limits short-term plans to three months with no renewals. Private options here are narrower than in most states, so the honest answer is usually a careful comparison, not a promise of savings. If you're healthy and above the subsidy line, you should see both numbers before you renew. Check your options.