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North Carolina · 2026 plan year

Bronze health insurance plans in North Carolina (2026)

There are 83 Bronze plans on the North Carolina Marketplace from 6 insurers, and they are not interchangeable — premiums run from $329 to $565 a month for the same metal tier. Here is what separates them.

83
Bronze plans
6
Insurers
100
Counties covered
$329
Cheapest premium
$7,500
Median deductible
These are benchmark premiums, not your price. Every dollar figure here is the individual rate at age 21 for a non-tobacco user, before any premium tax credit — the standard way plans are compared like for like. What you actually pay depends on your age, county, household and income. Estimate your real cost.

Every North Carolina Bronze plan is HSA-eligible.

All 83 Bronze plans here meet the IRS high-deductible rules, so any of them can be paired with a health savings account — letting you set aside pre-tax money against the deductible, a median of $7,500 in this tier.

North Carolina Bronze premiums rank 23rd cheapest of 35.

Averaged across all 83 plans, Bronze coverage in North Carolina costs $414 a month before subsidies — 23rd lowest of the 35 states with federal-marketplace data. Premiums vary far more by county and age than this single number suggests.

Metal tiers describe roughly what share of covered costs a plan pays, not the quality of its care or network. How the metal tiers actually differ walks through the trade, and how ACA subsidies work explains why the prices below are rarely what anyone pays.

Cost

What a Bronze plan costs in North Carolina in 2026

Across all 83 Bronze plans in North Carolina, monthly premiums run from $329 to $565, averaging $414. Those are age-21, non-tobacco rates before any subsidy — the basis every figure on this page uses, and rarely what anyone actually pays. Premium tax credits cut that bill for most North Carolina enrollees, often to a fraction of the sticker price.

Deductibles

Bronze plan deductibles in North Carolina

Bronze deductibles in North Carolina run from $3,850 to $10,600, with a median of $7,500 across the 67 plans with one combined deductible — the amount you pay yourself before the plan starts sharing most costs. The median is the closest thing to a typical plan; the mean sits at $7,317 because the spread is not symmetric. The other 16 set a separate deductible for prescription drugs, so their medical deductible alone would understate what you pay; they are left out of these figures, and the table below shows both deductibles where a plan has two. No single figure is a quote — the table below shows the real deductible on each of the cheapest plans, and the insurer breakdown shows how the range splits by carrier.

Out-of-pocket maximum

Bronze out-of-pocket maximums in North Carolina

Individual out-of-pocket maximums on North Carolina Bronze plans run from $8,500 to $10,600, with a median of $10,150. That is the ceiling on what a plan can make you pay in a year for covered in-network care — after you reach it, the plan pays 100% of covered services. It is the number that matters most in a bad year, and the top of the range here is set by the federal limit that applies to every Marketplace plan, not by the insurer.

Lowest premiums

The cheapest Bronze plans in North Carolina

PlanPremium / mo (age 21, pre-subsidy)DeductibleOut-of-pocket max
Everyday Bronze with Atrium HealthAmbetter of North Carolina$329$8,450$10,150
Standard Expanded Bronze with Atrium HealthAmbetter of North Carolina$330$7,500$10,000
Everyday Bronze with Atrium Health + Vision + Adult DentalAmbetter of North Carolina$340$8,450$10,150
Standard Expanded Bronze with Atrium Health + Vision + Adult DentalAmbetter of North Carolina$341$7,500$10,000
Blue Home Bronze Basic | 3 Free PCP | $25 Tier 1 Rx | Integrated | with UNC Health AllianceBlue Cross and Blue Shield of NC$349$7,000$10,600

Showing 5 of 83. See all North Carolina Bronze plans →

Who sells here

Bronze plans by insurer

InsurerBronze plansCheapestTier averageDeductible range
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC48$349$426$7,000–$8,500
Ambetter of North Carolina12$329$368$7,500–$8,450
Oscar Health Plan of North Carolina, Inc9$352$368$4,700–$7,500
Cigna Healthcare7$429$486$5,000–$7,500
UnitedHealthcare4$400$425$7,500–$10,600
AmeriHealth Caritas Next3$352$358$3,850–$10,600
Other tiers in North Carolina

How Bronze compares to the rest

Bronze
Avg $414 · from $329
83 plans · you are here
Silver
Avg $525 · from $423
74 plans
Gold
Avg $558 · from $437
49 plans

All North CarolinaMarketplace plans →

Nearby on price

States with similar Bronze premiums

Montana
Avg $411
29 Bronze plans
Kansas
Avg $416
24 Bronze plans
Tennessee
Avg $440
63 Bronze plans
Common questions

North Carolina Bronze plans, answered

What are the copays on North Carolina Bronze plans?
Copays vary plan by plan rather than by tier — the metal level sets roughly what share of total care costs the plan covers, not the individual amounts. What the tier does bound is the rest of the cost-sharing: across the 83 Bronze plans in North Carolina, out-of-pocket maximums run $8,500 to $10,600, and deductibles on the 67 plans with one combined deductible run $3,850 to $10,600. The other 16 set a separate deductible for prescription drugs and are not included in the deductible figures. Open any plan below to see its full cost-sharing schedule, including primary care, specialist and prescription tiers.
Who is eligible for a Bronze plan in North Carolina?
Any North Carolina Marketplace shopper can choose Bronze. It carries the lowest premiums and the highest deductibles, and it is the tier most often paired with a health savings account. One trade-off worth knowing: choosing Bronze rather than Silver forfeits cost-sharing reductions entirely if your income would have qualified you for them.
What is the deductible on North Carolina Bronze plans?
Bronze deductibles in North Carolina run from $3,850 to $10,600 across the 67 plans with one combined deductible, with a median of $7,500 — that median is the figure closest to a typical plan. The other 16 set a separate deductible for prescription drugs and are not included in the deductible figures. Out-of-pocket maximums run $8,500 to $10,600. The spread inside a single tier is wide, so two plans at a similar premium can differ by thousands in what you would actually pay during a year with significant care. Deductible is usually a better basis for comparison than premium alone.
Are Bronze plans available in my North Carolina county?
Bronze plans are sold in 100 North Carolina counties, from 6 insurers. Which specific plans you can buy depends on where you live — a plan offered in a metro county is often not sold in a rural one. Enter your ZIP code to narrow the list to plans actually available to you.
When can I enroll in a Marketplace plan in North Carolina?
North Carolina uses the federal Marketplace, so open enrollment runs November 1 to January 15. Outside that window you need a qualifying life event — losing job-based coverage, moving, marriage, or a birth — to open a special enrollment period. Cheapest Bronze premiums in North Carolina start at $329 a month before any subsidy.

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