Health insurance for Rhode Islanders who buy their own.
We help Rhode Islanders who buy their own health insurance, including people leaving a job, self-employed workers and early retirees waiting for Medicare. A licensed agent can help you compare Marketplace plans from the state's two insurers and check what help you qualify for.
Rhode Island plans we compare
What’s different about health insurance in Rhode Island.
Every state runs its individual market a little differently. These are the rules that matter most if you buy your own coverage here.
Read the Rhode Island FAQ- Rhode Island has its own coverage mandate: going uninsured can cost 2.5% of income or $695 per adult on your state tax return.
- Open enrollment runs longer than in most states, from November 1 to January 31.
- Only two insurers sell Marketplace plans for 2026: Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island.
- The whole state is one pricing area, so the same plan costs the same in Providence as in Westerly.
- Short-term plans are not sold here because state rules treat them like regular health insurance.
- State law lets laid-off workers keep group coverage for up to 18 months at the group rate, even at small employers.
However you got here, there’s a better plan than the first one you were offered.
Leaving a job, or staring at a COBRA bill
Compare COBRA and Rhode Island's own continuation rules with Marketplace plans and everything else you qualify for.
Compare your options
Retired before 65
Bridge the years to Medicare without draining savings.
Learn more
Self-employed or 1099
Solid coverage, manageable premiums, and the tax deduction most people miss.
Learn moreLooking beyond the Marketplace
Health sharing and other non-ACA options, with the trade-offs explained.
Learn moreNeed coverage for a short gap
What short-term coverage looks like in Rhode Island, and what to use instead.
Learn moreWho sells plans in Rhode Island
Every insurer offering individual and family plans for 2026.
Learn moreFrom first conversation to coverage in three steps.
- 1
Tell us your situation
Share your ZIP, age, budget and the doctors you want to keep. Online or by phone, with no commitment.
About 5 minutes - 2
We compare every option
A licensed agent checks the plans sold in your county for premiums, deductibles, networks and prescriptions.
Usually within 1 business day - 3
Enroll with confidence
See your best matches side by side. Pick one and we handle the enrollment, then stay with you for renewals.
We handle the paperwork
Straight answers before you call.
More in our Rhode Island FAQ, or ask an agent at (888) 214-4898.
Open enrollment for 2027 plans is set to run from November 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027. That is longer than the federal HealthCare.gov window. To have coverage start January 1, plan to choose and pay in December; for 2026 the cutoff was December 23.
Yes. Rhode Island has its own coverage requirement, and the penalty is collected on your state tax return. It is the higher of 2.5% of household income above the filing threshold or $695 per adult and $347.50 per child, capped at the cost of an average bronze plan. A gap of one or two months in a row carries no penalty.
Two things happened at once. The enhanced federal tax credits expired at the end of 2025, and insurers raised full-price rates by about 21% on average. HealthSource RI reports that average costs after credits roughly doubled for 2026.
See what you'd actually pay.
A licensed agent will compare plans from every insurer in your Rhode Island county, check your subsidy, and walk you through the options. No cost, no obligation.