What should a Columbus company with 25–250 employees pay for health insurance?
Most employers only ever see one number: the group renewal in front of them. But Franklin County has two price floors in 2026 — small group coverage starting at $810–$1,591/mo per employee and individual-market coverage starting at $326–$743/mo for the same tiers and ages. Knowing both is the benchmark.
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Benchmarks are set county by county — not nationally
National "average cost per employee" surveys are nearly useless for budgeting, because health-insurance pricing is filed and approved county by county. What a plan costs in Franklin County has almost nothing to do with what it costs two counties over. For plan year 2026, Franklin County happens to be one of the most unusual markets in the country: its individual marketplace prices far below its small group market — an estimated 59.6% gap at the bronze age-27 floor. Any Columbus benchmark that ignores that second floor is only half a benchmark.
The two floors of the Franklin County market, 2026
Lowest-cost plan on each market — same metal tier, same age, same county, same plan year. Estimates from public rate data.
| Tier / age | Small group floor | Individual floor | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze, age 27 | $810/mo | $326/mo | $484/mo |
| Silver, age 27 | $872/mo | $352/mo | $520/mo |
| Gold, age 27 | $933/mo | $436/mo | $498/mo |
| Bronze, age 50 | $1381/mo | $555/mo | $825/mo |
| Silver, age 50 | $1486/mo | $600/mo | $885/mo |
| Gold, age 50 | $1591/mo | $743/mo | $848/mo |
Floors are the cheapest available plan, not what a typical company pays — most groups land above the floor once the full census and plan design are priced. All figures are plan-year 2026 estimates from CMS Marketplace Public Use Files (individual) and Ideon (small group), Franklin County OH.
What your budget looks like at company scale
Illustrative annual spend: headcount × monthly contribution × 12. Simple arithmetic for budgeting context — not a quote, and not a savings claim.
| Employees | $600/mo each | $800/mo each | $1,000/mo each |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 employees | $180,000/yr | $240,000/yr | $300,000/yr |
| 50 employees | $360,000/yr | $480,000/yr | $600,000/yr |
| 75 employees | $540,000/yr | $720,000/yr | $900,000/yr |
| 100 employees | $720,000/yr | $960,000/yr | $1,200,000/yr |
| 150 employees | $1,080,000/yr | $1,440,000/yr | $1,800,000/yr |
At these budget sizes, even a modest per-employee difference between markets compounds fast — which is why the question below matters more than any single renewal quote.
The benchmark question nobody asks: which market are you buying from?
Every renewal conversation benchmarks your quote against other group quotes. But in Franklin County, the bigger variable isn't which carrier — it's which market. The gap between the small group floor and the individual-market floor runs an estimated $484–$885/mo per employee across tiers and ages for plan year 2026. The mechanism that lets an employer buy from the individual market — with the same tax treatment as group coverage — is an ICHRA (Individual Coverage HRA): you give each employee a fixed tax-free monthly allowance, and they choose their own ACA marketplace plan. In a county with this spread, companies like yours could see the same benefit budget go substantially further — though not every employer captures the gap, and results depend entirely on your census.
Our promise: we run your real census against real county rates on both markets, free. If the math doesn't favor a switch, we tell you exactly that and you keep your group plan. Roughly a third of the companies we analyze are better off staying put.
Estimates based on county-level 2026 market data — not a quote or guarantee. Actual results depend on your employee census, ages, family composition, plan design, and contribution strategy.
Columbus health insurance cost FAQs
What is the average cost of health insurance for 50 employees in Ohio?
There is no single average — it depends on which market you buy from and your census. In Franklin County for plan year 2026, the lowest-cost small group plan runs an estimated $810–$1,591 per employee per month depending on metal tier and age, so a 50-employee company contributing $800/mo would budget roughly $480,000 a year (illustrative arithmetic, not a quote). The lowest-cost individual-market plans in the same county, same tier, same age run $326–$743/mo — a second, much lower floor most employers never benchmark against.
How much should a company pay per employee for health insurance in 2026?
The contribution levels our estimator covers run from $400 to $1,250+ per employee per month. The better question is what that contribution buys in your county. In Franklin County for 2026, the cheapest small group option starts around $810/mo (bronze, age 27), while an ACA-compliant individual-market bronze plan for the same 27-year-old starts around $326/mo. Both figures are plan-year 2026 estimates from public rate filings — the right budget depends on which floor you're building from.
How much does small group health insurance cost in Columbus, Ohio?
For plan year 2026, the lowest-cost small group premiums in Franklin County are estimated at $810/mo (bronze, age 27), $872/mo (silver, age 27), $933/mo (gold, age 27), rising to $1,381–$1,591/mo at age 50 depending on tier. These are the floor of the small group market — most companies pay above the floor once the actual census and plan design are priced.
Is it cheaper for a Columbus company to reimburse employees for individual health insurance instead of buying a group plan?
In Franklin County, the 2026 numbers suggest it may be. The gap between the lowest-cost small group plan and the lowest-cost individual-market plan of the same tier and age is an estimated $484–$885 per employee per month. An ICHRA (Individual Coverage HRA) is the mechanism that lets an employer fund individual-market coverage tax-free. Whether it works for your company depends on your census and contribution strategy — not every employer captures the gap.
Where do these Franklin County health insurance cost benchmarks come from?
Individual-market premiums are the lowest-cost plan by metal tier and age from the CMS Marketplace Public Use Files, plan year 2026. Small group premiums are the lowest-cost plan for the same tier, age, and county from Ideon. Every comparison uses the same plan year (2026) on both sides — figures are estimates, never mixed across years, and no individual employer outcome is implied.
Methodology: Individual-market premiums are the lowest-cost plan by metal tier and age from the CMS Marketplace Public Use Files, plan year 2026. Small group premiums are the lowest-cost plan for the same tier, age, and county from Ideon. Both sides of every comparison use the same plan year (2026); company-scale spend figures are illustrative arithmetic (headcount × contribution × 12), not quotes. All figures are estimates and no individual employer outcome is implied.
Last updated: August 16, 2026 · Plan-year 2026 data, same year both markets. Sources: CMS Marketplace Public Use Files (individual market) · Ideon (small group) · BLS QCEW 2024 Q2 (employment).
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Rate data: CMS Marketplace PUF + Ideon, plan year 2026, same plan year on both sides. Company-scale figures are illustrative arithmetic, not quotes.
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