Akron was the rubber capital of the world, and while the tire factories are mostly gone, the polymer science they left behind still anchors the city's economy through research labs, materials firms, and the university's engineering programs. The modern Akron job market leans on hospitals, small manufacturers, and a lot of skilled trades. Skilled trades change employers often, and Ohio's short-term insurance rule gives those workers close to a full year of bridge room, once.
The rules here
| Max initial term (short-term) | Up to 364 days |
| Max total duration | 364 days, one time, nonrenewable |
| Products available | ACA marketplace, short-term, fixed indemnity, supplemental |
| Exchange type | Federal marketplace (HealthCare.gov) |
| Medicaid expansion | Yes |
What's available in Akron
| Coverage line | Available here | Key limit | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACA marketplace plans | Yes | Open enrollment or a qualifying event | ACA plans |
| Short-term medical | Yes | One term up to 364 days, nonrenewable | Short-term |
| Extended short-term (multi-year) | No | Not sold in Ohio; plans cannot be renewed past 364 days | |
| Fixed indemnity | Yes | Pays set cash amounts, not a substitute for major medical | Fixed indemnity |
| Supplemental (accident, critical illness, dental, vision) | Yes | Pairs with other coverage | Accident · Critical illness · Dental · Vision |
Short-term and fixed indemnity plans are not ACA compliant and do not count as minimum essential coverage. They are medically underwritten and typically exclude pre-existing conditions.
What one person pays for coverage in Ohio
Average monthly premiums for individual coverage. Family pricing differs; quotes are individual.
| Coverage type | Monthly premium (individual) | What that number is |
|---|---|---|
| ACA marketplace (before subsidy) | $665 avg. | State average, before tax credits (CMS Marketplace OEP, 2026).1 |
| ACA marketplace (after average subsidy) | $131 after credit | State average, after the average tax credit, among subsidized enrollees (CMS Marketplace OEP, 2026).1 |
| Employer coverage (single / family) | $693 / $1885 single / family | State average total monthly premium, single / family; employee pays about $150/mo toward single coverage (MEPS-IC, 2024).2 |
| Medicaid | $0 or nominal for those who qualify | Program design, not an average; eligibility is income-based5 |
| Fixed indemnity | sec-383.02 median | Among GetHealthPlans.com clients in Ohio with individual coverage, as of July 2026.3 |
| Accident | $44.20 median | Among GetHealthPlans.com clients in Ohio with individual coverage, as of July 2026.3 |
Self-employed Akron residents, including a healthy population of independent tradespeople, start from the individual marketplace benchmark above. Household income and size for the year determine subsidy eligibility, and estimates never guarantee it.
Averages from federal data and our own client base, not quotes. Your price depends on your age, household, income, and plan choice.
Akron at a glance
Akron is the seat of Summit County, a city of about 190,000 between Cleveland and the Cuyahoga Valley, with hospital systems and the University of Akron among its largest employers. Its manufacturing base now consists of many smaller firms rather than a few giants, which means more workers at companies too small to offer group health benefits.
| Population | County | Metro |
|---|---|---|
| ~190,000 | Summit (FIPS 39153) | Akron |
Three Akron situations
Dave, 45, CNC machinist laid off from a 20-person shop. No COBRA at a shop that small in many cases, so his real comparison is a marketplace plan through his Special Enrollment Period versus Ohio's 364-day short-term option. If he is healthy and expects to land quickly, the short-term route is cheap. If his job hunt stretches, he should remember the plan cannot be renewed when it ends.
Tanya, 36, home health aide working two part-time jobs. Neither job offers benefits. Ohio expanded Medicaid, so her combined income may qualify her outright, and if not, subsidized marketplace coverage steps in. Underwritten products are her last resort, not her first.
Glenn, 61, retired early from a polymer plant. Four years to Medicare with a history of back surgery. A short-term plan would exclude the back and end after 364 days with no renewal, leaving him underwritten again at 62. A marketplace plan is the stable answer, and his fixed income likely earns a subsidy.
How Ohio's rules work
Ohio permits a short-term plan with a term of up to 364 days, purchased one time, nonrenewable. That single sentence does a lot of work. It means an Akron resident can cover nearly a full year with one underwritten policy, but when it expires there is no renewal, no second term of the same plan, and any new coverage means fresh underwriting. The 2024 federal rule that would have shortened these plans is currently not being enforced, per the August 7, 2025 tri-agency statement, so Ohio's own 364-day framework is what governs.
Ohio expanded Medicaid, covering adults on income alone, and runs its marketplace through HealthCare.gov with open enrollment November 1 through January 15. The sensible pattern for most gaps: marketplace first if a subsidy applies, short-term only when the math clearly favors it and your health history is clean.
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Keep reading — more Ohio guides
Premium data methodology. 1 Marketplace premium averages reflect the average monthly premium before advance premium tax credits, the average monthly premium after advance premium tax credits among subsidized enrollees, and the percentage of enrollees receiving advance premium tax credits, for Ohio, as reported in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Public Use Files, 2026 plan year, available at cms.gov. Figures are statewide averages across all metal tiers, ages, and household sizes; your premium will differ based on your age, household, income, county, and plan selection.
2 Employer coverage averages reflect the average total monthly premium for single and family coverage at private-sector establishments in Ohio, including both employer and employee contributions, as reported in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component (MEPS-IC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2024 tables, available at meps.ahrq.gov. Employee contribution figure reflects the average employee share of the single-coverage premium. Employer plan costs vary by employer, plan design, and firm size.
3 Client averages are calculated from GetHealthPlans.com (MTG Insurance Agency LLC) internal book-of-business records as of July 15, 2026 and reflect the median or mean monthly premium, as labeled, among active policies providing individual coverage (one covered person) of the stated product type held by our clients residing in the stated state or, where labeled agency-wide, across all states in which we operate. Family and multi-person policies are excluded so that figures reflect what one person pays. Figures are shown only for states and products where our records include a sufficient number of active individual policies to report a meaningful average, with a minimum of ten; combinations below that threshold are not shown. Where a figure is labeled "median," half of our client policies in that group pay less and half pay more. Our client base reflects the products we sell, skews toward medically underwritten coverage, and may not represent all buyers or all plans available in a state. These figures are historical averages of premiums actually paid by our clients, are not quotes, offers, or projections, and are not statements of what any individual will pay. Individual premiums are determined by the insurer at application based on age, location, term length, benefit selections, and underwriting outcomes.
4 No federal or state agency publishes average premium data for short-term limited duration insurance or fixed indemnity insurance. Where we do not display a client-base figure for these products, it is because we do not have sufficient policy volume in that state to report a meaningful average. Short-term and fixed indemnity products are medically underwritten, are not major medical coverage, are not required to cover pre-existing conditions or essential health benefits, and do not constitute minimum essential coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
5 Medicaid and CHIP are public programs, not insurance products sold by this agency. Premiums are $0 or nominal for those who qualify; eligibility is determined by your state based on income, household size, and other factors. The figure shown describes program design, not an average. Contact your state Medicaid agency or HealthCare.gov to check eligibility.