Every alternative, compared without sanding off the edges.
Each page below says plainly where the other option beats a private PPO — because for a lot of households it does. If a subsidised marketplace plan, Medicaid, COBRA or a spouse's group plan is your better answer, you should be able to work that out here before anyone calls you.
Six comparisons
Pick the one that describes your situation.
Written for the decision you're actually making, not for a search engine.
Stop overpaying for coverage that barely covers you.
Here's the same healthy applicant priced two ways. We'd rather show you the maths than talk around it — and if a subsidised marketplace plan is genuinely cheaper for you, an advisor will say so.
Each comparison lays out where the alternative genuinely wins, where a private PPO does, and who each one suits. They're written so you walk into the call already knowing which questions matter for your household.
Honest downsides on both sides of every comparison
Line-by-line rows you can check against your current plan
A plain verdict on who each option is best for
The call people didn't expect.
Left a salaried job to go independent
“COBRA wanted more per month than my mortgage. The advisor walked me through two PPO options and told me straight which one kept my cardiologist in network.”
Self-employed designerTampa, FL
Family of four, one pre-existing condition
“I expected to be told everything was fine and to sign. Instead she explained what the plan wouldn't cover for my son, and we picked a different one.”
Small business ownerColumbus, OH
Missed open enrollment by three weeks
“I assumed I was stuck uninsured until January. One call in April and I had coverage that started the first of the next month.”
Owner-operatorAmarillo, TX
Two 1099 incomes, no employer plan
“He asked what we actually earn before quoting anything, then said we'd likely qualify for a subsidy and should check the marketplace first. That was not the pitch I expected.”
Freelance coupleBoise, ID
Retired at 62, three years from Medicare
“The gap years were the whole problem. We got a plan that carries us to 65 without the deductible we were shown everywhere else.”
Early retireeAsheville, NC
Contractor working across two states
“Half my jobs are over the state line. The nationwide PPO network was the entire reason I switched — my old plan covered one county properly.”
Framing contractorKansas City, MO
Travel assignments every thirteen weeks
“Every contract used to mean new coverage paperwork. Now it stays with me between assignments and nobody has to re-enrol me.”
Travel nursePhoenix, AZ
Hours cut below the benefits threshold
“I lost the plan and nobody at work could tell me what to do next. He explained the special enrolment window and we filed inside it.”
Restaurant supervisorSavannah, GA
Realtor on commission-only income
“Good months and thin months. He priced it against my worst quarter instead of my best one, which is the first time anyone has done that.”
Licensed realtorHenderson, NV
Aged off a parent's plan at 26
“I thought a short-term plan was the cheap answer. She showed me what it excludes, and I ended up spending slightly more on something that actually covers me.”
Warehouse supervisorAllentown, PA
Employer plan doubled at renewal
“Five employees and a renewal I couldn't absorb. We reviewed individual options for the team and I stopped losing money on the group plan.”
Print shop ownerDes Moines, IA
Rideshare driving as a second income
“Nobody had ever explained a deductible to me in plain English before. No pressure at the end of it either — he told me to think about it and call back.”
Gig driverCharlotte, NC
Left a salaried job to go independent
“COBRA wanted more per month than my mortgage. The advisor walked me through two PPO options and told me straight which one kept my cardiologist in network.”
Self-employed designerTampa, FL
Family of four, one pre-existing condition
“I expected to be told everything was fine and to sign. Instead she explained what the plan wouldn't cover for my son, and we picked a different one.”
Small business ownerColumbus, OH
Missed open enrollment by three weeks
“I assumed I was stuck uninsured until January. One call in April and I had coverage that started the first of the next month.”
Owner-operatorAmarillo, TX
Two 1099 incomes, no employer plan
“He asked what we actually earn before quoting anything, then said we'd likely qualify for a subsidy and should check the marketplace first. That was not the pitch I expected.”
Freelance coupleBoise, ID
Retired at 62, three years from Medicare
“The gap years were the whole problem. We got a plan that carries us to 65 without the deductible we were shown everywhere else.”
Early retireeAsheville, NC
Contractor working across two states
“Half my jobs are over the state line. The nationwide PPO network was the entire reason I switched — my old plan covered one county properly.”
Framing contractorKansas City, MO
Travel assignments every thirteen weeks
“Every contract used to mean new coverage paperwork. Now it stays with me between assignments and nobody has to re-enrol me.”
Travel nursePhoenix, AZ
Hours cut below the benefits threshold
“I lost the plan and nobody at work could tell me what to do next. He explained the special enrolment window and we filed inside it.”
Restaurant supervisorSavannah, GA
Realtor on commission-only income
“Good months and thin months. He priced it against my worst quarter instead of my best one, which is the first time anyone has done that.”
Licensed realtorHenderson, NV
Aged off a parent's plan at 26
“I thought a short-term plan was the cheap answer. She showed me what it excludes, and I ended up spending slightly more on something that actually covers me.”
Warehouse supervisorAllentown, PA
Employer plan doubled at renewal
“Five employees and a renewal I couldn't absorb. We reviewed individual options for the team and I stopped losing money on the group plan.”
Print shop ownerDes Moines, IA
Rideshare driving as a second income
“Nobody had ever explained a deductible to me in plain English before. No pressure at the end of it either — he told me to think about it and call back.”
Gig driverCharlotte, NC
Still deciding?
An advisor can narrow it down in one call.
Five questions tells them your state, household and timing. They'll tell you which of these six pages is really yours.
$300/mo