Florida financial advisors still have access to nationwide PPO coverage. Here's how practice owners and advisors affiliated as contractors are insuring their households following the state's substantial premium increase.
Hi, I'm Sam. I'm a licensed broker based in Tampa, working with financial advisors who operate their own firms or affiliate with another firm as 1099 contractors. Florida is my home, I'm licensed in 36 states, and I handle every consultation by phone.
As a financial advisor, you're probably going straight to the figures. In Florida, full-price premiums have increased considerably this year. The marketplace PPO choices are limited to a few plans from one insurer at substantially higher prices, and Medicaid hasn't been expanded for adults with very low incomes. If your practice is established, the first two issues will likely have the biggest impact.
Here's what I'd put at the top of your comparison: I can still arrange a nationwide PPO in Florida, and healthy advisors frequently find its premium substantially below the PPO sold through the marketplace.
PPO availability on Florida's marketplace is limited. Out of 410 plans in the state's file, only 14 are PPOs, and every one comes from the same insurer. Against the lowest-priced silver plan using another network in the same county, the difference is 110% in Martin County, 85% in St. Lucie and 91% in Manatee.
Outside the marketplace, you can look at private nationwide PPO coverage that uses medical underwriting. The insurer bases pricing on applicants' health, making it a worthwhile comparison for households in good health.
HealthCare.gov is Florida's marketplace, where premium tax credits depend on household earnings for the year of coverage. Established advisors frequently earn beyond the qualifying range. But if you're relocating your book or launching a practice, don't rule out eligibility without checking your projected income.
When you work for yourself, we calculate income using the firm's net after office expenses, staff, licenses, compliance costs and platform fees. Quarterly fee payments can create major differences between years, so the relevant figure is what you expect during the coverage year.
That distinction affects your premium considerably. Florida's insurance regulator reported a 34.1% average approved increase for 2026 individual coverage, weighted by enrollment and excluding subsidies. If you don't qualify for a credit, the full increase affects what you pay.
For households without a tax credit, the comparison becomes straightforward. Every person covered faces Florida's higher full-price premiums, while the marketplace PPO is considerably more expensive than the available HMOs and EPOs.
A nationwide PPO with medical underwriting starts by reviewing each applicant's health information. The insurer may accept everyone, decline the application or approve it with a particular condition excluded. Healthy households can often pay less than the full marketplace premium while gaining specialist access without referrals and a network useful for traveling to clients. Since benefits vary, I'll review the plan provisions with you individually.
Next step: Give me a call and I'll compare a nationwide PPO quote for your entire household with the marketplace plans available in your Florida county.
Moving out of a W-2 position generally means losing the firm's health benefits. That loss normally gives you 60 days to enroll through HealthCare.gov, and COBRA is another available route. But voluntarily ending COBRA afterward doesn't create another enrollment opportunity, so compare everything before deciding.
You may be able to start private medically underwritten insurance the moment your employer plan ends, provided the insurer approves your application beforehand. I'd begin the process several weeks before leaving.
Next step: Call me when you know your departure date. We'll arrange the next plan so it's ready when your former coverage ends.
If your firm has an employee who isn't an owner or family member, SHOP may be available for group coverage through the small-business marketplace. A 1099 paraplanner doesn't satisfy that requirement. Given Florida's current options, I'd compare group premiums with individual coverage before making the decision.
Next step: Tell me how many people work at your practice and whether each is an employee or contractor. I'll compare individual and group pricing for both your business and household.
The costly move for a Florida advisor this year is renewing a full-price plan without checking alternatives. If your family is healthy, compare a medically underwritten nationwide PPO first. If you choose HealthCare.gov, evaluate the provider network along with the premium. And if your practice is having a low-income transition year, remember that Florida hasn't expanded Medicaid and marketplace credits generally begin at 100% of the federal poverty level. That situation deserves careful planning.
Straight answers, no sales pitch.
Generally, no. Without employees, a practice uses individual health insurance, either through HealthCare.gov or a private underwritten plan. Having an eligible employee can make SHOP group coverage possible.
Florida's regulator reported that approved individual-plan premiums increased an average of 34.1% for 2026 before subsidies. Advisors who earn too much for credits face the full increase.
Yes, but the selection is small: 14 PPOs among 410 plans, all offered by one insurer. They cost substantially more in most counties. Healthy advisors can also obtain nationwide PPO coverage through me outside HealthCare.gov.
In most cases, yes. The IRS limits the self-employed health insurance deduction to your practice's net profit and excludes months when you had access to employer-subsidized coverage. Have your tax preparer verify how those rules apply.
I'll need your county, your firm's net income, your affiliation arrangement and the people you're covering. From there, I'll compare what makes sense at your location. If you're already enrolled in the coverage I'd recommend, I'll tell you to stick with it.
The guide for every state, and other work I help with