Although Mississippi's marketplace doesn't offer PPO coverage, you can still arrange a nationwide PPO through me. I'll explain how this year's substantial premium increase affects agents who don't qualify for subsidies and what private coverage may offer instead.
Hi, I'm Sam Jaber. I help Mississippi real estate agents arrange their own health insurance over the phone, from Ocean Springs and Gulfport to Ridgeland and Southaven. I'm licensed as a broker in 36 states.
Imagine an Ocean Springs real estate agent who's had an excellent year selling retirement properties and second homes. Her net commissions are high enough that she no longer qualifies for marketplace premium assistance, leaving her responsible for the full cost of covering herself and her husband. That price has risen significantly. According to KFF, Mississippi's benchmark premium for a 40-year-old increased 36.5% between 2025 and 2026, placing it among the larger increases nationwide. She checks HealthCare.gov hoping to find a PPO, only to discover that none of the available marketplace plans offers that option.
For 2026, Mississippi's HealthCare.gov marketplace offers 48 individual medical plans. Of those, 38 are HMOs and 10 are EPOs. There isn't a single marketplace PPO available anywhere in Mississippi.
I can arrange a private nationwide PPO in Mississippi even though the marketplace doesn't sell one. Your premium is based on information from a health questionnaire, and the provider network reaches across the country. Participating specialists in New Orleans or Mobile, along with doctors near relatives in Texas, can be treated as in network without requiring referrals.
KFF measures the benchmark using the second-lowest-priced silver plan for someone age 40. In Mississippi, that premium increased 36.5% over just one year. People receiving marketplace tax credits are largely shielded because the credit adjusts with the benchmark. But agents earning too much to qualify for that assistance must absorb the full increase themselves, including the additional cost for each covered household member.
Price isn't the only concern. Mississippi marketplace HMOs and EPOs generally cover out-of-network treatment only when there's an emergency. Along the Gulf Coast, Harrison and Jackson counties each have 4 marketplace insurers, which gives residents multiple networks to compare. Still, none of those plans is a PPO, and none is designed to provide the same kind of network access across state boundaries.
Gulf Coast real estate agents often have family members and clients throughout Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. Traveling for business may also take up a significant part of their year. That lifestyle can expose the limits of Mississippi's marketplace networks. An HMO or EPO might be perfectly suitable for someone whose household gets nearly all its care in Harrison County. But a family regularly traveling between New Orleans and Destin may find those same restrictions frustrating. Before you renew, look carefully at where everyone in your household actually visits doctors, not just where your home address happens to be.
For healthy agents paying full price, private coverage can often come out ahead. The insurer reviews your medical answers and decides whether to approve the application, reject it, or approve it with one diagnosis excluded. Agents who qualify frequently pay less than the marketplace's unsubsidized premium while gaining access to a nationwide provider network. I'll compare the benefits of the available plans with you so the decision isn't based on premium alone.
Next step: Give me your county and the ages of everyone needing insurance. I'll compare the cost of a private nationwide PPO with your marketplace options at their full premiums.
If you expect next year's commissions to qualify for premium credits, marketplace coverage with that assistance will usually become the lower-cost choice again. But if income could drop substantially, remember that Mississippi hasn't adopted the ACA Medicaid expansion, leaving fewer options during a particularly difficult year. Maintain your pending transaction list throughout slower months so you can revise your income estimate easily. And if you receive credits but ultimately close more business than expected, update HealthCare.gov. For tax years after 2025, there's no cap on repayment of excess credits.
Next step: Tell me what transactions you expect to close next year. We'll review your pipeline together and choose coverage based on the income you're realistically likely to earn.
Straight answers, no sales pitch.
According to KFF, Mississippi's benchmark premium for a 40-year-old increased 36.5% between 2025 and 2026. Agents who don't qualify for tax credits must absorb that increase themselves.
No. Mississippi's 48 marketplace medical plans consist entirely of HMOs and EPOs. Agents in good health can still arrange a private nationwide PPO through me.
For 2026, both Harrison County and Jackson County have 4 marketplace insurers available to residents.
No. Mississippi remains among the states that haven't implemented the ACA Medicaid expansion.
Share your county, the ages of everyone who needs coverage, and approximately what you earned after brokerage splits last year. I'll compare the full marketplace premiums with a quote for a private nationwide PPO.
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