Coverage for Medical Professionals
How Should Physicians and Dentists Choose Health Insurance?
Physicians and dentists sit in two very different situations. Practice owners are making a benefits decision for a business with employees, while associates and locums are buying individual coverage on their own. In both cases you are a high earner over the subsidy cliff, so the priorities are network quality, access, and tax efficiency rather than subsidies.
By Nick Depke, Licensed Insurance Agent, Depke Insurance Agency. Published 2026-07-06. Updated 2026-07-06.
Key takeaways
- • If you own a practice, this is a group benefits decision. You are choosing coverage for yourself and your staff, and a group plan or ICHRA can make it tax-advantaged.
- • As a high earner you are almost always over the subsidy cliff, so optimize for network breadth and specialist access, not just price.
- • If you are a 1099 associate or locum, you have no group plan and buy individual coverage, usually at full price.
- • An ICHRA lets a small practice offer coverage without the cost and minimums of a traditional group plan.
I own my practice. What are my options?
A group plan or an ICHRA, with your own coverage running through the practice. A traditional small-group plan gives predictable structure and covers your team.
An ICHRA lets the practice reimburse each person for individual coverage with pre-tax dollars, which is often more flexible and cost-controlled for a small staff. Either way, premiums become tax-advantaged, which matters at your income.
I am a 1099 associate or locum. What should I do?
Buy an individual plan, and lead with network. Without a group plan you are on the individual market at full price, so focus on a plan whose network includes the hospitals and specialists you and your family use.
An HDHP paired with an HSA is a smart tax shelter if you are healthy. A sharing plan can cut cost if you are comfortable with a non-insurance model.
Why does network matter more than price for physicians?
Because you can afford the premium, but you cannot easily replace access. At your income, the monthly difference between plans is small relative to the value of keeping top hospitals, academic centers, and specialists in network.
We weight plan selection toward breadth of access and continuity of your current doctors, then optimize cost within that.
What are the coverage options at a glance?
It comes down to whether you employ people.
| Situation | Best move | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Practice owner with staff | Group plan or ICHRA | Covers your team, tax-advantaged, your coverage runs through the practice. |
| Solo practice owner, no staff | Off-exchange ACA or HDHP plus HSA | Full price, so choose network and shelter income with an HSA. |
| 1099 associate or locum | Individual ACA plan, network first | No group plan, so prioritize hospital and specialist access. |
| Healthy and cost-focused | HDHP plus HSA or sharing plan | Lowers premium and shelters income, sharing plans cut cost further. |
| Early career, high debt | Individual ACA plan | MAGI is usually too high for a subsidy, so optimize plan design and tax. |
Health care sharing plans and short-term medical plans are not insurance and are not ACA-compliant. Tax strategies should be reviewed with a qualified CPA. We are licensed insurance brokers, not tax advisors.
Which option is right for me?
If you employ people, start with the group plan or ICHRA conversation. If you are solo or a 1099 associate, choose an off-exchange plan built around your preferred hospitals and add an HSA if you are healthy. We handle the comparison and the paperwork so you can stay focused on patients.
Frequently asked questions
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We will map your options across group plans, ICHRA, and individual coverage, and build the plan around the networks you rely on.