Health insurance options in Columbia
Residents of Columbia and Richland County buy coverage from two markets: HealthCare.gov, with guaranteed-issue plans from BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Ambetter, Molina, and Aetna CVS Health priced on income, and the private shared-network market, with PPO plans on Cigna, Aetna and PHCS PPO priced on health. Most people in Columbia have only been shown the first.
What it costs in Columbia
A healthy 40-year-old in Columbia pays roughly $550–$850 a month full price on the marketplace in 2026, or roughly $320–$480 on a private PPO. A family of four: roughly $1,500–$2,500 marketplace full price versus $800–$1,300 private. Prices depend on age, deductible and health; see live numbers on the quoting tool.
Keeping your Columbia doctors
Marketplace plans in South Carolina are increasingly HMOs tied to one hospital system. The Cigna, Aetna and PHCS PPO PPO networks include most major providers in Richland County and work in every state — we check your specific doctors before you enroll.
The South Carolina factor
South Carolina didn't expand Medicaid, and most marketplace plans here are narrow-network HMOs — which is why a national PPO is the thing self-employed buyers ask about first. South Carolina has no state individual mandate.