Yes, you can buy Health Insurance on your own

If you do not get Health Insurance through a job, a spouse, a parent, or a government program, you can absolutely buy a plan on your own. Millions of people do exactly that every year. In North Carolina, the main place individuals and families shop for their own coverage is the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace, which residents reach through HealthCare.gov. North Carolina uses the federally facilitated Marketplace, so there is no separate state exchange to hunt for.

Buying your own plan is often called "individual" or "family" coverage, as opposed to "group" coverage that comes through an employer. The plans you buy on your own are real, comprehensive Health Insurance from name-brand carriers. They are not a lesser product. In fact, an individual Marketplace plan has to cover the same core set of benefits and protect you the same way a good job-based plan does.

This guide walks through who buys their own coverage, where to buy it, when you're allowed to enroll, how much help with the cost you might qualify for, and the honest trade-offs of doing it alone versus getting free help. Everything here is written for people in Charlotte and across North Carolina, though the ACA rules themselves are national.

Who buys Health Insurance on their own?

You are a good candidate to buy your own plan if any of these describe you:

  • You are self-employed, a freelancer, a gig worker, or a small-business owner without a group plan.
  • Your employer doesn't offer coverage, or the coverage it offers is too expensive.
  • You're between jobs or were recently laid off and don't want to pay full price for COBRA.
  • You retired before 65 and need a bridge until Medicare starts.
  • You're turning 26 and aging off a parent's plan.
  • You work part-time or seasonally and aren't eligible for a workplace plan.

If that's you, the good news is that the individual market was built for exactly this situation, and you have real protections. Insurers cannot turn you down or charge you more because of a pre-existing condition, and there is no medical exam to qualify for a Marketplace plan.

Where to buy your own Health Insurance

There is more than one front door. All of them lead to legitimate coverage, but they don't all give you access to the same financial help.

1. The ACA Marketplace (HealthCare.gov)

This is the primary path, and for most people the smartest one, because it's the only place you can claim a premium tax credit (a subsidy) that lowers your monthly cost. When you apply through the Marketplace, you enter your household size and expected income, and the system tells you what you qualify for and shows you the plans available in your ZIP code. For 2026, six insurers offer individual Marketplace plans in North Carolina, though which ones serve your specific county varies, so it's worth checking your own area rather than assuming.

2. Over the phone with a real person

If you'd rather talk to a person than fill out an online form, or your situation is a little complicated, The Jordan Insurance Agency can enroll you over the phone at no cost. We pull up the same Marketplace plans and subsidies you'd see on your own and handle the paperwork with you, so you're not left guessing on a form by yourself.

3. Through a licensed agent or broker

You can work with a licensed insurance agent, like the team at The Jordan Insurance Agency, who can pull up the same Marketplace plans and subsidies you'd see on your own and walk you through the choices. This is the same coverage at the same price, with a guide included. More on why the price doesn't change below.

4. Directly from an insurance company

You can also buy a plan straight from a carrier's website or an approved online seller. One important catch: if you buy fully "off-Marketplace" (outside HealthCare.gov), you generally cannot receive a premium tax credit on that plan, even if your income would otherwise qualify. For anyone who might be subsidy-eligible, that's a big reason to run your enrollment through the Marketplace.

4 ways to apply, at a glance

  • Online at HealthCare.gov (fastest)
  • With free local help from The Jordan Insurance Agency, in person or over the phone
  • With a licensed agent/broker of your choice
  • By paper application mailed in, with eligibility results returned by mail in about two weeks

For a deeper walkthrough of the whole process, see how to get Health Insurance in North Carolina and what Marketplace (Obamacare/ACA) insurance is.

When can you buy your own plan?

You can't sign up on the individual market just any day of the year. There are two windows.

Open Enrollment

This is the yearly window when anyone can enroll or switch plans, no special reason required. For 2026 coverage, Open Enrollment on HealthCare.gov ran November 1, 2025 through January 15, 2026. Timing inside that window matters: enroll by December 15 and your coverage starts January 1; enroll between December 16 and January 15 and coverage starts February 1.

One heads-up worth putting on your calendar: starting with the plan-year-2027 Open Enrollment, the federal window is scheduled to shorten to November 1 through December 15, with all coverage beginning January 1. So the comfortable mid-January cushion is going away in future years.

Special Enrollment Periods

If you miss Open Enrollment, you can still buy a plan if you have a qualifying life event, which opens a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). The general rule is that you have 60 days after the event to enroll. Common triggers include:

  • Losing other coverage (a job-based plan, a parent's plan at 26, etc.)
  • Getting married
  • Having a baby, adopting, or taking in a foster child
  • Moving to a new ZIP code or county
  • Certain income or household changes

Losing job-based coverage is one of the most common reasons people start buying their own plan mid-year. If that's your situation, see what a Special Enrollment Period is for the full list of triggers and deadlines.

How much does buying your own plan cost, and can you get help?

This is the question on everyone's mind, and the honest answer is: it depends heavily on whether you qualify for a subsidy.

Premium tax credits (subsidies)

The Marketplace offers a premium tax credit that lowers your monthly premium based on your income and household size. For 2026, subsidy eligibility runs from 100% up to 400% of the federal poverty level. (In North Carolina, which expanded Medicaid, adults up to 138% of the poverty level are generally covered by Medicaid instead, so Marketplace subsidies pick up above that.) A few important 2026 realities to know going in:

  • The 400% "subsidy cliff" is back for 2026: households earning above 400% of the poverty level get no premium tax credit at all, no matter how high the premium.
  • The larger, pandemic-era enhanced subsidies expired at the end of 2025, so 2026 credits follow the original, pre-2021 ACA rules. As of July 2026, Congress has not passed an extension.
  • Because of that change, insurers raised gross premiums for 2026, and net premiums went up for many enrollees. It's more important than ever to actually compare plans rather than auto-renewing.

We are deliberately not quoting you a monthly dollar figure here, because your real number depends on your county, your age, your household, and your income, and the only way to see it is to run your own numbers on HealthCare.gov. What we can say is that a large share of Marketplace shoppers still qualify for some premium tax credit, and many people who assume they "make too much" are pleasantly surprised. For how the credits are calculated, see how ACA subsidies work.

Cost-sharing reductions

If your income is between 100% and 250% of the poverty level, you may also qualify for cost-sharing reductions, which lower your deductible, copays, and out-of-pocket maximum, but only if you pick a Silver plan. These extra savings were not affected by the enhanced-subsidy expiration and are still available for 2026.

What you're protected against

No matter which plan you buy on your own, every ACA-compliant Marketplace plan caps how much you can pay out of pocket in a year for covered, in-network care. For 2026, that maximum out-of-pocket limit is $10,600 for an individual and $21,200 for a family. Every plan also has to cover the ten essential health benefits, including doctor visits, hospital care, emergency care, prescriptions, maternity, and mental health, and must cover a set of preventive services at no extra cost when you use an in-network provider.

A quick, hypothetical example

The following is a simplified, hypothetical illustration, not a quote or a promise of any specific result.

Imagine "Marcus," a 44-year-old self-employed contractor in Charlotte. His employer-of-one has no group plan, so he's buying on his own. During Open Enrollment he goes to HealthCare.gov, enters his household of one and his estimated self-employment income, and the site shows him the plans available in Mecklenburg County along with the premium tax credit he qualifies for. He compares a Bronze plan (lower premium, higher deductible) against a Silver plan (higher premium, but he'd get cost-sharing reductions if his income lands in the right range). He picks by December 15 so his coverage starts January 1. Because he's not sure whether Bronze or Silver is the better deal for his health needs, he has a licensed agent run the comparison with him at no cost. The point of the example isn't the specific plan he chose, it's that the whole thing is doable, and you don't have to guess in the dark.

Buying on your own vs. other options

Buying an individual plan isn't your only path when you're between situations. A few alternatives, and when they make sense:

  • COBRA: lets you keep your former employer's exact plan temporarily, but you pay the full cost. See what COBRA insurance is.
  • Medicaid: if your income is low enough, North Carolina's expanded Medicaid may cover you at little or no cost. See whether you qualify for Medicaid in North Carolina.
  • Short-term plans: cheaper but limited, and in North Carolina they're capped at a short duration and often exclude pre-existing conditions and essential benefits, so they're a stopgap, not a substitute.

For most people who need real, ongoing coverage and don't have a job-based option, a Marketplace plan bought on your own is the strongest choice, especially if you qualify for a subsidy.

Common worries about buying on your own

"Will I be denied for a health condition?"

No. Marketplace plans can't deny you or charge you more for pre-existing conditions, and there's no medical exam.

"Is it real insurance?"

Yes. Individual ACA plans come from established carriers and must cover the same essential health benefits and out-of-pocket protections as a strong employer plan.

"Am I penalized for not having coverage?"

There's no federal penalty for being uninsured, and North Carolina has no state penalty either. Coverage is still worth having, but you won't be fined for the gap.

"Isn't it cheaper to skip the agent and do it myself?"

It costs exactly the same. That's important enough to explain on its own, below.

How The Jordan Insurance Agency helps

The Jordan Insurance Agency is an independent, licensed insurance agency based in Charlotte, North Carolina, serving clients across the state. Because we're independent, we represent multiple carriers rather than just one, so when you're buying Health Insurance on your own, we can pull up the same Marketplace plans and subsidies you'd see at HealthCare.gov and compare them side by side, honestly, for your budget, your doctors, and your prescriptions.

Here's the part people don't always realize: working with a licensed agent costs you nothing. Agents are paid by the insurance carriers, and your premium is exactly the same whether you enroll by yourself or with our help. You are not paying extra for a guide. What you get in return is someone who can spot the costly timing mistakes, like missing your Special Enrollment Period, help you understand whether Bronze, Silver, or Gold actually makes sense for you in 2026, make sure you're not leaving a premium tax credit on the table, and be there next year when plans, prices, and networks change (which they do every year).

You can absolutely buy your own Health Insurance without us. But if you'd rather not do it alone, and you'd like a local, no-pressure second set of eyes, that's exactly what we're here for. For any current-year figure not shown here, The Jordan Insurance Agency can confirm the details and handle this with you, at no cost.