Columbus employers: you may be overpaying $484–$885 per employee, every month
Columbus runs on professional services, insurance and healthcare, and it has an unusual number of 25 to 250 employee firms competing for staff against very large employers with very large benefits budgets. The lowest-cost small group plan available here costs $810–$1,591/mo per employee, while the individual-market equivalent runs $326–$743.
How many employees do you have?
See What My Company Could Save →30-second estimate. No contact info needed.
Why Columbus prices off Franklin County
Ohio sets health insurance premiums by rating area, not by city or ZIP code. Columbus sits in Franklin County, so a company downtown and a company in Dublin face the same underlying rates. That also means the number on this page is a county number, and we would rather say so than dress it up as something unique to the city.
The full tier-by-tier tables, the renewal argument and the industry breakdowns live on the county page: Franklin County employers · cost benchmarks · alternatives compared · renewal increases .
We also work with employers in Dublin, Westerville, Grove City, Hilliard, Gahanna and the rest of Franklin County.
What the Columbus employer base actually looks like
These are Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for Franklin County, 2024 Q2, private sector. They are the reason the answer differs from one Ohio metro to the next even when the premiums do not.
| Sector | Establishments | Employees | Avg weekly wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Services | 6,801 | 52,391 | $1,939 |
| Healthcare | 4,901 | 122,824 | $1,151 |
| Construction | 2,353 | 36,711 | $1,657 |
See what your Columbus company could save
We price both markets against your actual census using Franklin County rates, in the same plan year. Free, and if your group plan wins we say so.
An estimate from county-level market data, not a quote.
Columbus employer health insurance questions
How much do Columbus employers pay for health insurance?
Columbus sits in Franklin County, and Ohio sets health premiums by rating area rather than by city, so Columbus employers price off Franklin County rates. For plan year 2026 the lowest-cost small group plan runs $810–$1,591 per employee per month depending on tier and age, and the lowest-cost individual plan runs $326–$743.
Do Columbus and the surrounding suburbs pay the same rates?
Within Franklin County, yes. Dublin, Westerville, Grove City, Hilliard, Gahanna all price off the same county rating area as Columbus itself. Crossing a county line can change the number, which is worth knowing if your staff are spread across the metro.
What is the alternative for a Columbus company with 25–250 employees?
An Individual Coverage HRA lets you give each employee a fixed, tax-free monthly allowance to buy their own ACA marketplace plan rather than buying one group policy for everyone. Where the individual market prices below small group, as it does in Franklin County by an estimated $484–$885 per employee per month, the same benefits budget goes further.
How much could a 75-employee Columbus company save?
Illustratively, $435,600–$796,500 a year of difference, capped by what the company currently contributes. That is an estimate built from Franklin County market data for plan year 2026, not a quote. Actual results depend on your census, ages, family mix and plan design.
Which Columbus industries does this affect most?
Franklin County's largest target sectors are professional services (about 6,801 establishments), healthcare (about 4,901 establishments), construction (about 2,353 establishments). Columbus runs on professional services, insurance and healthcare, and it has an unusual number of 25 to 250 employee firms competing for staff against very large employers with very large benefits budgets.
Plan year 2026 on both sides of every comparison. Individual premiums from the CMS Marketplace Public Use Files, small group from Ideon, employer counts from BLS QCEW 2024 Q2. Savings figures are ranges and estimates, never quotes or guarantees.
See what your company could save
County-specific 2026 numbers, about 30 seconds, no contact info needed.
How many employees do you have?
See What My Company Could Save →30-second estimate. No contact info needed.