Cleveland-area employers: you may be overpaying $344–$671 per employee, every month
Same tier. Same age. Same county. The lowest-cost small group plan in Cuyahoga County costs $671–$1,462/mo per employee, while the individual-market equivalent runs $327–$791/mo. Most companies here have never priced the difference.
How many employees do you have?
See What My Company Could Save →30-second estimate. No contact info needed.
What the two markets actually cost here
Every row below compares the lowest-cost plan available in Cuyahoga County on each market, at the same metal tier and the same age, in the same plan year. Nothing is annualised across years and nothing is projected.
| Tier and age | Individual | Small group | Monthly difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze, age 27 | $327 | $671 | $344 |
| Silver, age 27 | $383 | $746 | $363 |
| Gold, age 27 | $464 | $858 | $394 |
| Bronze, age 50 | $558 | $1,143 | $586 |
| Silver, age 50 | $653 | $1,271 | $618 |
| Gold, age 50 | $791 | $1,462 | $671 |
Estimates for plan year 2026, per employee per month. Individual-market premiums from the CMS Marketplace Public Use Files; small group from Ideon. Same plan year on both sides. Your actual numbers depend on your census, ages, family composition, plan design and contribution strategy.
Why this number is not unique to Cuyahoga County
Ohio sets health premiums by rating area, not by county, so Cuyahoga County prices identically to Lake, Geauga. That is worth knowing for two reasons: a competitor one county over faces the same economics, and if your staff are spread across the area their marketplace pricing does not change when they cross the county line.
What genuinely differs is the employer base. Cuyahoga County's largest target sectors are professional services (5,824 establishments, about 46,563 employees), healthcare (4,340 establishments, about 137,876 employees) and wholesale trade (2,723 establishments, about 32,241 employees).
What this could mean for your company
The figures below are illustrative ranges built from the county rate difference above, not quotes. Real savings are capped by what you contribute today, and depend on your census.
- A 37-employee company: an estimated $152,736–$297,924 a year of difference.
- A 75-employee company: an estimated $309,600–$603,900 a year.
- Employees keep ACA-compliant major medical coverage; the allowance is tax-free to them and deductible to you.
- If the maths does not work for your census, we tell you and you keep your group plan.
Go deeper: why your renewal went up, what a company your size should pay, alternatives to a group plan, or professional services, healthcare, wholesale trade.
See what your Cuyahoga County company could save
Send your census, get the real number for your company against plan year 2026 rates. Free, and if it does not favour a switch we say so.
An estimate from county-level market data, not a quote.
Questions Cuyahoga County employers ask
How much are Cuyahoga County employers overpaying for group health insurance?
On plan year 2026 data, the lowest-cost small group plan in Cuyahoga County runs $671–$1,462 per employee per month depending on metal tier and age, while the equivalent lowest-cost individual-market plan runs $327–$791. That estimated $344–$671 monthly difference per employee is what an ICHRA strategy can potentially capture. Actual results vary with your census, ages, family mix and contribution strategy.
Is the Cuyahoga County number different from neighbouring counties?
Not on its own. Ohio sets health premiums by rating area rather than by county, so Cuyahoga County prices identically to Lake, Geauga. What differs county by county is the employer base: Cuyahoga County has roughly 5,824 professional services establishments employing about 46,563 people.
What is the alternative to a small group plan for a Cleveland-area company with 25–250 employees?
An Individual Coverage HRA (ICHRA) lets you give each employee a fixed, tax-free monthly allowance to buy their own ACA marketplace plan instead of buying one group policy for everyone. Where individual plans cost materially less than group plans, the same benefits budget goes further. The tax treatment mirrors employer-sponsored insurance, and employees keep ACA-compliant major medical coverage.
How much could a 75-employee Cleveland-area company save?
Illustratively, at the county's plan year 2026 rate difference of $344–$671 per employee per month, a 75-employee company could see an estimated annual difference of $309,600–$603,900, capped by what it actually contributes today. A 37-employee company would be in the $152,736–$297,924 range. These are estimates from county-level market data, not quotes.
What does the free analysis include, and what if the numbers do not work?
We run your actual employee census against real plan year 2026 Cuyahoga County rates on both markets and show you the real number, free. If the maths does not favour a switch for your company, we say exactly that and you keep your group plan. Roughly a third of the companies we analyse are better off staying where they are.
Methodology
Individual-market premiums come from the CMS Marketplace Public Use Files for plan year 2026. Small group premiums come from Ideon for the same plan year. Both sides of every comparison are the lowest-cost plan at the same metal tier and age in Cuyahoga County (FIPS 39035); no figure mixes plan years. Employer counts are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 Q2, private sector. Population from the US Census Bureau. All savings figures are ranges and estimates, not guarantees or quotes.
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.