--- description: Minneapolis-St. Paul area wins because of Minnesota's intense competition between hospitals and doctors title: Affordable Care Act: Cheapest Cities for Health Insurance image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa3f0712ce25b1a9/698682a73617602aa190a9e8/health-insurance-cheap.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Health Care](/tag/health-care/) ## Health Care Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Cheapest City for Health Insurance by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 14, 2014 10:45 AM CUT  A patient visits a rheumatologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. A patient visits a rheumatologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.Ariana Lindquist—Bloomberg/Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 14, 2014 10:45 AM CUT Minnesotans are getting the best bargains from the new healthcare law premiums, followed by residents of northwestern Pennsylvania and Tucson, Arizona. Kaiser Health News and NPR [ranked](http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2014/February/13/10-Least-Expensive-Health-Insurance-Markets-In-US.aspx "undefined") U.S. regions based on the lowest cost of a “silver” plan, a mid-range marketplace health insurance plan level that most Americans opt for. Why is Minnesota consistently ranking high for good premiums? The state’s high-density hospitals and healthcare systems creates more competition between hospitals and doctors, according to Kaiser. Premiums for the top four regions are half that of the most expensive areas in the country. Here are the top 10 places where you can get a great deal on health care: $154: Minneapolis-St. Paul $164: Pittsburgh and Northwestern Pennsylvania $166: Middle Minnesota $167: Tucson, Ariz. $171: Northwestern Minnesota $173: Salt Lake City $176: Hawaii $180: Knoxville, Tenn. $180: Western and North Central Minnesota. $181: Chattanooga, Tenn. \[[Kaiser Health News](http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2014/February/13/10-Least-Expensive-Health-Insurance-Markets-In-US.aspx "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7403/the-cheapest-city-for-health-insurance/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7403/the-cheapest-city-for-health-insurance/"},"headline":"The Cheapest City for Health Insurance","datePublished":"2014-02-14T10:45:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:24:35.531Z","description":"Minneapolis-St. Paul area wins because of Minnesota's intense competition between hospitals and doctors","url":"https://time.com/7403/the-cheapest-city-for-health-insurance/","keywords":["Health Care","Obamacare","Affordable Care Act","Kaiser Health News"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa3f0712ce25b1a9/698682a73617602aa190a9e8/health-insurance-cheap.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa3f0712ce25b1a9/698682a73617602aa190a9e8/health-insurance-cheap.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A patient visits a rheumatologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.","caption":"A patient visits a rheumatologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.","creditText":"Ariana Lindquist—Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/health-care/","name":"Health Care"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7403/the-cheapest-city-for-health-insurance/","name":"The Cheapest City for Health Insurance"}}]}] ```