Ohio Health Insurance Broker & Agent: Compare Private Plans
November 14, 2026 · by Bernie Sobalvarro
285+ reviews on Google and Facebook
Led by Bernie Sobalvarro, Senior Advisor, with his team of licensed agents
Need an Ohio health insurance broker or agent who looks past a single carrier? I am Bernie Sobalvarro, an independent health insurance advisor and licensed broker (NPN 19189235), licensed in Ohio and 30 other states. By phone or webinar screen share, I compare full-price ACA plans with private, medically underwritten and off-exchange options for people in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo and Akron. I work for you, not for one insurance company.
Ohioans usually find me after pricing a plan, learning that their income rules out a subsidy, and seeing a full price they did not like. If you are healthy, you may qualify for private, medically underwritten or off-exchange coverage, and I compare it with that full-price plan. I mostly help self-employed people, 1099 contractors, families and small business owners. You can check my Ohio license on the NIPR license lookup or on our state licenses page.
Who our brokers help in Ohio: six common situations
From Columbus to the smallest towns in Ohio, nearly every call our agents take starts with one of the situations below. Healthy applicants can weigh private, medically underwritten plans against full-price ACA coverage.
- Turning 26
Turning 26
Coming off a parent’s plan at 26? Young adults can usually stay on a parent’s plan until they turn 26 (HealthCare.gov). After that, healthy applicants can compare private underwritten plans with full-price ACA plans.
- High earners
Paying full price for coverage
With no subsidy you pay every dollar of the premium, so plan design matters more. We line up private underwritten plans and full-price ACA plans on deductibles, networks and cost.
- Self-employed & 1099
Self-employed in Ohio
Owner-operators and solo professionals around Columbus often want lower premiums without giving up a sensible network. Private underwritten plans may help if you are healthy; we show the full-price plan too.
- Leaving a job / COBRA
Your work coverage is ending
When employer coverage ends, the COBRA letter often costs more than people expect. A quick comparison with private and full-price plans shows whether it is worth keeping.
- Families
Priced out of the family plan at work
Your job covers you, but adding a spouse and children costs a lot. We compare the employer family premium with private and full-price individual plans for the rest of the family.
- Small business 2–30
Teams of 2 to 30
Small teams in Columbus and Cleveland, from 2 to 30 employees, can compare a group plan with other setups before committing to anything.
Situations overlap: a business owner leaving COBRA, a family with a 26-year-old. We build one comparison around all of it.
Self-employed health insurance in Ohio: who I help
If you searched for a health insurance broker in Columbus or Cleveland, this is who I work with: consultants, tech contractors and business owners in Columbus, Dublin and Westerville, professionals and tradespeople in Cleveland and its suburbs, owners and families in Cincinnati and Dayton, and self-employed people in Toledo and Akron. I help anywhere in Ohio by phone or webinar screen share.
Ohio has 1,081,292 small businesses, and 898,451 of them have no paid employees. Small businesses employ about 2.2 million people, 43.8 percent of Ohio employees (SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 profile). Deductibility of premiums for the self-employed depends on your situation, so check with a tax professional; this is not tax advice.
For 2027 coverage, Ohio uses HealthCare.gov as its marketplace (KFF, 2027 marketplace types). If you have already checked there, the next question is what the marketplace does not list: private, medically underwritten plans. Agents selling health insurance in Ohio are licensed by the Ohio Department of Insurance.
Private health insurance in Ohio: underwritten and off-exchange plans
Off-exchange coverage is bought directly from an insurer or through a broker rather than through the state exchange. It can be an ACA-compliant plan or a type of coverage that follows different rules, and federal premium help is not available outside the exchange (KFF). For Ohio households that would not get meaningful premium help anyway, that last point matters less.
With a medically underwritten plan, your application includes health questions, and the insurer can approve you, change the terms or decline. Pre-existing conditions may be limited or excluded, and these plans do not carry all of the ACA’s protections (Georgetown CHIR). Many Ohioans ask about private health insurance; some private plans do use PPO-style networks, but what is available depends on your county and the plan, so we check before you count on it. For healthy applicants, that trade-off is worth pricing.
Full-price plan too expensive? How a Ohio health insurance broker compares your options
For Ohio clients, the full-price ACA plan and each private option go on one sheet: whether your doctors and health systems in Columbus, Cleveland or Cincinnati are in network, PPO-style versus narrower networks, deductibles and out-of-pocket limits, what is covered and excluded, pre-existing condition terms, renewal and the premium. I will not promise “any doctor”; we check each provider against each plan.
ACA plans accept everyone regardless of health; underwritten plans do not have to. If approval looks unlikely, or a condition would be excluded, the full-price ACA plan is often the better answer, and I will tell you that up front.
Applying outside open enrollment
ACA individual-market plans, on or off the exchange, can only be bought during open enrollment or a special enrollment period (45 CFR 147.104). Medically underwritten plans that are not ACA individual-market coverage generally are not limited to that window, so applying at other times of the year is usually possible. We check availability and start dates for the specific plan and state before you apply.
Small business health insurance in Ohio
Own an Ohio business with a few employees? We can compare a small group plan with individual private coverage for you and your staff before you choose. The small business page explains how.
Talk with a Ohio health insurance agent
Have your zip code and the birthdates for everyone on the plan. Expect a short call, about 15 minutes, by phone or webinar screen share. You get a written comparison afterward, nothing to sign, and the choice of English or Spanish. Family in another state? I am licensed in 31 states, including Florida and Texas; there is also our Florida guide and Houston page. The full list is on our state licenses page.
Frequently asked questions
Are you a licensed health insurance agent in Ohio?
Yes. I am licensed in Ohio as a health insurance agent and broker, NPN 19189235. I am based in Florida and help Ohio clients by phone or webinar screen share, from Cleveland to Cincinnati. You can confirm my license on the NIPR lookup.
I priced a full-price plan and it was too expensive. What are my private options in Ohio?
If your health is good, a private underwritten plan may be an option. It asks health questions, approval is not guaranteed and pre-existing conditions can be limited (Georgetown CHIR). We put it next to the full-price plan you priced so the trade-offs are clear.
What is off exchange health insurance in Ohio?
A policy purchased without going through the exchange. Some off-exchange plans meet ACA rules and some are other kinds of coverage; either way, federal premium help is limited to exchange plans (KFF).
Can I get private health insurance in Ohio outside open enrollment?
It depends on the plan type. ACA individual-market plans follow enrollment windows; medically underwritten plans outside that market generally do not. We check the specific plan’s rules with you.
What self-employed health insurance options are available in Ohio?
No plan is best for everyone. A healthy self-employed Ohioan who earns too much for subsidies may want to compare private underwritten and off-exchange plans; if a condition could affect approval, a full-price ACA plan may be the better fit. I lay them out side by side.
Is a health insurance broker more expensive than buying direct?
It does not. I am paid by the insurer rather than by you, so the price of the plan is the same either way.
What happens to my health insurance when I turn 26 in Ohio?
Dependent coverage on a parent’s plan usually lasts until you turn 26 (HealthCare.gov), and losing it generally counts as a qualifying event for ACA plans (HealthCare.gov). If you are healthy, a private, medically underwritten plan may also be an option; it asks health questions and can decline. We compare both before your coverage ends.
My job coverage is ending. Is COBRA my only option in Ohio?
COBRA is not the only choice. It continues your group plan, often at the full premium plus up to a 2% fee (U.S. Department of Labor). Private, medically underwritten plans ask health questions and may decline, while full-price ACA plans do not; we compare all of them with your COBRA quote.
Do you sell Medicare plans in Ohio?
No. We do not sell Medicare or Medicaid plans.
Want to talk with a licensed advisor about private or full-price plans? Get a Quote. Hablamos Español. More general questions are on the FAQ page.
Sobal Nationwide Health does not sell Medicare or Medicaid plans.
Licensed Health Insurance Advisor · NPN 19189235 · Licensed in 31 states · Hablamos Español
