Tennessee 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
Searching for a Tennessee health insurance broker or agent who will actually walk you through the numbers? I am Bernie Sobalvarro, an independent health insurance advisor and licensed broker (NPN 19189235), licensed in Tennessee and 30 other states. By phone or webinar screen share, I compare full-price ACA plans with private, medically underwritten coverage for people in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Franklin. I represent you, not an insurance company.
Many Tennesseans find me after they priced a plan, learned they earn too much for a subsidy, and the full price stopped them cold. If you are healthy, you may qualify for private, medically underwritten coverage, and I compare it with the full-price plan you saw. I mostly help self-employed people, musicians and creative freelancers, 1099 contractors, families and small business owners. You can check my Tennessee license on the NIPR license lookup or on our state licenses page.
Who our brokers help in Tennessee: six common situations
Six kinds of Tennessee households make up most calls to our brokers. We do not sell Medicare or Medicaid plans, and most of these clients are comparing private underwritten coverage with an unsubsidized ACA plan.
- Turning 26
Your first plan of your own
About to turn 26 around Memphis? Young, healthy applicants are often a good fit for private underwritten plans, and we show the full-price ACA plan beside them so the choice is clear.
- High earners
Higher income, no premium help
If your income puts you past premium help, a licensed broker can show what else is out there. For healthy Tennessee applicants that usually means private underwritten plans next to full-price coverage.
- Self-employed & 1099
Paid on a 1099
Paid on a 1099 or running your own practice? You choose your own coverage, so we compare private underwritten plans and full-price ACA plans for you and anyone else on the policy.
- Leaving a job / COBRA
Between jobs
Between jobs in Nashville or elsewhere in Tennessee? COBRA is one option, not the only one. We check whether a private underwritten plan or a full-price ACA plan fits the months ahead.
- Families
Covering a spouse and children
If your employer pays for you but not much toward dependents, the family premium can sting. We check private underwritten plans for healthy family members and the full-price ACA alternative.
- Small business 2–30
Growing Tennessee companies
Hiring your second or your twentieth employee? Businesses with 2–30 people can compare a group plan with individual private plans, and we handle the comparison by phone or webinar screen share.
More than one of these can apply at once, for example a self-employed parent with a child turning 26. We handle it in one comparison.
Self-employed health insurance in Tennessee: who I help
If you searched for a health insurance broker in Nashville or Memphis, here is who I work with: music, entertainment and health care freelancers and owners in Nashville, Franklin and Brentwood, logistics and trade business owners in Memphis, contractors and families in Knoxville and Chattanooga, and self-employed people in Murfreesboro, Clarksville and Johnson City. I help anywhere in Tennessee by phone or webinar screen share.
Of the 741,196 small businesses in Tennessee, 637,340 have no employees at all, and small firms account for 41.5 percent of Tennessee employees, about 1.2 million people (SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 profile). Ask your tax professional whether self-employed premiums are deductible in your situation. This is general information, not tax advice.
Tennessee uses HealthCare.gov as its marketplace for 2027 coverage (KFF, 2027 marketplace types). If that is where you priced a plan, we can use it as your starting point. ACA plans are also sold off-exchange at full price, and private underwritten options sit outside the marketplace entirely. Insurers and agents in Tennessee are regulated by the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance.
Private health insurance in Tennessee: underwritten and off-exchange plans
Think of the exchange as one storefront among several. ACA-compliant plans, and coverage that follows different rules, can also be bought from an insurer directly or through a licensed broker. Federal premium help does not follow you off the exchange (KFF), which matters little if your income already rules it out.
Underwriting means the insurer reviews your health answers before it decides whether to cover you and on what terms. Nothing is guaranteed, pre-existing conditions can be limited, and the ACA’s full set of protections does not apply (Georgetown CHIR). For a healthy Tennessee freelancer or family, that trade-off is worth pricing. Some private plans use PPO-style networks; availability depends on your county and the plan.
Full-price plan too expensive? How a Tennessee health insurance broker compares your options
Here is what a Tennessee comparison covers, for the full-price ACA plan and each private option: whether your doctors and hospitals in Nashville, Memphis or Knoxville are in network, the deductible and out-of-pocket limit, covered services and exclusions, how pre-existing conditions are handled, renewal terms and the monthly price. I do not promise “any doctor”; we check every provider.
Where your health is a question mark, the full-price ACA plan has something no underwritten plan offers: it has to accept you and cannot charge more because of your health. If that guarantee matters most for your household, I will point you there.
Applying outside open enrollment
Open-enrollment and special-enrollment rules apply to ACA individual-market plans, whether you buy them on or off the exchange (45 CFR 147.104). Medically underwritten plans that are not ACA individual-market coverage are generally not tied to that window, so you can usually apply at other times of the year. Availability and start dates depend on the plan and your state, and we confirm them before you apply.
Small business health insurance in Tennessee
Own a Tennessee business with a small team? We can compare a small group plan with individual private coverage for you and your employees before you commit. The small business page explains the review.
Talk with a Tennessee health insurance agent
Have your zip code and the birthdates for everyone on the plan. The call takes about 15 minutes by phone or webinar screen share. Afterward I email a short comparison, in English or Spanish, and you decide on your own time whether to apply. 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 Tennessee?
Yes. I am a licensed health insurance agent and broker in Tennessee, NPN 19189235. I am based in Florida and serve Tennessee clients by phone or webinar screen share, from Memphis to Johnson City. You can verify my license on the NIPR lookup.
I priced a full-price plan and it was too expensive. What are my private options in Tennessee?
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 an off-exchange health insurance plan?
“Off-exchange” only describes where the plan is bought: directly from a carrier or through a broker. The plan may follow ACA rules or different ones. Premium tax credits are not available off the exchange, per KFF.
Can I get private health insurance in Tennessee outside open enrollment?
Often, yes. Underwritten plans that are not ACA individual-market coverage generally take applications through the year, while ACA plans on or off the exchange keep to open and special enrollment. We confirm before you apply.
What self-employed health insurance options are available in Tennessee?
No plan is best for everyone. A healthy self-employed Tennessean who earns too much for subsidies may want to compare a private underwritten plan; if a condition might affect approval, a full-price ACA plan may serve you better. I lay out both.
Does it cost more to use a health insurance broker?
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 Tennessee?
Turning 26 generally ends dependent coverage; check the exact end date with the parent’s plan (HealthCare.gov). Loss of that coverage is usually a qualifying life event for ACA plans (HealthCare.gov). Healthy young adults in Tennessee can also price private underwritten coverage, and we lay out the trade-offs side by side.
What are my options besides COBRA in Tennessee?
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 Tennessee?
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
