You can still get a nationwide PPO in Kentucky, even though kynect sells only HMOs. Here is what that means for Northern Kentucky contractors whose jobs are often across the river in Ohio.
Hi, I'm Sam. I help people who work for themselves buy coverage, from Tampa, under licenses in 36 states. Kentuckians paid on a 1099, whether you frame houses in Florence, run electrical in Covington or install HVAC in Fort Thomas, can work with me by phone.
Northern Kentucky is really one half of Greater Cincinnati. A carpenter who sleeps in Independence might spend Monday in Blue Ash, Wednesday in Hyde Park and Friday back in Union. Payment shows up on a 1099, and health coverage comes from kynect, Kentucky's exchange, because that's where he lives. The catch is that kynect sells nothing but HMOs.
kynect's lineup for 2026 is 85 individual medical plans, every one built as an HMO, from three insurers statewide. You won't find a PPO there.
You can still get a nationwide PPO in Kentucky by going around kynect, and I can arrange it. Underwriting sets the premium, and the network doesn't stop at the Ohio River: clinics in Cincinnati, Dayton or Indianapolis are in network the same as ones in Kentucky.
HMOs typically pay for out-of-network care only in a true emergency. So the question for a Northern Kentucky contractor is simple: does the network on your kynect plan include the doctors and urgent cares you actually use on the Ohio side? There are two kynect insurers in each of Kenton, Boone and Campbell counties, which means two networks to test.
Run through this for each of them:
If you live and work mostly on the Kentucky side, a kynect HMO with the right home doctors may be fine. If your week mostly happens in Ohio, network reach matters more than the monthly price.
kynect sizes its credit from net self-employment income for the coverage year: what the 1099s paid, minus tools, truck, fuel, materials and the rest, reported and then updated when it shifts. Kentucky expanded Medicaid, with an adult income ceiling KFF puts at 138% of the federal poverty level. If your year lands at or under it, Medicaid may be the right coverage, and Medicaid eligibility generally rules out kynect's credit for the same months.
Then a kynect HMO is likely your least expensive option. Use the checklist to pick the network that reaches the Ohio-side providers you lean on.
Next step: Send over your main job locations and doctors, and I'll compare the two kynect networks against them.
Full price for an HMO whose network may stop at the river is a tough sell. A privately underwritten PPO often beats it: the insurer reviews your answers and writes the policy, turns it down, or writes it with one condition carved out. Contractors in good health frequently pay less than kynect's full rate.
Next step: Phone me for a private PPO quote covering your household, set beside both kynect networks in your county.
Slow months can pull the year down toward the Medicaid ceiling. If your honest estimate ends up at or under it, apply; if the spring rush pushes you back above it, report the change and move to a kynect plan.
Next step: When work dries up, get in touch and I'll help you decide between Medicaid and kynect, and when to switch back.
Many Northern Kentucky trades slow down in the coldest months and run hard from spring through fall. Base your kynect estimate on how a full year usually goes, not on what January looks like, and revise it as the busy season fills in. That keeps your credit honest and keeps you from bouncing between programs more than you need to.
Straight answers, no sales pitch.
Only if they're in that plan's network. kynect plans are HMOs, which typically cover out-of-network care just for emergencies, so check before you enroll.
Two each in Kenton, Boone and Campbell counties for 2026.
No. kynect sells only HMOs. A healthy contractor can buy a nationwide PPO privately through me.
It can. Kentucky expanded Medicaid, and KFF lists the adult ceiling at 138% of the federal poverty level.
Let me know which county you live in, roughly what share of your jobs sit on the Ohio side, and what your 1099s cleared last year. That's enough for a straight answer on coverage.
The guide for every state, and other work I help with