You can still get a nationwide PPO in Wyoming. For a Casper plumber in his first year on his own license, though, the real risk is Wyoming's coverage gap. Here's how to plan around it.
Hi, I'm Sam Jaber. I'm a broker based in Tampa who works only on health insurance, I'm licensed in Wyoming, and everything happens by phone.
Think of a plumber in Casper, 29, single, who just finished his years as a journeyman for a local shop and got his own license. He bought a used van and a jetter, and the work is coming: service calls in the older neighborhoods off CY Avenue, water heaters in Mills and Evansville, a few new houses on the east side, and a lot of frozen lines once January winds come down off Casper Mountain. His old employer's plan ends when he leaves. He's healthy and he's never bought insurance on his own before.
Quick answer first: you can still get a nationwide PPO in Wyoming, and I can quote one for you in Casper.
On the marketplace, Natrona County has 23 medical plans for 2026 from 2 insurance companies, 11 PPOs and 12 EPOs. The PPO is the bargain here. For a 40-year-old on silver before any credit, the least expensive PPO costs 5% less than the least expensive EPO, and it's the lowest-priced silver plan in the county. An EPO generally pays nothing out of network unless it's an emergency. A PPO still pays part of the visit, which matters if you're ever hurt on a job in Colorado or Montana.
Wyoming has not expanded Medicaid. As of January 2026, KFF lists its income limit at 43% of the federal poverty level for parents in a family of three, and 0 for other adults. In plain English, a single adult with no kids doesn't qualify for Wyoming Medicaid on low income alone.
The marketplace credit starts at 100% of the federal poverty level. HealthCare.gov says adults in states like Wyoming whose income is under that line, and who don't qualify for Medicaid another way, fall into a gap: they get neither Medicaid nor marketplace savings. For a new plumber, the risk is a first year that nets less than expected.
This is where most new shop owners land. If you can honestly estimate a net above the poverty line, the credit applies, and the marketplace is usually your lowest-priced option. Net means receipts minus the van, fuel, tools, pipe and parts, licensing and liability coverage. With the least expensive silver plan in Natrona County being a PPO, that's where I'd start you. Keep your estimate current on HealthCare.gov, because reporting less than you make can mean paying some credit back.
Next step: Send me what you've billed so far and your realistic expenses, and I'll show you Natrona County's PPOs with your credit.
If your best honest estimate is below 100% of the poverty line, you're in the gap: no Wyoming Medicaid for a single adult, and no marketplace credit. Full-price marketplace coverage is one choice. For a healthy 29-year-old, a medically underwritten nationwide PPO is worth pricing too. You'd answer health questions, and the insurer would accept you, accept you with an earlier condition excluded, or decline. Healthy young applicants often come in below the marketplace's full price. Either way, we'll revisit the moment the business picks up.
Next step: Call me with your expected net and your health history, and I'll lay out full-price marketplace and nationwide PPO options.
Some plumbers in Casper are booked out within months. If your income clears the credit range, every Natrona County plan is full price, and a nationwide PPO should be quoted side by side. If you have a condition that needs regular care, stay with the marketplace instead, where no plan can turn you down or charge more for health.
Next step: Give me your birth year and your doctors, and I'll compare a nationwide PPO with Natrona County's full-price plans.
Straight answers, no sales pitch.
No. KFF lists Wyoming as not having adopted the expansion.
Not on income alone. As of January 2026, KFF shows 0 eligibility for other adults in Wyoming.
Adults below 100% of the poverty line in non-expansion states, who don't qualify for Medicaid another way, get neither Medicaid nor marketplace savings.
No. The least expensive silver PPO costs 5% less than the least expensive silver EPO for a 40-year-old.
Tell me your county, whether anyone else is on the plan, what you've billed so far and what you expect to clear for the year. I'll tell you where you land and price Natrona County's plans.
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