PPO Network · Year-Round · No Open Enrollment
TriTerm Medical Insurance in Arizona
Arizona's 2026 marketplace has no PPO plans left. If network access is the reason you are here, that changes the maths — and it is worth understanding exactly what you give up to get it back.
Reviewed by Philip Smith, Licensed Insurance AgentNPN #22255420Updated July 2026
What actually changed in Arizona for 2026
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona discontinued all of its PPO plans, and Banner|Aetna left the individual market entirely. Seven carriers remain on the Arizona marketplace and the individual plans they offer there are HMO products. In practice that means an Arizona resident shopping on-exchange in 2026 cannot buy a PPO at any price.
Premiums moved at the same time. Statewide averages rose roughly 28–35%, with UnitedHealthcare filing near 44% and Blue Cross and Ambetter near 49%. Enhanced federal subsidies expired at the end of 2025, which raised the net premium for around 40% of Arizona enrollees on top of the rate increases.
For someone receiving a subsidy, an HMO plan is still very likely the right answer. For someone above the subsidy cliff who specifically needs out-of-network access, the marketplace no longer has a product for them — and that is the narrow situation TriTerm is built for.
How long Arizona allows it to run
Arizona permits short-term coverage totalling up to 36 months, and as of early 2026 at least six insurers were still writing to that length. TriTerm is sold as three consecutive terms totalling just under three years, all from one application — so a health event in year one does not cost you coverage in year two.
Arizona says 36 months. The federal rule says four.
A federal rule finalized in 2024 limits new short-term, limited-duration policies to three months initially and four months including renewals, for coverage issued on or after September 1, 2024. Arizona's own rules permit up to 36 months, and carriers have continued writing to that length.
That gap is not an oversight. In August 2025 the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury said they do not intend to prioritize enforcement of the federal definition while further rulemaking is considered.
So the three-year length currently rests on a non-enforcement position rather than settled rule. It is a real product you can buy today, and existing policies are a separate question from what carriers may newly issue — but plan around it with your eyes open, and ask how your specific policy would be treated.
Who it suits in Arizona, and who it does not
Worth considering if…
- You need PPO network access, which the 2026 Arizona marketplace no longer offers
- You are above the subsidy cliff and paying full price either way
- You split time between Arizona and another state
- You are in good health and can pass medical underwriting
- You need coverage now and it is not Open Enrollment
The wrong product if…
- You qualify for a premium tax credit — take the HMO and the subsidy
- You have a pre-existing condition needing treatment now
- Your employer offers an ICHRA — short-term plans do not satisfy it
- You are pregnant or planning to be
- An HMO network already covers the doctors you actually use
Run the HMO and the PPO side by side
If a subsidized Arizona HMO wins on the numbers, that is what I will tell you. There is no cost to you either way.
Compare my Arizona optionsArizona TriTerm FAQs
Can I still get a PPO plan in Arizona in 2026?
Not on the ACA marketplace. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona discontinued its PPO plans for 2026 and Banner|Aetna left the individual market entirely, which leaves Arizona's on-exchange individual plans as HMO products. PPO access in Arizona now means going off-exchange — which also means giving up any premium tax credit you might have qualified for. That trade is worth running the numbers on rather than assuming.
How long can a short-term plan last in Arizona?
Arizona permits short-term coverage totalling up to 36 months, and multiple insurers were still writing to that length as of early 2026. TriTerm is structured as three consecutive terms totalling just under three years from a single application. Note the federal caveat below — the state permission and the current federal rule are not saying the same thing.
Why did Arizona premiums rise so much for 2026?
Two things happened at once. Enhanced federal subsidies expired at the end of 2025, which raised net premiums for roughly 40% of Arizona marketplace enrollees, and carriers filed large rate increases on top — statewide averages rose roughly 28–35%, with UnitedHealthcare near 44% and Blue Cross and Ambetter near 49%. If you were already paying full price, you absorbed both.
Is TriTerm ACA coverage?
No. TriTerm is short-term, limited-duration insurance underwritten by Golden Rule Insurance Company, a UnitedHealthcare company. It is medically underwritten, it excludes pre-existing conditions initially, it does not cover the ten essential health benefits as a set, and it cannot be paired with a subsidy. If you qualify for a meaningful premium tax credit, an Arizona marketplace plan will almost certainly cost you less even as an HMO.
Who in Arizona should actually consider it?
Someone in good health, above the subsidy cliff — roughly $62,600 for a single filer or $128,600 for a family of four in 2026 — who needs provider access an HMO network cannot give them. That includes people who split time between Arizona and another state, who see specialists outside a single local network, or who travel enough that a nationwide network is the point. If you are subsidy-eligible, this is the wrong product.