ACA Marketplace Health Insurance for Farmers, Ranchers & Rural Americans
Shop and enroll yourself — or have Clay do the heavy lifting for you.
Schedule Your ACA Appointment
Pick a time that works for you.
We help families in Montana and across America save money on ACA marketplace health insurance—comparing plans, maximizing subsidies, and keeping your doctors covered.
Why the ACA Can Lower Your Health Insurance Costs
Income-based subsidies can STILL reduce your monthly health insurance cost per government guidelines
For some extra savings in addition to subsidies can further lower deductibles and copays
Children who qualify for $0 Medicaid get automatically enrolled. No separate applications.
Wide selection of doctor networks, hospitals, and pharmacies
We Enroll you during Open Enrollment or Special Enrollment Periods
Access to the Brand Name Insurance companies you know and trust.
(We’ll help you confirm eligibility. Requirements vary by household size, income, and state rules.)
Our team has deep experience with the federal healthcare marketplace process or “Obamacare” ensuring clients get plans that truly fit their needs.
Who We Help
ACA Marketplace Health Insurance Coverage Can be a Great Fit For:
Families & Individuals who don’t get insurance through an employer
Small Businesses & Self-Employed owners who need affordable options
Farmers & Ranchers with variable income year to year
Truck Drivers and CDL professionals on the road
Blue-Collar & Gig Workers (contractors, Uber, Doordash, delivery, seasonal)
If your income changes during the year, we help you adjust your application so you keep the ACA health insurance coverage and savings you qualify for.
As a former freight broker and current business owner, Clay Murdock understands the ins and outs of your business. He helps truck drivers, small business owners, and blue-collar workers find the right coverage and maximize your savings on brand name health insurance.
Why I Started Old Western Insurance
Hi, I’m Clay Murdock! I started Old Western Insurance because I realized farmers, ranchers, rural Americans — really, all Americans — needed better options and better guidance when it came to protecting their health, their families, and what they’ve worked for.
Before I was a licensed agent, I was unexpectedly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Up until that moment, I had always thought I didn’t really need health insurance. Suddenly, I was looking at the cost of insulin and wondering how my family and I were going to afford keeping me healthy until I could enroll in coverage at the end of the year.
I was afraid medical costs could put everything my family had worked for at risk — including our family ranch. That fear was especially real because my family had already been through something similar when my aunt, who was also diabetic, was a baby and no insurance company would accept her. I found out pretty quickly how scary it was trying to figure everything out on my own. I didn’t know who to call, I didn’t know who to trust, and I doubted anyone would take my health needs as seriously as I would.
What I did know was that without the right coverage, I couldn’t live the healthy and safe life I needed to live. So I figured it out. I became an insurance broker and started Old Western Insurance so I could give other people the kind of help I wished I’d had.
Old Western Insurance was built to help real people protect their families, farms, ranches, businesses, and finances from both the expected and unexpected costs of healthcare.
When you work with me on Medicare or Marketplace health insurance, my strategy isn’t just to pick a plan and leave you with it. I give you a comprehensive review of your healthcare situation and can recommend additional coverage that may help fill the gaps, save you money, or even get you checks in the mail. I often recommend stacking on coverage for dental, vision, hospital stays, cancer, heart attack, stroke, and other major healthcare expenses.
And my work goes beyond health insurance. As someone who grew up on a farm and ranch, I believe farmers and ranchers are already stretched too thin in most cases, and too often the wrong people are getting wealthy in our industry. That’s also why I help families with financial and retirement strategies that can protect them from catastrophe, improve cash flow, and help them hold on to more of what they’ve built.
As a current MBA candidate, I’m using Old Western Insurance and my degree program to work toward making rural communities stronger. When you work with Old Western Insurance, you’re supporting agriculture and rural families nationwide.
Work With a Dedicated, Independent Agent! Get Year-Round Help!
Clay enjoying Billings, MT in the fall!
When you enroll through our site, Clay Murdock becomes your independent agent. That means:
One point of contact for questions, plan changes, and renewals
Free portal to manage things and upload required documents
Help if life changes (new job, new address, new baby, income shift)
Support with doctors & prescriptions questions before you choose a plan
Annual review to make sure you’re still getting the best value
Free Quote and Shop
We also use powerful enrollment software (behind the scenes) that helps you:
Check savings quickly
Compare plans apples-to-apples
Keep documents organized
Get updates and reminders on time
From health insurance for small businesses to personalized family private health insurance in Billings MT and on the Hi-Line, we guide you every step of the way.
How It Works
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Use our secure portal!
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You can sort by Doctors, prescriptions, premiums, and deductibles. It’s easier than the government website!
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It just takes a few minutes and you can save your work if you need to come back later.
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It’s important to have a licensed independent third-party in your corner to explain things and in case you have problems with your insurance carrier or the marketplace.
You’re not alone after enrollment!
Call us anytime with questions at 855-701-7113. We even work after hours during open enrollment. We will help you if we aren’t already with another client.
Names, dates of birth, social security and address for everyone applying
Estimated household income for the year
Doctor and prescription lists (so we can check networks & meds)
Prior coverage details (if any) and qualifying life event info (if applicable)
What You Need For Your Application
Why Choose Us – Our Commitment to Families, Businesses, and Ranchers
We believe everyone deserves access to affordable, high-quality health coverage. Our commitment is to provide transparent advice, personalized recommendations, and ongoing support for your ACA Marketplace health insurance needs. Whether you’re exploring ACA health insurance options in Billings, MT or looking for family private health insurance nationwide, we make the process simple, transparent, and stress-free. We partner with reputable carriers and leverage technology to find the right balance of coverage, cost, and peace of mind—so you can focus on what matters most.
We saved Brenda $1600 a month on her health insurance! She was able to reinvest the money into hiring extra help on her family ranch! Big win for the Murdock Ranch, Inc!
Don’t Get Stuck!
We’re Here to Answer Your Questions!
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Usually, yes! You can check this before you enroll in our estimator software.
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Tell us—our software makes updates simple so your savings stay accurate.
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No. You don’t pay us. You just get ongoing support when you need it.
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Yes. Many owners and self-employed use the Marketplace for themselves and family members. We’ll walk you through options.
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First off — don’t panic. This is actually more common than you think.
When you sign up for an ACA Marketplace plan, your monthly premium is lowered based on your estimated annual income.
If you make more than expected, your subsidy can be updated when you report it to your agent or the adjustments will be made at tax time.
Remember the subsidy is based on a rather small portion of your income so any difference you would owe is also just a small percentage of the difference.
A really rough estimate is if you make $10,000 more in a year you would only owe back around $500-$600. Which is totally doable if your income is that much more than you originally estimate.
To avoid surprises, we recommend updating your income if things change significantly. But even if you don’t, you won’t lose your insurance — and the tax impact is something you can plan for.
If you think your income is going to be over $5000 more than you estimated give us a call and we will go over the implications for you.
The rules are changing quite a bit these days with the Big Beautiful Bill and health insurance so check in with us or the marketplace if you’re unsure.
We're not tax advisors, so always check with a tax professional — but if you’d like us to walk you through how we’ve seen this affect real people in the past, give us a call. We’re happy to explain in plain English.
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Great news — if your income drops during the year, you might qualify for even more help.
Lower income usually means higher subsidies, and in some cases, you could qualify for free or low-cost Medicaid coverage, depending on your situation. You won’t be penalized for estimating too high — but you might miss out on savings if you don’t update your income.
So definitely call us sooner than later if you realize your income is going to be significantly lower.
If your income ends up under $15,060/year (for a single person), the government may say you’re better off on Medicaid and will require you to switch. So definitely contact us if you expect a big change in income in that direction.
If you’re not eligible for Medicaid, you can still keep your plan and may even qualify for extra savings and a bigger subsidy amount.
As always, we’re not tax or legal advisors, but we’ve helped plenty of folks navigate situations like this — and we’re happy to walk you through what to expect based on your current income. Just reach out anytime.
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When you apply for ACA health insurance, you'll be asked to estimate your total income for the year — not just what you're earning right now. This includes wages, self-employment, Social Security, unemployment, and other taxable income sources.
You don’t always have to show proof — but the rules are getting stricter. If the marketplace notices a large discrepancy (think over 10%) between your estimated income and your recent tax information, the system may flag your application and ask you to verify your income.
If that happens, you’ll get a notice with a 60-day deadline to upload documents. Don’t ignore it — if you don’t respond, your plan could be switched to full price with no subsidies or be terminated.
Insurance carriers usually aren’t responsible for refunds if you plan switches to a non-subsidized full price plan and you don’t contact them.
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✅ For regular jobs (W-2 income):
Recent pay stubs (with gross income and pay frequency)
A letter from your employer
✅ For self-employment or gig work (1099 income):
Invoices or payment receipts
Bookkeeping records or income statements
Recent tax return (if current income is similar)
Bank statements showing business deposits
✅ For fixed income or no income:
Social Security award letter
Unemployment benefits letter
Zero-income statement or letter of support (if someone is helping you financially)
Good news: This is just a good-faith estimate, not an audit. If your income changes later, you can update it anytime to make sure your savings stay accurate.
We’re not tax advisors, but we’ve helped lots of folks through this. If you’re unsure what to submit, give us a call — we’re happy to walk you through it.
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We’re based in Billings and the Hi-Line, and we serve clients nationwide where we’re licensed. We want you to to feel known and taken care of when you work with us!
Clay Murdock, our company owner, is a born and raised Montanan and his family has been ranching in Montana for over 100 years.
Ready to See Your Savings?
Or call/text 855-701-7113 for help now.