Buying Health Insurance

Healthcare.gov Factsheets
Legislation requires states to take action against insurers seeking unreasonable rate increases.  This year, insurance companies must spend at least 80 percent of the dollars collected on healthcare services in the employer market, and must limit spending on overhead, marketing, CEO salaries and profits.  Visit the website to see a Detailed State by State Summary of Proposed Activities.

HealthCare.gov
If you don’t have health insurance or if you want to compare rates across insurers, start your research at HealthCare.gov, managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Pricing information for more than 4,000 individual and family plans offered by more than 200 insurance carriers is available on the Web site.

eHealthInsurance
Founded in 1997, eHealthINsurance currently sells more than 10,000 health insurance products on the Internet, as well as insurance policies offered by nearly 200 companies.

Foundation for Health Coverage Education (FHCE)
Offers two important services:  the U.S. Uninsured Help Line  and the Coverage ForAll Web site.  When you click on a state, you can download that state’s Health Care Option Matrix Guide, which outlines in considerable detail the state’s public and private health care choices.

National Association of Health Underwriters
The National Association of Health Underwriters represents more than 100,000 licensed health insurance agents, brokers, consultants and benefit professionals through more than 200 chapters across America. NAHU members service the health insurance needs of large and small employers as well as people seeking individual health insurance coverage.

Healthcare Blue Book
Compare health care costs in your area.

U.S. News and World Report
The most recent rankings of commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid health plans.

Source:  Stephanie C. Ardito, "Buying Health Insurance," Searcher Magazine, March 2011.