Top 6 Best Individual Health Insurance Companies | 2017 Ranking | Most Popular Companies for Purchasing Personal Health Insurance

2017 RANKING & REVIEWS
TOP RANKING BEST INDIVIDUAL HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES

Guide to the Best Individual Medical Insurance Companies

Purchasing personal health insurance can be a confusing process, with multiple companies and plans vying for your business. How do you balance the top plans for individual medical insurance with the reputation of the major companies and their costs?

Individual health insurance plans are as unique as each consumer who applies for them. Whether you want to keep your out-of-pocket costs low or need the lowest monthly individual health insurance cost, you won’t have any shortage of options when it comes to individual health insurance companies.

Award Emblem: Top 6 Best Individual Health Insurance Companies

With the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, health insurance plans for individuals become required by federal law for most individuals. Consumers who choose not to purchase individual health care could face annual penalties that make it more appealing to buy individual health insurance whenever possible.

The question really remains of which individual health insurance companies are the best?

In our ranking of companies that offer health insurance for individuals, AdvisoryHQ aims to give you all of the details that you need to know. From the types of plans they offer to their overall cost and company history, you’ll be well-versed in the individual health insurance companies that are available for your consideration.

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AdvisoryHQ’s List of the Top 6 Best Individual Health Insurance Companies

List is sorted alphabetically (click any of the companies below to go directly to the detailed review section for that individual health insurance company):

• Aetna
• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Cigna
• Humana
• Kaiser Permanente
• United Healthcare

Top 6 Best Individual Health Insurance Companies | Brief Comparison & Ranking

Table: Top 6 Best Companies for Individual Medical Insurance | Above list is sorted alphabetically

What Do You Need to Know About How to Buy Individual Health Insurance?

With the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, many individuals found themselves at a loss with the federally-mandated need for individual medical insurance. Consumers who had never had a need to buy individual health insurance suddenly faced an entirely new world and vocabulary: high deductible, health savings accounts, catastrophe plans, and more.

What are a few of the things that you need to know about the ability to purchase individual medical insurance?

Health insurance for individuals can vary rather significantly, whether you purchase it privately or through the federal health insurance marketplace or exchange. When you need to buy individual health insurance through the marketplace, you should be aware that there are time limits on this unless you qualify for special enrollment, which entails:

• Losing health coverage
• Moving
• Getting married
• Having a baby
• Adopting a child

All of the major life events that you can think of will likely qualify you for a special enrollment period to purchase health insurance for individuals through the federal exchange. Healthcare.gov can only help you enroll during open enrollment toward the end of the year unless you qualify for one of these extenuating circumstances for individual health insurance plans.

Image Source: Healthcare.gov

There are plenty of options for medical insurance plans for individuals on the federal exchange. One survey showed that most consumers (86%) have access to at least three different providers for individual healthcare plans.

Consumers in more urban areas may experience a large increase in the number of individual health insurance companies they can choose from. Not all health insurance plans for individuals, including those featured on our ranking, will be available in every state or area. Individual health insurance can certainly vary across the country.

From there, you will need to decide on your deductible. This factor is one of the most important when it comes to your personal health care. Your deductible is the amount of money you will need to spend out of pocket before your insurance will begin assisting with the payment of your medical bills.

While some plans may feature co-pays that help to offset the costs of routine care such as physicals or office visits, your deductible can still vary significantly. Consumers who use their individual health care plans frequently may opt for a lower deductible to help offset their out-of-pocket costs.

Keep in mind that a lower deductible tends to mean a higher monthly premium when it comes to any type of insurance, personal health insurance included.

The cost and the coverage available among individual healthcare plans can vary significantly. Consider what is most significant to have when you’re purchasing personal health insurance before you ever begin to research the various companies that offer individual health insurance plans.

AdvisoryHQ’s Selection Methodology

What methodology does AdvisoryHQ use in selecting and finalizing the credit cards, financial products, firms, services, and products that are ranked on its various top rated lists?

Please click here “AdvisoryHQ’s Ranking Methodologies” for a detailed review of AdvisoryHQ’s selection methodologies for ranking top rated credit cards, financial accounts, firms, products, and services.

Detailed Review – Top Ranking Individual Health Insurance Companies

Below, please find the detailed review of each company on our list of personal health insurance companies. We have highlighted some of the factors that allowed these companies for individual medical insurance to score so highly in our selection ranking.

Aetna Review

While Aetna doesn’t offer personal health insurance plans in all fifty states through the exchange, they do have quite a few offerings. Consumers have the option to add on additional coverage for things like dental and vision. Along with their individual medical insurance, consumers can opt for full and complete coverage through Aetna.

Medical insurance plans for individuals through the health insurance marketplace are only available in a few states. Officially, you can get a health insurance plan for individuals from Aetna in:

• Delaware
• Iowa
• Nebraska
• Virginia

They offer premiums and individual medical insurance plans for every category on Healthcare.gov from bronze to platinum. With each subsequent tier, Aetna will cover more of the costs in a typical year while the monthly premium rises. All four categories for their individual health insurance still maintain an out-of-pocket maximum of $7,150 for individuals.

One of the major benefits to choosing Aetna over other individual health insurance companies is their access to secure member accounts. From their website, you can use your personal account to access all of the critical information you should know about your individual health insurance company.

Their platform allows you to check a claim, find doctors, pay bills, and refill medications all in one convenient location.

You may also find health insurance plans for individuals through employers with this provider. Additional coverage options are available for individual medical insurance under these circumstances, including disability and life insurance. 

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Blue Cross Blue Shield Review

Blue Cross Blue Shield is one of the most popular choices among individual health insurance companies for its far-reaching coverage. It is one of the only companies to offer health insurance for individuals in all fifty states and across the world. If you need to buy individual health insurance that could travel with you as you move, Blue Cross Blue Shield is one company to highly consider.

Unlike some of the other individual health insurance companies, Blue Cross Blue Shield has several locally owned and operated offices. More than 36 of these independent branches exist, known as “Blue Companies,” to provide coverage and individual medical insurance policies. Currently, they cover approximately one in three Americans, which makes them one of the largest individual health insurance companies in the country.

Each of these individual insurance companies can set their own rates and offer different plans. Thus, it can be difficult to accurately compare all of the individual medical insurance choices available from Blue Cross Blue Shield.

These individual health insurance companies also offer plans in the bronze, silver, gold, and platinum categories. Among these selections, consumers will find a variety of plans regarding health insurance for individuals. Variations include:

• Deductibles
• Co-pays
• Monthly premium payments
• HSA plans

Consumers may also consider adding dental coverage to their personal health insurance coverage for more comprehensive care.

At least one of the local Blue Cross Blue Shield companies (located in Western New York) offers an additional $250 wellness debit card. Consumers can use this in tandem with their personal health insurance to cover other wellness activities like weight loss programs, gym memberships, massages, and more.

Cigna Review

In comparison to some of the other individual health insurance companies, Cigna has a fairly impressive reach into various states. While they do not cover all fifty states with individual health insurance, they offer several coverage options in fifteen states to date. Consumers who are interested in Cigna health insurance for individuals can still enroll if they qualify for a special enrollment period.

To gain a better understanding of who can qualify for a Cigna health insurance plan, here is a list of all the areas that can receive coverage under these personal health insurance plans:

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Maryland
• Missouri
• New Jersey
• North and South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia

Among the coverage options in these states, consumers can still opt for a variety of levels when it comes to comprehensive coverage. The individual health insurance cost will vary based on the plan selected, with options ranging from bronze to platinum. Not all of the benefits for each of the four categories are available in every state.

For full information on which plans are included in which states, you can see the detailed breakdown of the summaries and benefits for coverage on their official website here.

Cigna also offers other types of coverage so you can meet all of your insurance needs in one convenient location. In addition to individual medical insurance, you can also find dental coverage, whole life insurance, cancer insurance, and more. 

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Humana Review

Much like some of the other leading individual health insurance companies, Humana offers coverage solutions to a variety of individuals across the country. While not as extensive in their offerings as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana still delivers health insurance for individuals to a large portion of the country. Currently, more than one million members have their personal health care covered through Humana’s services.

On the federal health insurance exchanges, Humana offers coverage in parts of fifteen different states. While not all counties within those states have qualified individual health insurance options, they have a wide selection for some heavily populated areas, including:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Colorado
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• Missouri
• Mississippi
• Ohio
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah

Within the states that can receive coverage through Humana on Healthcare.gov, there are a variety of plans to choose from ranging from bronze to platinum. Humana is also offering catastrophic plans for individual health insurance instead of solely the four traditional tiers of coverage.

The primary focus for their individual medical insurance tends to lie in making good wellness decisions, managing chronic illnesses, and gaining access to needed services. Along with this focus, these individual health insurance companies partner with a number of organizations such as the YMCA to facilitate educational opportunities.

Dental insurance is also available.

Kaiser Permanente Review

Kaiser Permanente provides individual medical insurance for consumers on each side of the coast with very few facilities in between. The aim for the development of their personal health insurance program is to make your healthcare seamless and convenient. As a result, they developed facilities that house many different types of services all in one to make individual healthcare plans easier to put to good use.

For example, a Kaiser Permanente facility may house your general physician, an on-site pharmacy, and a farmer’s market to encourage healthy eating. Unless it is an emergency situation where you would head to the nearest hospital, coverage with these health insurance for individuals plans are only for Kaiser facilities.

While new Kaiser Permanente facilities are consistently being established, the majority of their covered individuals reside in California. In the San Francisco Bay area, they claim that covered individuals with their personal health care plans comprise almost 40% of the total population. Other covered areas with Kaiser Permanente facilities include:

• Georgia
• Colorado
• Hawaii
• Maryland
• Virginia
• Washington D.C.
• Ohio
• Idaho
• Oregon
• Washington

Their medical insurance plans for individuals run the gamut from bronze all the way to platinum. However, they don’t just offer individual health care solutions that are generic in each category. Consumers will find highly personalized plans including those with HSAs, low co-pays, and even catastrophic coverage for those who qualify.

According to the availability of their products in San Mateo County, California, their out-of-pocket maximum comes in around $14,300 for family coverage. Some plans (that will likely feature a higher monthly individual health insurance cost) have a lower out-of-pocket maximum. This is a critical piece of information to keep in mind when you are investigating the best way to buy individual health insurance.

Limited dental personal health insurance is available also.

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United Healthcare Review

When the latest open enrollment period ended, it was discovered that United Healthcare no longer offers coverage in nearly as many areas as it once did. Those who need individual healthcare plans may not find as many options from this individual health insurance company as they did in the recent past. Coverage on their health insurance for individuals still covers an estimated 12 million people.

If you would like to know whether purchasing personal health insurance through the Healthcare.gov exchange will include United Healthcare in your area, see the list of some covered states below:

• Georgia
• Illinois
• Virginia
• New York
• Nevada
• Virginia

In previous years, they covered approximately 34 different states, with 22 less in the recent open enrollment period.

According to reviews, one of the best features of obtaining personal health insurance through United Healthcare is gaining access to their online tools. Top Ten Reviews labels their personal health care website as easy to use and understand. You can manage all of your healthcare and personal health insurance expenses from these convenient tools.

They also claim that the only major drawback to the individual medical insurance offered by this company is the high monthly cost compared to competitors.

You may qualify for additional coverage when you are searching for personal health insurance for individuals with United Healthcare. Dental and vision policies are available under their individual medical insurance.

Conclusion—Top 6 Best Individual Health Insurance Companies

The best individual health insurance companies offer a range of products for consumers to choose from. Whether you need a low individual health insurance cost on a monthly basis or low out-of-pocket costs at the doctor’s office, health insurance for individuals should provide you with plenty of healthcare solutions.

Consider what you hope to gain through your individual medical insurance before weighing the available plans in your area from these companies. You’ll need to see what their deductibles are, what co-pays you can expect, and even consider if you want the additional coverage offered for dental or vision.

Image Source: Pexels

When it comes to buying personal health insurance, you can’t be too careful with the companies you select. After all, your life and healthcare for the year could be in their hands.

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