How to Find Individual and Family Health Insurance Plans in Ohio

Posted by Andrew Friesner

April 28, 2009

Affordable health insurance in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Cleveland, Akron, Toledo or any other city can be very easy to find if you know what to look for and how to find it. Health insurance carriers such as Anthem, Medical Mutual of Ohio, United Healthcare, Humana, Aetna and many others are always competing for new individual and family health insurance business. Therefore, if you could go to one place and find the guaranteed lowest premiums for each health insurance carrier and were advised as to which health insurance plan was going to provide the most value for you and your family, then you would be ahead of most of the other people out there aimlessly searching online and looking at plans they don’t understand and therefore do not trust.

Where to start your search

To begin your health insurance search if you are in the state of Ohio, I would recommend going to http://www.healthinsurancechaser.com/ because they specialize in the Ohio market and represent each of the carriers in Ohio. Buying health insurance directly from the carrier is never the way; you will automatically limit yourself from receiving information about other carriers that may have products that provide more value for your dollar. It is best to work directly with someone who understand not only the laws and regulations for health insurance within Ohio but also has an understand of each of the plans with each carrier.

In addition, http://www.healthinsuranchaser.com/ is not a lead farming site like 90% of the health insurance quoting sites online. Most lead farming sites will get your information and immediately sell it to up to five agents. That means that you will then receive five different phone calls in order to typically only receive five carrier quotes which you are able to get on this site anyway.

Now that you have all of the health insurance quotes sitting in front of you, I bet you are wondering what to do. The next step is to determine which carrier or plan is the best fit for your situation. Low Ohio health insurance rates are important, but it is equally as important that your coverage matches your unique needs. It’s easy to find the Ohio health insurance plan with the low rates, but you need to make sure that ultimately the plan covers what you need it o cover or you can end up with additional unforeseen out of pocket costs.

Understanding your three basic health insurance plan options

The three types of Ohio individual health insurance are “comprehensive,” “catastrophic,” and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).”

Catastrophic plans generally cover only the major medical expenses, and rates tend to be very low. Sometimes referred to as a “High Deducible Health Plan,” out of pocket expenses tend to be higher, with limitations on office visit and prescription coverage’s. In some cases, preventative benefits are included.

Comprehensive plans add office visit and prescription coverage’s, and tend to be the most expensive plans. But raising the deductible on the major medical items can keep the premium quite affordable. Some Ohio individual health insurance plans will offer a reduced rate, by limiting the number of covered office visits. Another available option to reduce premiums is limiting the type of prescriptions that are covered.

Health Savings Accounts or HSA’s, are a popular Ohio individual health insurance plan option. When major medical and preventative coverage’s are a priority these plans work great and provide a lot of value. Rates are typically low, and additional tax advantages help make the HSA an attractive option to consider. The amount of premium saved by purchasing the lower-premium/higher deductible policy can be deposited into an HSA account, to pay for qualified medical expenses.

Which health insurance plan is right for you?

Understanding each of the carrier’s plans is virtually impossible and therefore it is extremely important to speak with a broker to determine the best plan and carrier.

I would recommend calling (877) 775-4321 and speaking to an agent about which health insurance plans and health insurance carrier is best for you and why. Try using a broker like this, you will receive unbiased advice and gain a better understanding of the health insurance plan and how it pertains to your needs. Plus, there services do not cost you any additional money and could potentially saving you hundreds of dollars each year.

The thing you need to realize is that Ohio individual health insurance plans are available at extremely affordable rates. Most major Ohio health insurance companies offer a large selection of products to meet the ever-changing needs of consumers. Whether you’re self-employed, between jobs, an early retiree or uninsured, there are affordable Ohio individual health insurance options for you. You just need to speak with the right person and understand which product is best for your needs.

Here in Ohio, United Healthcare, Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, Humana and Medical Mutual have the most competitive rates. Individual policies are medically underwritten, so pre-existing medical conditions can sometimes increase the rate. However, in most cases, these conditions will not cause a denial of coverage, but you will have a better understand of the costs associated with the health insurance plan after speaking with a broker.

For applicants that have major health problems, or have been denied health insurance coverage by more than one company, you may be eligible for coverage through the Ohio Department of Insurance. Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) offer an alternative to traditional coverage. HMOs accept individuals during their “Open Enrollment Period” regardless of any pre-existing condition.

Now that you know where to look to get quotes, understand the three basic types of plans, and how to determine which plan is right for you; you should be able to confidently purchase a health insurance plan in Ohio that is affordable and more importantly appropriate for your specific situation.

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