3 Of The Top Health Insurance Companies

Investing in your health care is very important. You'll be covered and one less thing to worry about in certain medical conditions or emergencies. These top health insurance companies are great options to put your money on.

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Best Ranking And Top Health Insurance Companies

1. Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is an insurance company that has been in business for generations and is a trusted name in health insurance. Why KP? Kaiser Permanente offers their customers medical care through its managed care network and its organization of Kaiser Foundation hospitals and medical centers.

Kaiser Permanente and its affiliates have won multiple customer service awards from J.D. Power & Associates and has excellent financial strength ratings. Kaiser Permanente offers health insurance to residents of Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Washington, and both Northern and Southern California, as well as those living in the Mid-Atlantic and Northwest regions.

Its network includes more than 22,000 participating physicians. If you reside in Kaiser Permanente’s coverage area, you have access to several plan options including essential plans, classic plans, and advantage plans. All plan types offer the option to add a health savings Plan (HSA) option. HSA options have an individual deductible of $5,000 and a family deductible of $10,000. Depending on the plan you choose, you have access to services like unlimited doctor’s visits, no co-pay plans, after-hours care, generic prescription drugs, and numerous online wellness tools.

2. Blue Cross/Blue Shield

Ranked as the best large provider network is Blue Cross/Blue Shield. The Blue Cross Association offers health insurance coverage to individuals and families or employers who reside in the United States and worldwide in over 170 countries. Over 100 million Americans have health insurance through a BlueCross/BlueShield network provider. There are 39 Blue Cross health insurance organizations in the U.S. and most have A.M. Best financial Strength ratings of “A+ (Excellent)” or above.

Blue Cross members may either subscribe to plans through either PPOs or HMOs. The HMO plans offer the most comprehensive plans at the greatest savings but limit doctor choices to those inside the HMO. PPO plans offer more flexibility with choices of physicians, but the plans are less comprehensive. However, blue Cross PPO providers are so plentiful that you are likely to be close to a doctor or facility of choice no matter what part of the country you live in.

Blue Cross plans also give you access to HSA and FSA health savings accounts. With an FSA plan, you can save money tax-free for health insurance deductibles and other health-related expenses. The HSA plan is similar but must be used only for medically-qualifying expenses. Many people apply the funds in these plans to insurance deductibles and enjoy the benefits of lower insurance premiums with a higher deductible plan.

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3. United HealthCare

United HealthCare ranks along with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, but United HealthCare leads the market in online care. United HealthCare has an “A (Excellent)” financial strength rating from A.M. Best and is the largest single health insurer in the U.S. It offers insurance plans
that meet the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements for essential care.

Not only does United Healthcare offer access to online medical care, but also offered is the ability to connect online to order prescriptions, speak with a nurse help hotline, and participate in online wellness programs. Members can also go online 24/7 to set up doctor's appointments, file claims, and find doctors of their choice. United Healthcare even has a mobile app so you can use these resources from your mobile device.

United HealthCare is the top-rated choice for people who need to manage their healthcare plans electronically. This number seems to be growing as more and more as the number of people working remotely keeps increasing.

HMO and PPO plans are available with access to healthcare savings accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).  Member discounts are available for vision services (including Lasik), hearing aids, and smoking cessation programs. UHC has a very large preferred provider network of almost 800,000 participating physicians.

Insurance Incentives

Each of these three Insurance companies offers incentives or points for healthy living to use as discounts on premium prices or to add to flex accounts. To earn points, the account holder may need to log regular health exams, fitness routines, take health quizzes, or other miscellaneous activities.

These discounts may add up to a savings of as much as $20 per month on some plans. Often the insurance carrier may deposit funds in the flex accounts for $200 or $300 to spend on co-pays. They are counting on the improved knowledge about healthier living and preventive care to decrease trips to hospitals and reduce medical costs.

Watch this video from eHealth to learn more about how these top health insurance companies work:

Whichever plan you choose, make sure you do your research and look at the total package, including the flex plans and the incentives. Make sure the health care company you put your life and health with, is a company you can trust to take care of you when you need it the most.

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