Compare Health Insurance Plans and Quotes
See how health insurance plans match up in terms of price and type to get the best option for you.
The best way to shop for health insurance is to compare quotes and insurers. You can compare them by cost, by tier and by type.
You’ll also need to decide where to shop — at the health insurance marketplace or with insurance companies directly — and whether you want to use an agent or broker.
Compare health insurance plans: Getting started
You usually will need to provide the legal names, birthdates and Social Security numbers for yourself and any family members on your policy. You may also need to supply your household income and basic info about your current health insurance
The health insurance marketplace, or exchange, is a good tool for first-time shoppers. It lets you compare plans and apply for financial assistance, if you qualify. All exchange plans comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, meaning they offer essential coverages
You may find more healthcare options outside the exchange. Most off-exchange plans also meet ACA requirements, but some don’t. Non-compliant plans may have less coverage or fewer protections than ACA-compliant ones.
Most health insurance agents and brokers can help you shop for plans on and off the exchange.
How to compare health insurance plans by cost
It’s important to account for all of your healthcare costs when you shop. These include your:
- Premium: Your upfront monthly rate
- Deductible: How much you must pay for treatment before the insurance kicks in
- Co-payments: Your flat fee for medical each appointment
- Coinsurance: Your percentage of costs after you reach your deductible
Plans usually also include a “maximum out-of-pocket” (MOOP) limit. If your share of payments reaches this amount, your provider covers the rest of your family’s costs for the year.
Top health insurance companies
| Company | Monthly rate Bronze | Monthly rate Silver | Monthly rate Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Permanente | $454 | $582 | $591 |
| Molina | $472 | $565 | $611 |
| Oscar | $473 | $599 | $611 |
| Ambetter | $508 | $627 | $644 |
| BCBS | $528 | $717 | $750 |
| UnitedHealthcare | $536 | $734 | $736 |
| Medica | $567 | $794 | $779 |
| Cigna | $589 | $747 | $833 |
How to compare health insurance plan tiers
Healthcare plans are commonly offered in tiers named after metals like Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Bronze plans have lower premiums than most others. They also require you to pay more in deductibles, copayments and coinsurance.
Platinum plans usually have the highest rates and the lowest other costs.
You can also get a catastrophic plan if you are under 30 or meet other requirements. These have the lowest premiums and highest deductibles. They cover three primary care visits a year, but not much else.
You have to pay several thousands of dollars before Catastrophic coverage kicks in. Once it does, it covers most costs for the rest of the year. This gives you a financial safety net in case of a major illness or injury.
Insurance comparison by plan tier
| Tier | Monthly rate* | Average deductible | Coinsurance | Average MOOP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | $416 | $10,600 | None | $10,600 |
| Bronze** | $512 | $7,093 | 40% | $9,838 |
| Silver | $677 | $4,953 | 30% | $9,158 |
| Gold | $701 | $1,540 | 20% | $8,030 |
| Platinum | $1,144 | $152 | 10% | $3,828 |
Lower-tier plans can save you money if you don’t need much medical care, since the annual cost is much lower than for higher tiers. However, higher-tier plans protect you from heavy out-of-pocket expenses if something bad does happen, and they can also come with low copayments for medical visits.
The actual rate you pay for healthcare depends on factors like your location and age. You’ll also pay more if you smoke or have certain other risks. ACA-compliant plans can’t charge you more for having prior health issues, but non-compliant plans can.
How to compare health insurance plan types
Besides the “metal” tiers, health insurance companies also have different types of plans:
- Health maintenance organizations (HMOs)
- Point of service plans (POS)
- Exclusive provider organizations (EPOs)
- Preferred provider organizations (PPOs)
HMOs usually have the cheapest plans, but they also have the most restrictions. Unless you need emergency care, HMOs only cover treatment from providers in your network. You also need a referral from your primary care provider to get treatment from a specialist.
PPOs tend to cost the most. They cover out-of-network treatment, and you can get specialist visits without a referral.
Insurance plans by type
| Plan type | Out of network | Specialist referral | Monthly rate all tiers* |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMO | No | Yes | $610 |
| POS | Yes | Yes | $660 |
| EPO | No | No** | $647 |
| PPO | Yes | No | $690 |
HMOs are also good for having your primary doctor coordinate your care, while PPOs are better if you don’t mind a higher rate in exchange for more flexibility over which doctors you can see.
POS and EPO plans fall in between these other two plan types for cost and flexibility. With EPOs, some (called “non-gated”) don’t need a referral to see a specialist, while others (“gated EPOs”) do.
How financial assistance works for health insurance
Your healthcare marketplace website has tools that let you see if you qualify for subsidies.
Possible financial assistance for health insurance includes federal and state assistance for marketplace plans, as well as other federal programs like Medicaid and Medicare.
Federal subsidies include premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions. They’re only available for marketplace plans, or plans you buy on the exchange.
Premium tax credits
You have to earn less than 400% of the federal poverty level in order to get the premium tax credits. Also, the cost of the second-lowest Silver plan in your area needs to be more than 8.5% of your estimated annual income.
The tax credits are offered on a sliding scale: the less you earn, the larger your credit. You can use them regardless of medal tier.
Cost sharing reductions
Cost sharing reductions only lower your out-of-pocket expenses for Silver plans. The income cutoff for cost-sharing reductions is 250% of the federal poverty level.
If you qualify, you can lower your deductible, co-payments and maximum out-of-pocket (MOOP) cost, while still paying the same premium at no extra charge.
State health insurance subsidies
Some states have extra financial assistance programs for health insurance. In Colorado, for example, you may be able to save up to $80 a month, while in Vermont, subsidies could cut your health insurance bill by 1.5% of your household income.
You usually have to get a marketplace plan through your state’s online healthcare exchange to get discounts like these.
Federal health insurance programs
Medicare and Medicaid are among the best known federal programs for health insurance.
You usually have to be 65 to qualify for Medicare, but you can get it sooner in certain situations
For Medicaid, it depends on where you live. In 10 states
Where to shop for health insurance
The healthcare exchange is a good place to start your shopping. It lets you compare plans and see what financial aid you can get. The federal exchange also automatically directs you to your state’s exchange, if your state has one.
On the other hand, you may find a better variety of plans outside the exchange, depending on where you live. Besides ACA plans, you can also look at non-compliant plans, like short-term health insurance, plans from health care sharing ministries
You can shop off the exchange on your own or with an agent or broker.
| Exchange plans are good if: | Searching off the exchange is good if: |
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When can I shop for health insurance?
You can usually only buy ACA-compliant health insurance during an open enrollment period, with some exceptions.
For most people, open enrollment runs from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15. If you buy your plan by Dec. 15, it can take effect on Jan. 1. Otherwise, your plan kicks in on Feb. 1. However, some states have longer open-enrollment windows.
You can buy health insurance during other times under special circumstances. These include a job loss, marriage, divorce, birth of a child and certain other life events.
Plans that don’t comply with ACA may have more flexible shopping windows. For example, you can activate a short-term plan at just about any time of year, as well as with some health care sharing ministry plans
Methodology
LendingTree obtains health insurance rates from the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and state marketplaces. These include CMS public use files (PUFs) for marketplace plans in every U.S. state and the District of Columbia.
Your actual rates will vary based on plan availability and costs in your state.