How do I go about finding better choices for Health Insurance?

**zetta** · 08-12-2009, 05:13 AM

I haven't had to do this myself, but I would start with the yellow pages, looking under "insurance" to find the names of companies that offer health insurance. Then look them up online. Or google "health insurance comparison MA". Since insurance is mandatatory in MA, there should be somewhere you can go to find a list of companies...

**tmvijai** · 08-12-2009, 06:11 AM

Only few big and good players in the market...

Health insurance is one of my fav. topic. It is not that I work for any health care company(actually I am web developer), it is because I shop around for it lot. Actually, I currently working to get a policy for my wife with maternity on it. Not many companies offer maternity these days for Individual insurers. I can only find one Cigna/Assurant Health which seems to be reasonable.

Anyway, enough of my bragging. I can name few of the good and well know players in your market since I lived in MA for 4 years. BCBS is the best one, Humana, Aetna, UnitedHealth.. These are good ones. You can go to ehealthinsurance.com Health Insurance - Affordable Health Insurance Quotes, Individual Health Insurance which is pretty good site to check out and compare different companies with different plans.

Since you are so young, you should probably able to get a decent coverage with less cost. I am 34 and I pay only $100 for my insurance with a decent 5K ded with all preventive care with BCBS in TX. But the market varies and cost changes. GO the website Health Insurance - Affordable Health Insurance Quotes, Individual Health Insurance website you will find all helpful things.

All the best. My personal recommendation, go high on dedutabiles until you can cover them. You can even chose HSA plans if you want to save on taxes.

**arthurb999** · 08-12-2009, 06:30 AM

What are you paying now out of pocket?

**Goldy1** · 08-12-2009, 09:26 AM

I put my phone number in ehealthinsurance.com last dec to get some rates. Before I filled out the form, I had reps calling me literally. I immediatley called thier main number to get off the list. I was informed I would be taken off but that my number was instantly spammed out.
I STILL get stalked from companies. I had some call me about 6 x per day if I didn't answer for months. It was wasting my cell minutes, and they were rude when I asked them not to call me.

It was hell.

**Hypersion** · 08-13-2009, 03:22 AM

I got a great plan off of ehealthinsurance.com a number of times and nobody has ever called my phone more than a few times.

**tmvijai** · 08-13-2009, 06:01 AM

Actually I didn't want them to contact via phone so I didn't select that option. I am all day at computer so opted for email communication. So I got emails and stopped after finishing the transaction. They are good, that way.

**lingwy4ver** · 08-13-2009, 06:18 PM

Thank you for all the information.

Currently I am under my college plan which is god-awful bare minimum coverage (you needed health insurance if you were over so many credits), I've since graduated and the coverage will be expiring the beginning of September.

My place of employment's current health plan is from BCBS, it's an HMO with a $1,000 deductible, $20 copays and $100 emergency room copays, and no dental. The cost would be $45 a week. But that plan expires starting in September and talking with my boss, I get the impression that they may not go with that plan again because of rising costs.

My biggest problem with it is I don't really want an HMO plan, there are just too many negative stories I've heard. How has anyone's experience with an HMO turned out? Especially with emergency/unexpected events?

I tried the ehealthinsurance.com and got 16 plans all from Fallon Community Health Plan, which seemed strange to me. All HMO's too.

I also did try the masshealthconnector.org, and found several insurers through that site, but you need to apply through the connector in order to recieve the quoted price, and I want to speak with someone to (hopefully) get a better premium.

I did use that site as a starting point and went to the individual insures' site to see what I can find. I was able to find plans that are PPOs, but they max out at a $2,000 deductible, and all cost between $200 to $300 a month. I've taken down the name of the plans and the help line and will be calling them tomorrow to see if I can get a better rate.

Oddly enough, Humana, Aetna, and United Health are not avilable in my area - assuming they mean in MA.

And Goldy1, I have thought about the incessant sales people and have already planned for that. We're planning to cancel the land line in the next month and that is the number that I will giving them.

**Goldy1** · 08-13-2009, 08:42 PM

I liked my hap hmo and my blue cross ppo when I had that. The hmo was the best but just b/c at the time the employer had lower co pays and no deductable(good ol days)
I never needed many referrals so my hmo was great. The 2 times I needed a referral, I got one.
I thought we all had hmos and ppos now.

**arthurb999** · 08-14-2009, 06:52 AM

Is your company cancelling health insurance all together or just switching to another carrier?

**shubh** · 08-16-2009, 04:18 AM

Employers are offering workers a choice from among two or more health plans in a variety of formats. To help families, people with disabilities, other consumers, and employers choose the health plan that best meets their needs. Just because you want to purchase a new health insurance policy does not necessarily mean that you need to associate with a new company. After all, every health insurance company offers more than one policy. The plan that you have now may be okay, but in the long run a change could do you better. When you change plans without changing companies, the amount of paperwork that you have to fill out is kept to a minimum.

How do I go about finding better choices for Health Insurance?