Consumer Advocacy
What you need to know
Health Insurance
  • Online brokers/comparison sites offer access to a wide array of plans
  • Short term plans are not required to comply with ACA
  • All health insurance providers have negative reviews online
  • Consider a company’s network size and facilities in your area
Our Approach

How we analyzed the best Health Insurance

Health insurance cost
Provider network size
Financial reputation
Customer experience
Types of health insurance coverage

Our list of the best Health Insurance

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We receive compensation from these partners, which impacts the order they appear on the page. That said, the analyses and opinions on our site are our own and we believe in editorial integrity.

Our Top Picks: Health Insurance Reviews

The following are reviews of some of the best health plans in America in their categories based on available data:

Aetna review

Best health insurance for young adults

Screenshot aetna.com June, 2023

Aetna is our choice for the best health insurance for young adults because it is relatively inexpensive, has a good provider network and coverage, and offers the type of healthcare options like telemedicine and walk-in clinics. Aetna offers great options for students, whole health coverage, 24/7 virtual care and walk-in visits at MinuteClinic locations throughout the U.S., which makes it a great choice for young adults seeking health insurance.

Aetna also enjoys a strong financial reputation based on our metrics. It is the third-ranked health insurance company in the U.S. by market share, and our research indicates that customer experience with this company is above average. The marketplace plans are eligible for 100% coverage by premium tax credits. 

Financial Reputation:

  • Moody’s: Baa2

  • Fitch: A+

  • AM Best: A

  • S&P: FSR A-

  • Years of operation: 170 years

  • Market Share: 3rd 

Customer Experience:

  • NCQA Health Plan Report Cards: Aetna has above-average ratings from NCQA.

  • J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study: Slightly above average across regions.

  • Consumers Advocate Reviews: Largely negative reviews

Blue Cross Blue Shield review

Best health insurance for small businesses

Screenshot bcbs.com June, 2023

BCBS is our pick for the best health insurance for small business owners. It offers insurance across the U.S., making it a great choice for small businesses seeking to expand across the nation. Many small businesses use BCBS because of its cost, network size and coverage advantages. 

BCBS promotes workforce wellness by engaging employees to create healthy habits and thus lead healthier lives. Applying scientific, data-driven network solutions, BCBS increases healthcare quality while lowering costs with plans tailored to your unique small business objectives. Every penny counts in a small business, so BCBS is a strong option for your employees.

Our research indicates BCBS has a good financial reputation across the various companies within its fold. BCBS is very highly ranked in customer satisfaction as per our research. For more details, check out our Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance review.

Financial Reputation:

  • Moody’s: A2

  • Fitch: Varied ratings 

  • AM Best: Varied ratings

  • S&P: Varied ratings

  • Years of operation: 94 years

  • Market share: 2nd 

Customer Experience:

  • NCQA Health Plan Report Cards: BCBS has high ratings from NCQA

  • J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study: Top ranked in 10 regions. 

  • Consumers Advocate Reviews: Largely negative reviews

Cigna review

Best health insurance for families

Screenshot cignaglobal.com June, 2023

Cigna offers a range of health insurance plans that cover families’ physical and emotional well-being. Well-priced insurance, coverage across most states and large network size are three good reasons we chose Cigna health insurance as our pick for the best health insurance for families. Options like personalized health coaches, adaptability to changing health needs with age, pharmacy benefits and health crisis planning give families the health security they need. 

Cigna has a sound financial reputation as indicated by its Moody’s, Fitch, AM Best and S&P ratings. It's been around for more than two centuries and is the fourth-ranked health insurance company in the United States by market share. 

Financial Reputation:

  • Moody’s: A2

  • Fitch: A+

  • AM Best: A

  • S&P: A

  • Years of operation: 230+ years

  • Market share: 4th 

Customer Experience:

  • NCQA Health Plan Report Cards: Cigna has average ratings from NCQA

  • J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study: Close to region average in most regions

  • Consumers Advocate Reviews: Largely negative reviews

Kaiser Permanente review

Best health insurance for mental health

Screenshot healthy.kaiserpermanente.org June, 2023

Kaiser aims to deliver high-quality mental health services – including addiction care – based on individual cultural, linguistic and social needs. Support is available for a range of mental health issues throughout Kaiser Permanente. Self-care resources and tools, like 24/7 text-based emotional support, are available through Kaiser for free on top of the extensive clinical care. Kaiser health insurance isn’t expensive, considering the coverage options and extensive provider network offered by Kaiser Permanente in the eight states it covers (and Washington, D.C.).

With a comprehensive insurance solution for mental health issues, a reasonable financial reputation based on our applied metrics, over 70 years in operation and very high customer satisfaction ratings indicated by our research, Kaiser is our choice for the best health insurance for mental health in the U.S.

Financial Reputation:

  • Moody’s: Rating unavailable

  • Fitch: AA- 

  • AM Best: Not rated

  • S&P: AA-

  • Years of operation: 78

  • Market share: 5th 

Customer Experience:

  • NCQA Health Plan Report Cards: Kaiser has very high ratings from NCQA

  • J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study: Top plan in five regions

  • Consumers Advocate Reviews: Largely negative reviews

UnitedHealthcare review

Best health insurance for the self-employed

Screenshot uhc.com June, 2023

UnitedHealthcare (UHC), part of the UnitedHealth Group, is our pick among the best health insurance companies for the self-employed. Time saving and customizability are something self-employed individuals seek in every area of life, including health insurance. With UnitedHealthcare, self-employed individuals can choose from flexible plans based on their needs.

UHC makes choosing plans simple, saving time and effort for busy independent business owners. Telehealth services and the smartphone app are two more facilities that save time for those running their own solopreneur businesses. The UnitedHealth Group is the top-ranked health insurance company in the U.S. by market share, which also indicates its trustworthiness and popularity.

It has well-priced plans, large network size and comprehensive coverage. UnitedHealthcare has a strong financial reputation based on our metrics and has been in operation for 46 years. Our research indicates it has close-to-average customer satisfaction. If you're looking for affordability, check out our EmblemHealth Health Insurance Review.

Financial Reputation:

  • Moody’s: A3

  • Fitch: AA-

  • AM Best: A+

  • S&P: AA-

  • Years of operation: 46

  • Market share: 1st 

Customer Experience:

  • NCQA Health Plan Report Cards:  UHC has average ratings from NCQA

  • J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study: Close to average across regions

  • Consumers Advocate Reviews: Largely negative reviews

Our Research

More insight into our methodology


Health insurance cost

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER

Everyone can purchase health insurance, either through the ACA Marketplace or through a private company, from November 1 to January 31. You can purchase health insurance outside of this window only if you are experiencing a “qualifying life event,” which triggers a special enrollment period. Some qualifying life events include: Loss of coverage, birth of a child, marriage or divorce. Your only other option outside of a qualifying life event is to purchase a short-term plan. Though short-term plans are comparably cheap, they are not for routine care, only emergencies. They also are subject to various time restrictions depending on when you enroll.

PREMIUM

This is your monthly payment for health insurance. Either paid totally by you, or partially by you in the case you are on an employer's plan and they are kicking in a percentage. It is not part of your out of pocket expense. Higher monthly premiums translate to lower out of pocket expenses.

OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES

This is how much you are responsible for paying when you actually receive care. If you are purchasing insurance through a marketplace, you can adjust the ratio of monthly premiums to out of pocket expenses, i.e. higher monthly premiums translates to lower expenses at the location you are receiving care, and vice versa. If you are getting health insurance through your employer, you may be restricted to the premium/out of pocket cost ratio they choose.

This ratio is expressed as 4 different plans often called “metal tiers,” bronze, silver, gold, and platinum.

DEDUCTIBLE

This is how much you have to pay yearly for medical care before your insurance company takes over. If you have a $1,000 deductible and you’re facing a $12,000 bill because of some major accident, your insurance company will cover $11,000. Preventative care and routine doctor visits are not included in this though. Usually, for these types of services you pay a copayment and the insurance company takes care of the rest of the bill.  

COPAY

This is your share of the doctor you will pay at the visit. Copays genuine fluctuate depending on what kind of doctor you are seeing, or what kind of treatment you are receiving. Specialists will most of the time have a higher copay than your family doctor. Some plans have no copay at all. Choosing a higher premium generally results in a lower copayment.

OUT OF POCKET LIMIT

This is the most you are going to be liable for in one year regardless of how much medical attention you receive. After you hit this limit the insurance company will have to pick up 100% of the costs going forward. Unless they need a lot of expensive treatment, most people will never hit this limit. Plans with higher premiums (gold, platinum) have lower out of pocket limits.

LIFETIME LIMIT

The maximum the company will pay out over the insured’s lifetime. The ACA has currently done away with lifetime benefits on essential services.

PRESCRIPTION (COPAY OR DEDUCTIBLE)
Prescriptions in some cases are not subject to a deductible as well. Depending on your plan tier and company policies, prescriptions can just be a straight copayment (less for generic, more for brand name), can be included in your overall deductible, or have their own deductible dollar amount.

If you know you have an expensive medical condition, it makes the most sense to select a Gold or Platinum plan, this will mean a high premium but low out of pocket (OOP) expense for frequent medical procedures and services. If you are generally in good health, it’s probably a good idea to go for the lower premium plans with high deductibles.

However, since you can’t predict a catastrophe or accident, we recommend that you try to save as much as you can of the high deductible and put it aside. 


Provider network size

When shopping for health insurance, you need to take a given company’s network size and facilities given your physical location into account. Networks consist of doctors, hospitals, laboratories, imaging centers, and pharmacies all contracted with a specific insurance company to provide services at a specific price. Costs are lower because preferred providers work at negotiated rates. It is also important to choose a health insurance provider with preferred providers in your area.

To determine network size we looked at a given company’s area of operation, and divided the total number of overall providers in the area by the company’s own network providers in said area.

X-Large= More than 60%
Large=40%-60%
Medium=25%-40%
Small=10%-25%
Very Small=Less than 10%

As seeing out-of-network doctors and specialists can get quite expensive, you are going to want the most complete network possible in your area. Sometimes, this may mean changing doctors if your current doctor is in a small or very small network.


Financial reputation

To determine a given company’s financial reputation we look at the following factors:

Financial Ratings from Moody's, Fitch, AM Best and S&P
Years of Operation
Market Share

You are going to want to go with a health insurance provider that has stability, history, and financial reputation. By its very definition, health insurance must work when you need it most. Keep in mind though that a lot of new-sounding companies can actually be offshoots or a rebranding of a more established, older company that is actually doing the underwriting.


Customer experience

To determine a company’s overall customer satisfaction we look at the following factors:

NCQA Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2016
JD Power Health Plan Member Satisfaction Survey 2016
Insure.com 2016 Survey
NAIC Complaint Ratios
Consumers Advocate Reviews

All companies have negative reviews online. Health insurance, like a lot of the industries we cover, is not exactly the kind of subject people gush over review-wise when they are satisfied. People expect it to work. But use your judgment. If a given company scores on the low side with the above surveys and ratings, AND has a disproportionate number of bad reviews...where there's smoke there's usually fire. 


Types of health insurance coverage

All health plans in the United States are mandated to provide these essential health benefits:

  • Outpatient Care
  • Emergency Services
  • Hospitalization, Surgery
  • Pregnancy, Maternity, Newborn Care
  • Psychotherapy, Substance Abuse Services
  • Prescription Drugs
  • Rehabilitative Services
  • Labs
  • Preventative/Wellness Services
  • Full Pediatric Services

EXTRA COVERAGE ITEMS – Supplemental Coverage

  • Adult Dental
  • Adult Vision
  • Routine Foot Care
  • Medical Management (weight, diabetes)
  • Pain Management (chronic back pain, neuropathic pain)
  • Long Term Care
  • Alternative Medicine
  • Cosmetic Procedures
  • Weight Loss Surgery
  • Infertility Treatments
  • Private Nursing

Since all plans currently must cover the ten essential benefits, don't pay extra for additional coverage unless it's something you really need. If you swear by your monthly acupuncture appointment, then make sure you find a specialized plan with a strong alternative medicine component. 

Helpful information about Health Insurance

Customers can purchase insurance through the ACA-created health insurance exchange, a broker or online aggregator, or directly from the health insurance company. All plans that private companies offer on the ACA exchanges still must be available off the exchange at the same price. Depending on your income and size of your family, however, you might be eligible for certain cost-assistance subsidies on the official ACA exchange that you would not get by going straight through a provider. That said, private companies can, and often do, offer a wide variety of plans themselves that are NOT available on the ACA exchange.

If you want access to a larger array of plan options, including different deductible/out of pocket combinations not offered by the federal marketplace, we recommend at least taking a look off-exchange. Depending on the state in which you live, sometimes the best coverage is only available off-exchange. Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, the cheapest coverage is also available off-exchange. The only way to be sure is to go through the process of comparing on-exchange policies to off. Online brokers and comparison sites offer access to the widest array of plans from off-exchange private companies.

What is health insurance? 

Health insurance is an agreement wherein an insurance company pays some or all of the cost of your medical treatment in exchange for a monthly premium. 

How does health insurance work? 

Health insurance is a contract between the insurance provider and the insured. How it works, exactly, depends on the terms of the contract. Simply put, the contract specifies coverage, pricing and availability, depending on your chosen insurance provider and their plan. The options available to you vary depending on your state and even county. Over half of the health insurance available in the U.S. is employer-based, or you can buy it directly if you are a freelancer, gig worker or otherwise self-employed. Retirees and lower-income families are eligible for subsidized Medicare coverage.

What does health insurance cover? 

Health insurance covers every healthcare cost that is considered a “covered benefit” by your chosen plan and provider. However, even the best health insurance may not pay the total cost of all healthcare expenses. If your care is considered medically necessary, health insurance generally covers doctor visits and hospital care, including overnight stays, outpatient care, surgeries and emergency care. The Affordable Care Act mandates 10 categories of healthcare that health insurance plans must cover. 

How to choose a health insurance plan 

To choose a health insurance plan, you need to consider the following factors:

  1. The cost of the plan: The cost includes monthly premiums and costs you may incur should you fall ill. Deductibles, copay, out-of-pocket limits, lifetime limits and agreements for prescription payments are all costs you could be liable for.

  2. The coverage offered: All plans offer 10 essential benefits as well as possible supplemental benefits. Choose the plan that offers supplemental benefits relevant to your health conditions.

  3. The network size: The best health insurance for you is likely the one that has the largest network size and most facilities near your physical location.

  4. The financial reputation: Choose the health insurance provider with the best financial reputation based on years of operation, financial ratings and market share.

  5. The customer experience: Choose your health insurance provider using well-known surveys and ratings as well as online customer reviews as a guide.

How to get health insurance without a job 

When you are unemployed, having health insurance is a big concern. The options for health insurance without a job are Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, federal and state health insurance marketplaces, the COBRA plan, short-term health insurance, private plans and possibly your spouse’s or parent’s health insurance.


FAQs about Health Insurance


How much is health insurance?

The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that the average cost of single coverage in 2022 was $7,911, and family coverage $22,463.


What is a deductible in health insurance?

A deductible is the amount you need to pay upfront before the insurance plan starts paying your medical expenses.


What is a health insurance copay?

The fixed amount you need to pay after paying the deductible for a covered health service is a copay. Some insurance companies have set amounts for types of doctors or visits. Others charge a percentage.


I’m perfectly healthy. What type of health insurance plan should I choose?

It makes the most sense to purchase a plan that has a lower payment (premium) and high deductible. This means you’re not going to get hit too hard in the bank account on a monthly basis. However, since accidents cannot be predicted, we recommend you be cognizant of your deductible and try your best to plan accordingly to pay it should something happen.


What is coinsurance in health insurance?

Coinsurance is the percentage amount of a covered healthcare service you need to pay after paying the deductible.


When does health insurance expire after leaving a job?

Typically your insurance will expire either immediately after leaving the job or on the last day of the month of job loss, depending on your company's policies.


What are my health insurance options besides employer-based health insurance?

You can purchase health insurance through the government-run online exchange. This may qualify you for certain subsidies or discounts, depending on your income and family size. You can also get identical plans directly from the providers themselves, as well as plan options not available on the government site. A third option is online brokers that allow you to compare policies from multiple insurance providers in order to get the widest array of premium/deductible options.


Our Health Insurance Review Summed Up

Company NameThe Best for
Cigna Health InsuranceFamily
eHealth InsuranceVariety of Carriers to Choose From
Kaiser Permanente Health InsuranceMental Health
UnitedHealthcare Health InsuranceSelf-employed
Aetna Health InsuranceYoung adults
Blue Cross Blue Shield Health InsuranceSmall businesses
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