Top Health Insurance Companies

Website – https://www.goldenrule.com
Located – Indianapolis, IN
Phone – 1-800-444-8990
Employees – 990
Sales (mil.) – $1,066.2
Description – Follow the golden rule and you will find assurance. Golden Rule Insurance provides health insurance, health savings accounts, short-term health plans, and supplemental Medicare insurance for individuals and families. The company offers co-pay plans, high-deductible plans, and basic plans, as well as insurance for the self-employed. Short-term medical coverage is provided for individuals in between jobs or working as a seasonal employee. The company is a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group. Golden Rule’s policies are offered through independent brokers throughout most of the US.

Source: http://www.hoovers.com

Reviews & Ratings

Jackson’s Full Review of Golden Rule Health Insurance Company

I have been a member of Golden Rule Health Insurance company from past 3 years. Over this period of time what i have seen is that the company has been keen and consistent in providing high quality service to its customers. I am very much satisfied with the services offered by the company and anyone who is looking for a good Health Insurance my suggestion is that opt for Golden Rule’s Health Insurance as it is company which i feel everyone can trust and rely upon.

Laury’s Full Review of Golden Rule Health Insurance Company

I came to know from one of my friend that Golden Rule Insurance company is offering some good low-cost insurance policies to its customers. As i am in search of a insurance policy which provides low-cost benefits with maximum profits i immediately applied to Golden Rule’s Insurance Policy. Now after 2 years i would like to say that my decision of joining Golden Rule Insurance is right as i have already started enjoying the benefits from the company.

Richard’s Full Review of Golden Rule Health Insurance Company

If you are looking for a good auto insurance policy along with great customer service, then you must go for Golden Rule Auto Insurance Policy. I took this policy with the recommendation of my friends and I am really happy to be a part of it. Whenever you are faced with a problem, you can just contact their customer service and they will respond to you at once. So, if you are really serious about your insurance then I would suggest you to go for Golden Rule.

Taylor’s Full Review of Golden Rule Health Insurance Company

I am working as a Truck driver in a Transport company. With the advice from one of my friend i have taken an Auto insurance policy from Golden Rule Insurance company. Seeing the services offered by the company i just want to say that this is the company which gives high quality service at low-cost to its customers. If anyone is looking for a good auto insurance policy just go for Golden Rule’s Auto Insurance Policy.

Jake’s Full Review of Golden Rule Health Insurance Company

I wanted a health insurance scheme that can cover me under a low cost and high deductible plan. Golden Rule satisfied me with much more advantage along with this including tax advantaged savings account. Thus they proved that they can cross my expectations and they were always successful in doing that. I would suggest you that if you want a plan that can help you to enjoy the co pay benefits, then there is no need of waiting more. You can easily get a policy with Golden rule.

Source: http://www.goldenrule.topinsurance.org

Website – https://www.cigna.com
Located – Philadelphia, PA
Phone – 1-215-761-1000
Employees – 26,600
Revenue (bil.) – $17.623
Description – CIGNA is a Philadelphia-based health insurance company, providing health care plans to both business and individuals, that dates back to 1792. Competitors include Aetna, WellPoint and UnitedHealth Group. One of the top US health insurers, CIGNA covers nearly 12 million people with its various medical plans, which include PPO, HMO, point-of-service (POS), indemnity, and consumer-directed products. CIGNA also offers specialty health coverage in the form of dental, vision, pharmacy, and behavioral health plans, and it sells group accident, life, and disability insurance. Its customers include employers, government entities, unions, Medicare recipients, and other individuals in the US and Canada. Internationally, the company sells life, accident, and supplemental health insurance in parts of Asia and the European Union, and it provides health coverage to expatriate employees of multinational companies.

Source: http://www.mahalo.com

Reviews & Ratings

These are comments left by site visitors who have completed a survey for this company. The comments are unedited and shown in the order the surveys were received.

Anonymous’s Full Review of CIGNA Health Insurance Company

“Have had Cigna for three plus years but company getting ready to change to another. We have been very satisfied with Cigna. My wife had open heart surgery two years ago and everything was covered with no questions asked. If you follow the rules, they provide excellent coverage.”

Anonymous’s Full Review of CIGNA Health Insurance Company

“Once they admit the charges are covered, they pay (though slowly. Hospital just got insurance payment 6+mo after they billed Cigna! so slow that some of our providers are threatening us to send to collection, even if it’s Cigna’s fault). But they frequently make coverage errors (in-network/out-of-network, copay % listed in our enrollment document not honored, etc) in their favor that cost much time and effort to correct, usually takes 2-3 calls to fix their mistake (and sometimes a threat from our employer to fix it, as it is a group insurance through our employer). Service representative quality vary greatly depending on who you end up talking to. Some are mindless robots who can’t read beyond the scripts they are given to respond, while some actually do have a capacity to dig deeper and have things corrected. Either way, the number of mistakes they have made is unforgivable, for a company that has been in the business this long! (mistakes they make are worse than you would expect in a first-year startup insurance company with a buggy software!). unless you have 0% copay on all services, you must track their payment and coverage like a hawk, since so far, they have made more errors than processing claims correctly.”

Anonymous’s Full Review of CIGNA Health Insurance Company

“CIGNA handles routine approved claims fairly well. But when even the smallest thing is different or non-standard they drift into DUMMY mode and never recover. They say one thing today, another tomorrow. It’s a game of wild goose chase that never ends until you finally get tired and give up. They are horrible at handling anything but routine! Information sent to them is ALLWAYS lost. I would never recommend to my least friends. I’ve been fighting a +$500 claim for months now. Every time I call they want me to do something else before deciding if they’ll pay the claim.”

Source: http://insurance.freeadvice.com

Website – https://www.amfam.com
Located – Madison, WI
Phone – 1-800-MYAMFAM (1-800-692-6326)
Employees – 8,482
Revenue (bil.) – 6.867
Description – Even confirmed bachelors can get insured through American Family Insurance. The company specializes in property/casualty insurance, but also offers life, health, and homeowners coverage, as well as investment and retirement-planning products. The company operates in nearly 20 states, primarily in the Midwest and Western US. It is among the largest US mutual companies that concentrates on auto insurance (State Farm is the biggest). American Family Insurance also provides coverage for apartment owners, restaurants, contractors, and other businesses. Through the company’s consumer finance division, agents can also offer their customers home equity and personal lines of credit.

Source: http://www.hoovers.com

Reviews & Ratings

Anonymous’s Full Review of American Family Health Insurance Group

“My local Agent was good to deal with, no problems with her office. American Family the corp. is what I am not happy with. I had two cars , a boat, a motorcycle and home owners policy with them for over 10 years. the first few years was ok, then they stated to raise my fees on all my policies, $20,$40 $80$100 and up and up. I had one claim with them on my son’s car, hit a deer. they did cover that without to much trouble, but rates kept going up. I finally chaged to Erie Ins. Co. have alot better coverage and cheaper rates and lower deductables, when I canceled with American Family, I had found out that they did not have my new boat that I had bought over a year ago on thier records, they were still showing coverage for my old boat and were billing me montly out of my checking account for all my policies so I had not noticed that the did not switch the old boat to the new boat, thought they did casuse the monthly rate kept going up. Anyway I did not have any claims with them on the boat but when I canceled my Insurance the backed billed me for the difference in the amount of the boat policies, it was there mistake, but I said I would be fair and to tell me how much it was. when they sent me a bill for that, they also billed me for the motorcycle insurnace cause of a rate clause in their policy that say’s that if I cancel it early then they can charge me a different montly rate then if I would have carried the policy the full year term. so they are charging me an addidtional amount for each month convered before I canceled, almost doubled. I know it sounds confusing and it is, but this how the treat their customers, they don’t really care, it’s all about pinching every penny out of you they can. ”

Anonymous’s Full Review of American Family Health Insurance Group

“I have been with American Family since 2001, I have had multiple claims on auto and also rental vehicles and have never had an issue with the company paying. I have also relocated to another state and find that this agent handles everything like I have been with him as long as my past agent. Great company, competive rate, perfect customer satisfaction. What more could you want in an insurance co?”

Anonymous’s Full Review of American Family Health Insurance Group

“Our Agent is Great, very friendly quick to return our phone call. We’ve not had any problems with AMFAM however we haven’t filed any claims in the 2 years we’ve been with them. ”

Source: http://www.insurance.freeadvice.com

Website – https://www.ehealthinsurance.com
Located – Mountain View, CA
Phone – 1-800-977-8860
Employees – 437
Revenue (mil.) – 87.79
Description – eHealth brought e-commerce to the insurance business. Through its eHealthInsurance Services subsidiary, the company sells health insurance online to some 500,000 individual, family, and small business members. The company is licensed to sell in all 50 states and Washington, DC, and it has partnerships with some 160 health insurance carriers. It offers more than 7,000 products online — including health, dental, and vision insurance products from the likes of Aetna, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, and Unicare, as well as more than 40 Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensees. The company was founded in 1997.

Source: http://www.hoovers.com

Reviews & Ratings

readparse’s Full Review of eHealth, Inc. Health Insurance Company

After having been a W-2 contractor with benefits, I recently switched to 1099 status and lost my health care benefits. I did not elect COBRA within the election period, and have spent the last month or so in a quiet panic about not having health coverage for me or my family. A visit to the doctor here and there is no problem, but what about that accident or diagnosis that might be around the corner? What a worry, similar to when I didn’t have life insurance, but worse in a way.

Finally, I did some serious looking on the internet and found a reference to eHealthInsurance.com. I went to their site and found the rate comparison utility very similar to the one I used for life insurance at intelliquote.com, which is another service I highly recommend. Incidentally, it turns out that I later checked intelliquote to see if they had health insurance quotes, and they refer to their “partner”, which happens to be eHealthInsurance.com.

I decided on the exact plan that suited our needs, which just happened to be the same insurance company that my former employer has, but with a higher deductible so my premium is about a third of what it would have been with COBRA. Of course, I could have gotten a lower deductible for a little more money.

Anyway, the application process is relatively painless. I filled out a multi-page web form, and the hardest information was things like kids’ social security numbers, heights and weights. When I was finished filling it out, I got a choice of downloading and printing a PDF or having them mail the application to me. I downloaded the 8 page PDF and printed it, and I was very impressed. It looked like a real insurance application that you fill out for your employer, in color and everything, with all information perfectly filled out. That was only three pages, and the other 5 pages were supporting documentation such as a welcome letter from eHealthInsurance.com and a checklist to make sure you do everything right. Sign it a couple of places, make out a check to the insurance company and mail it back to eHealthInsurance.com.

As I said, the only “con” is that you can’t get submit and pay for the policy online — you have to mail it in. But this is not the fault of eHealthInsurance.com, as I’m sure there’s so much red tape in the insurance industry that you can’t do anything without actual pieces of paper.

This was very painless, and highly recommended. If you’re uninsured, don’t delay. Use this site and get insured as soon as you can.

crzy_demona’s Full Review of eHealth, Inc. Health Insurance Company

My husband and I are both self employed. We have 4 children and desperately needed healthcare. After calling insurance companies and having them mail out tons of junk and directories and huge applications, i finally heard about eHealthInsurance.com. I ran to their site immediately.

Within 5 minutes I had my plan picked out ($300 plan for a family of 6! Far better than the $500 plan I had been looking at!) and headed off to the application process. Yes, it was long… yes, it took time to fill out. BUT… it was the SAME application that I would have had to fill out anyway had I decided not to go with eHealthInsurance.com.

I suggest you simply submit your application online and have them mail you the papers to sign. The turn around was unbelievably fast and they even called me to make sure they had all my information correct! That is great service, especially for an online company. They kept me updated with e-mails and let me know when the healthcare company got my forms as well.

I was very worried I wouldn’t get the effective date I wanted with such a short amount of time until the end of the month. Even with our pre-existing conditions and late entry, we got the effective date we wanted and we are all happily insured!

The only difficulty I had with the service is that it is set up for a family of 5. We have a family of 6 and I had to fill out a separate sheet for my youngest child. Not that much of a problem for all the good we got out of it.

I highly recommend eHeathInsurance.com. They truly came through for me and my family.

janduza’s Full Review of eHealth, Inc. Health Insurance Company

I don’t have any insurance anymore because I was laid off of my job and my Cobra ran out. I need to have health care as with any person in case I get sick or if I just need a physical. All the other companies I have looked at directly (i.e. Kaiser, Blue Cross etc.) had very high rates for individuals. Then I heard about ehealthinsurance.com. I went right to the sight, entered some personal info, selected the amount I was willing to pay deductible, etc. and up popped the perfect plan. Through Blue shield as an individual, I was able to get a plan with unlimited office visits (PPO), deducible of $2,000, copay $45, and $15 on generic. Now they do have much cheaper plans, but the fact that this offers the unlimited plans was great. They have an 800 # as well with knowledgeable people to assist you if you are confused (as I was at one point). Then you just fill out the app and they send you the info in the mail a week later. It really is simple, you are able to select from a list of doctors right there on the site. I am very thankful that I heard of this site (from my mom).

Source: http://www.epinions.com

Website – https://www.kp.org
Located – Oakland, CA
Phone – 1-800-556-7677
Employees – 169,729
Revenue (bil.) – 34.4
Description – Kaiser Permanente hopes to be a permanent leader in US healthcare. The not-for-profit entity is among the largest integrated healthcare systems in the US. The company offers health care services through a network of nearly 14,000 physicians belonging to Permanente Medical Groups; 32 medical centers and more than 400 medical offices that form the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals; and the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, which covers some 8.7 million lives (most of which are in California). Kaiser Permanente is primarily bi-coastal, active in California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, DC.

Source: http://www.hoovers.com

Reviews & Ratings

Anonymous’s Full Review of Kaiser Permanente Health Insurance Company

I have read some bad things on Kasier Permanente online, but my experience has been great. Kaiser has really set itself apart from the other health insurance companies. I sleep better at night knowing I’m protected by Kaiser Permanente and highly reccomend it.

Anonymous’s Full Review of Kaiser Permanente Health Insurance Company

The only problem I have with Kaiser Permanente is having inconsistent care with same provider(s). Your care gets juggled around (passed on from one physician or nurse practitioner to another) simply because of their lack of schedule or time. I find myself competing with other patients to be seen by same doctor or practitioner, juggling my work schedule around the schedule of my provider and their available time and day slots just to get consistent care. In my prenatal experience, I’ve only seen my Ob-Gyn physician once or twice throughout the 9 months of checkups.

Anonymous’s Full Review of Kaiser Permanente Health Insurance Company

I am new member to Kaiser Permanente and I did not know that in order to get information on a prescription you had to request it. I left my prescription over the weekend of 12/7 because Kaiser Permanente did not carry the brand I needed. When I received the medication there was no information about the new medication. I was confused because there were 3 medications in the bag when I had given them 2 prescirptions. Tuesday morning I looked up the medication on the internet and learned that two of the medications were for hypertension, one a ACE inhibitor and the other a calcium channel blocker. I was given the two medication because my prescription had no generic and was a combination of 2 effective blood pressure medication in 1 capsule. When I call the pharmacy to inquire why I was not given any information about the new medication, I was told I had to request the information because the person filing the prescription does not know that it is a new prescription.

This is the first time I have received medication from a pharmacy and not received any information about the prescription, especially a precription I have never taken before. The young lady that I spoke with rushed me off the phone, like she did not think my concern was important and I should have requested the information.

I think the policy of Kaiser Permanente should be that all prescription include information about the medication and its side effects, especially if it is a different medication than what was prescribed by the doctor. It is hard for me to believe that no one has mentioned this before, because this is very important informtion that all patients need.

Source: http://www.insuranceusa.com

Health care insurance coverage holds great importance for several reasons. It can prove quite beneficial for people of almost any age or income level.

Some people feel that they don’t need health care coverage because they are young or very healthy. However, injuries or illnesses can occur at any time, and it is harder to obtain insurance after a health problem has already materialized. Also, people in their teens and 20s are more likely to be affected by workplace and auto accidents.

Health insurance coverage also makes preventive care, such as yearly physicals, much more affordable (with the exception of high deductible policies). This can make it possible to diagnose problems before they become more severe (and expensive). People often forgo appointments, screenings, and immunizations when they lack health insurance.

Even for the wealthy, medical coverage can have importance. A serious injury or illness sometimes results in hundreds of thousands of dollars in hospital bills, which can have a severe impact on the finances of almost anyone. For example, the average kidney transplantation costs $210000 (source: OrganDonor.gov), and other transplants can cost more.

Regardless of the insured person’s income level, health care coverage brings about better personal and family financial stability – as do other types of insurance. It reduces the level of uncertainty regarding medical expenses as well, allowing individuals to use their income more flexibly and have greater peace of mind.

The effect of people being uninsured also holds importance for society in general. People are forced to visit emergency rooms for medical problems which cannot be effectively treated there, and some individuals are unable to afford vaccines or medications which would help prevent the spread of serious illnesses.

All of these benefits underscore the great importance of enabling every person to access adequate health care coverage at an affordable cost.

Several types of insurance have deductibles, especially auto and health policies. Deductibles have a major effect both on the monthly premiums and the amount of reimbursement available after an accident. So how should you decide whether a high or low deductible is best, and are there any alternatives?

Insurance policies with high deductibles usually have a lower monthly premium, making them much more affordable than policies with low or no deductibles. However, a high deduction means that you will have to pay more if an accident occurs. For example, if an auto accident produces repair bills of $900 and you have a car insurance policy with a $500 dollar deductible, the insurance company will only reimburse $400 of the cost. A few companies make exceptions to deductibles, such as preventive health care. Keep in mind that some types of coverage also have limits (the opposite of deductibles); for example, a dental ins. policy might cover up to $1,000 dollars per year.

People with high deduction policies can still face major financial hardship if they can’t pay the deductible amount, but it is preferable to remaining uninsured. If you cannot consistently afford the cost of insurance with a low deductible, consider using the combination of a high-deductible policy and self-insurance savings. For example, an inexpensive policy with a large deductible could be used to cover catastrophic costs, while savings of $250 every other month would pay for up to $1,500/year (plus interest) in lesser expenses. However, you should be careful to use such savings sparingly and to obtain the highest interest rate available (to counteract inflation).

Basically, the choice of a high or low deductible should depend upon your income level and eligibility factors. Low deductibles provide the best coverage, but are not affordable for everyone. Different employers offer high or low deductible health insurance policies; don’t assume that every employer will provide the same type of coverage.

Barack Obama will become the next U.S. president in January. During his campaign, Obama called for change in several different political and economic fields. So what is the upcoming president looking to change with regard to health insurance, and what sort of impact can we expect?

Obama’s campaign web site refers to unregulated private health insurance and universal healthcare as “two extremes”, saying that Obama opposes both of these options. It states that he intends to assist small businesses in improving employee health coverage, force insurers to cover preventive care, stop insurance companies from charging excessive malpractice insurance premiums, and permit more imported medicine. The newer Change.gov web site reiterates these statements.

The upcoming president would also seek to change regulations regarding pre-existing conditions, so that insurance companies cannot deny health coverage to people with these conditions. Obama supports greater funding for research aimed at counteracting and preventing various diseases, including HIV/AIDS and cancer. Such investments could eventually reduce the money spent on treatment, while improving individual Americans’ health.

Obama claims that these combined measures will decrease health expenses by as much as $2,500 dollars for the “typical American family”, although it will cost the federal govt. approximately $50 to $65 billion dollars. The plan wouldn’t guarantee access to healthcare for everyone, but could lower the direct costs of medical services and drugs, while enhancing the ability of businesses to provide their employees with health insurance. It remains to be seen whether or not such change will remain possible despite the current economic downturn.

Basically, it appears that Obama is looking to change the existing health insurance system in various ways that will optimize its performance. He is not interested in instituting a system such as that of Canada or Sweden, although some of his supporters have called for this.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is a top rated non-profit health insurance agency serving the eastern New England states of Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

The agency provides a range of healthcare plans, both to employers and individuals. These include options designed specifically for young adults (18 through 26 years old) and seniors on Medicare. They also offer a plan that is oriented to Health Savings Account users.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance rated Harvard Pilgrim as having the top commercial health plan nationwide for the year of 2008, according to their web site. The rating reflects customer service, appropriate treatment, responsiveness, and preventive care.

Many of the insurance policies offered by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care reimburse customers for up to $150 dollars spent on membership at fitness clubs. This helps to decrease medical costs associated with physical inactivity, thus reducing premiums and benefiting the wellness of their customers.

The agency has a large network of medical care providers that its customers can use. According to Harvard Pilgrim’s web site, these include over twenty-eight thousand physicians and more than 135 hospitals throughout the region. This offers greater convenience for the company’s customers.

Basically, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care insurance agency has achieved top rated status by providing a variety of insurance plans which effectively cater to different customers’ needs.

COBRA is an acronym for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. But, the acronym is exclusively used to describe the health benefit provisions of a 1986 law that provides for a type of insurance that people can obtain if they’ve lost their primary means of health care coverage.

Some common users of COBRA are people that have recently lost a job, recently retired or are disabled. COBRA can be used to cover your spouse and children as well, if necessary.

Generally speaking, COBRA is more expensive than health insurance you have from an employer. The reason for this is that most employers pay a percentage of health care costs for their employees. Unfortunately, with COBRA you have to pay all of the costs yourself. Still, it is less expensive than getting insurance on your own usually because COBRA uses a special group rate for the health insurance they offer you.

The length you qualify for COBRA coverage varies depending on your circumstances. For example, if your major medical coverage ends because your employment ends (other than for gross misconduct), or because your hours are reduced, you and your qualified dependents are allowed to keep coverage under the employer’s health insurance for up to 18 months. But, people with certain disabilities qualify for 29 months. Finally, dependants that lose health insurance coverage qualify for up to 36 months of COBRA coverage.

The specific health benefits that a COBRA insurance plan usually includes are doctor care, hospital care – both inpatient and outpatient but not usually extended-stay care, surgery, prescription drugs, and even medical and dental needs. Life insurance is never included in any COBRA insurance packages. Furthermore, despite its eponymous name, COBRA insurance is not offered by just one provider and so it varies from provider to provider. The COBRA law stipulates certain basic kinds of coverage that its users must receive. Some providers might offer their users more than the minimum.

For more information about COBRA, visit www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_cobra.html. You can also find a detailed brochure, An Employee’s Guide to Health Benefits Under COBRA, on the Web at: www.dol.gov/ebsa/pdf/cobraemployee.pdf.