Finding the best life insurance according to your personal insurance needs
Because there are so many moving parts when it comes to picking the best health insurance, it’s hard to know where to start. However, one thing to keep in mind when you’re looking for the best health insurance companies is your desired level of coverage: What do you need covered, and what’s your budget? To help you find the top health insurance companies in your area (and in your budget), we’ve put together this tool.
Top 5 Health Insurance Companies In Your Area
Because there’s no “best” health insurance company for everyone, I’ll instead focus on how to find the best provider and plan for you. We’ll discuss how geography affects your choices and look at which health insurance companies have the best reputation for customer satisfaction in different areas of the country.
I’ll also cover how different types of health plans operate, what major medical plans must include, and special considerations that may apply when you’re shopping. Before we dive into those details, however, we want to go over the top health insurance companies by region and type of plan based on several recent stsudies.
Best Health Insurance Companies In Your Area
The following data was pulled from J.D. Power’s 2018 Member Health Plan Study, which examined more than 33,000 plan members’ satisfaction with coverage and benefits; provider choice; information and communication; claims processing; cost; and customer service.
The JD Power survey covered 163 plans in 22 regions. All providers listed below were ranked above average in a given region.
| State(s) or region | Top-rated plan(s) |
| California | Kaiser Foundation; Health Net |
| Colorado | Kaiser Foundation |
| Delaware/West Virginia/Washington, D.C. | Cigna |
| East South-Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee) | BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama; BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee; Humana |
| Florida | AvMed; Cigna; Aetna; Humana |
| Heartland (Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma) | BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas; BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas City; BlueCross BlueShield of Nebraska; Cigna; BlueCross BlueShield of Arkansas; Wellmark BlueCross BlueShield of Iowa |
| Illinois/Indiana | Health Alliance; Humana; BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois |
| Maryland | Kaiser Foundation; Cigna, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield |
| Massachusetts | BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts |
| Michigan | Health Alliance Plan of Michigan; BlueCross BlueShield of Michigan |
| Minnesota/Wisconsin | HealthPartners; Unity Health Plans; Cigna; Humana; BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota |
| Mountain (Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming) | Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah; BlueCross of Idaho; SelectHealth |
| New Jersey | Horizon BlueCross BlueShield of New Jersey |
| New York | Capital District Physician’s Health Plan; Independent Health Association |
| Northeast (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island) | Anthem BlueCross BlueShield of Connecticut; BlueCross Blue Shield of Rhode Island |
| Northwest (Oregon, Washington) | Kaiser Foundation; Providence Health Plan; Regence BlueShield of Washington; Premera BlueCross |
| Ohio | Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Ohio; Medica Mutual |
| Pennsylvania | UPMC Health Plan; Capital Blue Cross; Geisinger Health Plan |
| South Atlantic (Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina) | Kaiser Foundation; Humana; Cigna; Aetna |
| Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada) | Anthem BlueCross BlueShield of Nevada; Aetna |
| Texas | BlueCross BlueShield of Texas |
Trying to find the best health insurance can be a confusing process. There are several criteria to keep in mind when you make your decision including financial strength, customer service ratings, claims service, plan prices, policy offerings, coverage benefits, and provider choices. There is no one “best” health insurance company, but the best one for you will depend on the type of health insurance you need, your budget, and what is available in your area.
Many health insurers offer the option of a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) or Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) Plan. An HMO has its own network of doctors who have an agreed-upon price for the health care services they provide, while a PPO is made up of pre-approved physicians that participate in the network and offer lower costs to members. Most PPO plans will also allow you to access an out-of-network provider for a higher fee.
The region you live in will determine which health insurers you have access to, and coverage options vary from state to state. It can be a daunting process trying to find a health insurer that matches all your needs, but we’ve done the research to come up with a list of insurers that have a good reputation and perform well in the areas of policy offerings and plan choices.