Young adults may think that they don't need a health insurance plan because they're healthy; however, it can be just as important for young adults to have a health plan as any other group. This is because the out-of-pocket costs of healthcare and prescription drugs can be particularly expensive to young adults, making it important that they find a suitable and affordable health insurance plan just to be safe. There are a variety of health insurance companies in USA offering affordable coverage for young adults, but the healthcare.gov marketplace is one place to start your search if you're a young adult. It's important to find an insurance company that offers a good amount of coinsurance to help limit your out-of-pocket costs, which may have a high or low deductible. If you think that you'll have a lot of healthcare expenses, you may want a lower deductible so that you reach your threshold for copay amounts sooner. That being said, sometimes a health insurance company with a higher deductible ultimately offers better coinsurance. If you have the money to pay for the out-of-pocket costs up to your deductible, it may be worth choosing a health insurance provider with a higher deductible if it means a lower monthly premium.

Best Health Insurance for College Students

College students can also benefit from having the kind of preventive care that comes with having great health insurance. While college students can also search the healthcare.gov marketplace to shop for a PPO, HMO, or EPO, it may also be worth seeing if your school has an open enrolment period for students. They may offer a much more affordable option which can be the best health insurance plan for many students who don't want an expensive monthly premium on top of tuition fees. When looking at each plan type, make sure that you understand the major differences between each option. For example, a PPO plan allows you to choose any doctor in a network, including specialists, whereas an HMO requires you to have your primary care provider refer you to each specialist. When it comes to convenience and flexibility, a PPO is much more conducive for most people; however, an HMO can be a much less expensive option if you don't mind needing to get a referral each time you need to see a doctor. That being said, as a college student, you may have limited options for doctors anyway and only need insurance to cover the cost of prescriptions, in which case referrals are less of a hassle.

Best Health Insurance Companies

When it comes to choosing the right plan type, there are dozens of options. Depending on the part of the country you're in, Blue Cross PPOs may be abundant. Some of the biggest networks of BCBS, or Blue Cross Blue Shield, in the United States are Blue Shield of California and New York, as well as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. As one of the largest US insurers, it's hard not to find a network doctor when you have health insurance coverage from a provider like Blue Shield of California. That being said, there are other PPO plans worth investigating if you live in the United States. Obviously, if you live in South Carolina you aren't eligible for health insurance coverage from Blue Shield of California, either. Other popular medical plans outside of many of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Companies include Humana, Aetna, and Cigna. Each of these policyholders offers coverage to people living in the United States, although the summary of benefits and total costs for medical services may vary from company to company. For example, Aetna is particularly popular amongst employers, so it's important that you pay attention to your workplace's special enrolment period if you are interested in getting coverage. Cigna, on the other hand, is a plan with a variety of tele-health benefits, which may be helpful if you can't find a network doctor for an urgent appointment or aren't able to travel to medical facilities.

While some adults qualify for Medicare or Medicaid, if you're shopping the marketplace for coverage options, you likely want to find the best plan for you. In some situations, looking at the ACA's provider directory can help you find the right insurance plan. However, not everyone can or wants to use the ACA marketplace or the federal marketplace. Ultimately, the health insurance policy that's the best fit for you is the one that you should consider, although it may be worth reading about each insurance plan and comparing their rankings from consumers on factors like customer service, average prescription cost, network care, and other aspects of their appeals process.

Best Health Insurance for Federal or Government Employees

Federal employees only have a few options when it comes to policyholders, but many times they have a variety of other benefits beyond the essential benefits offered by other policyholders. For example, mental health care costs are often covered through federal insurance, and oftentimes other add-ons such as a health savings account or flexible spending account may be able to be taken advantage of to help cover your out-of-pocket maximum. Best of all, if you're living in the US, you may be able to qualify for benefits that allow you to remain on your coverage even once you retire. This leads to great customer satisfaction, since it provides government employees with a lifetime of benefits.

Best Health Insurance for the Self-Employed

If you run a small business or work for yourself, you need to be insured under the Affordable Care Act as well. When it comes to comparing rates, a website like Insure.com can help you find coverage, but there's no reason you can't join a larger network like Blue Shield of California if you live in California and can provide your US zip code. You may want to do this if you care about keeping your current primary care physician, although it's important to compare the summary of benefits so that you know what costs and fees are associated with your plan. If you're self-employed, you may be able to deduct insurance premiums, too, although this should be a discussion that you have with your certified tax professional.