Where can I find some online health insurance plan quotes?

Online health insurance plan quotes are fairly easy to find these days. You can get them directly from the websites of insurance companies, or you can use a site with a free search tool. In fact, the site you’re on right now has such a tool you can use to get the process started.

Enter your ZIP code into the box below and start your search for online health insurance quotes immediately!

The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that the average annual cost for healthcare premiums in the United States is $5,429 for a single coverage policy and $15,073 for a family policy. Those who get their health coverage through employers tend to pay lower rates due to the advantage provided by large numbers of subscribers sharing the cost across the entire group. Self employed health insurance coverage, or any policy for people who have to pay on their own because their employer does not offer that benefit, tends to be more expensive.

These numbers reinforce the necessity of shopping around if you have to buy your own health care plan. Comparing policy options and prices is the only way consumers can be assured they’re getting the best possible plan at the best price. The shopping experience begins with assembling quotes, either online or via the telephone.

How do online insurance quote tools work?

Online quote tools work in one of two ways. The first kind of tool uses rates and industry averages as published by health insurance companies around the country. These types of sites have no direct connection with health insurance companies; they’re just using information already freely available on the Internet. Consumers start the process by entering their ZIP codes as a means of narrowing down the choices to only those companies that provide health insurance in that locale.

From there, the quote tool will ask for some additional information and then offer two or three choices based on national averages. Consumers can typically click on the links from those choices in order to go directly to the website of the carrier.

This type of health insurance comparison can really save you money.

This second quote tool is found on a website created to work on behalf of specific health insurance companies. Those companies contract with the website owner to provide quotes from them. When the user enters his ZIP code and other information, the quote tool gleans information provided directly from the health insurance companies the owner has contracted with. It then returns individual quotes from those companies.

How accurate are online health insurance quotes?

The accuracy of the quotes you receive will depend on the methodology used by the site owner. The best sites formulate quote tools with very specific code designed to return as accurate a rate as possible. Other sites that might be more interested in advertising dollars may not put as much effort into their code.

Ultimately however, the most accurate quote you’ll get will come from the individual insurance providers themselves. Only they can give you a final cost when they have all the information they need.

It’s important that you remember the purpose of online quote tools is not to give you an exact price down to the penny. They are intended to point you in the right direction by giving you a list of choices that best meet your needs. In the end you will have to deal directly with the health insurance company in order to get an exact price.

Are online health insurance websites popular?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 18% of the American population currently lacks health care coverage. This is based on the latest census data. That translates into nearly 50 million people when you consider both adults and children. With so many people uninsured there is now a great demand for more affordable health care options among the general public.

Online health insurance websites, like the one you’re on now, provide an important service. Such quote tools are popular because they help you save money with an online health insurance quote and can quickly narrow down the search for insurance providers in a given area. Without them, consumers would be left to search dozens of sites on their own, or spend hour after hour on the telephone contacting as many health insurance providers as they could find.

Enter your ZIP code into our FREE search tool right now to see how fast and efficient finding health insurance rates online can be!