9 Best Health Insurance Companies for Low-Income Families

Health insurance is an agreement that demands the insurer to pay some or all of a person’s medical expenses in place of a monthly premium. This is done to prevent the individual from hitting financial ruin should the person run into a medical emergency.

It’s a system provided specifically for the financing of medical expenses by means of contribution or taxes paid. The contribution or the taxes are paid in part or in full for the health services specified in an insurance policy or the law.

It is worthy to note that health insurance may apply to a limited or comprehensive range of medical services. Also, it may provide in full or partially the payment of the costs of specific services. This is called subsidization.

These subsidies usually come from one’s job or the government, or the insurance company. The subsidy means that one doesn’t have to pay the full cost of medical expenses in case of an emergency.

Coverage for low-income health insurance includes adults, children, and families within certain income levels. Income-based health insurance includes federal programs like Medicaid, the children’s health insurance program, and the basic health program.

These Federal programs are made available through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But the eligibility for these types of coverage is mostly determined by income earned and this coverage can vary by state.

Checkout: Best Life Insurance Companies for Low-income Families

Also, the ACA covers a set of 10 categories of services. The benefit it covers includes outpatient care, emergency services, laboratory services, mental health care, pregnancy and maternity, pediatric services, hospitalization, etc.

Click here to find out if you qualify for Medicaid or CHID.

There are factors to consider for one to qualify for low-income health insurance. They include your household income, the size of the family, and health-related factors.

There are health insurance companies that offer this service for low-income families. What one needs to do is to find the best health insurance company and plan to fit your needs.

Here are 9 Best Health Insurance Companies for Low-income Families:

1. CIGNA:

Cigna is known best for its immediate support. But at the same time, they do not offer health insurance in every state. The company offers coverage for essential medical care and dental insurance. They also offer telehealth services for their members.

This teleservices gives you a quick and easy way to obtain medical care via phone or video chat. It is being made convenient in case one runs into a routine medical issue and needs care that can fit into your schedule.

Importantly for low-income families, Cigna is approved by the Affordable Care Act.

Pros of Relying on Cigna:

• Coverage in all 50 states and outside the country,
• Covers both generic and brand-name drugs,
• They have a wide network of doctors, hospitals, and specialists.

Cons:

• Plans are offered through regional companies; this means you will have to look for your regional company for specific policies and also their main customer service helpline may be difficult to get through.

2. UNITED HEALTH CARE:

This is one of the largest health insurance companies in the United States. It provides a large network of participating health insurance across a variety of specialists.

This implies that chances are that the doctors you visit will accept United Healthcare insurance. Having an insurance company that includes the doctors you already see can make it possible if the insurer wants to transition to a new health insurance plan.

Pros of Relying on United Healthcare Insurance:

• Many services are made available in one location
• You’ll have the ability to  make appointments online
• They maintain good customer plan services

Cons:

• Limited service area

 It is worthy to note that United Health Care is approved under the Affordable Care Act.

3. KAISER PERMANENTE:

It is important for one to compare plans from different health insurance companies to find the best plan, as some health insurance companies raise your premiums as you get older.

Kaiser Permanente offers the clients premiums that are below average compared to other companies. Their service ranges from dental, vision, and medicare insurance options. This is in addition to its individual health insurance plans.

They are known best for their coverage for elderly. Also, they have other insurance plans like a Point of Service (PoS) which provides members with access to Kaiser Permanente plan providers, participating providers, or non-participating providers in their community.

PPO plan provides members with access to participating providers or non-participating providers in their community and their out-of-area indemnity plan provides members with access to any licensed provider.

Also, under the company, one can select a contracted physician or see any licensed provider as deemed fit.

4. MOLINA HEALTH CARE:

This insurance company has a reputation for providing health care to lower-income populations. Their service is not made available in every state, but it has a large network of providers in the states where their services are being made available. The premiums they provide are lower than other insurance companies.

The wellness service they provide avails one the opportunity to save more. The services are the discounts for programs designed to help you lose weight or quit using tobacco.

5. AMBETTER HEALTH INSURANCE:

This health insurance company provides health insurance products to other insurance company. The insurance companies then sell the plans on the state market. Ambetter policies have the cheapest rates when compared to other health insurance plans.

The only setback is that they are not made available to all states.

One should be aware that their dental and vision insurance plans are available in the states they operate but they have poor customer service, non-availability of member resources, limited state availability, and lack of a mobile app for easy operations

These plans are offered in three categories which are Ambetter Essential care, Ambetter Balance care, and Ambetter secure care. Mind you that these care categories differ in the monthly premium and out-of-pocket maximums.

As a member, one stands to benefit from Ambetter. The benefits are rewards programs and a nurse advice line. Ambetter’s MyHealth, for instance, allows its members to earn rewards once they complete their health wellness goals and activities.

The rewards can be used for expenses like doctor’s co-pays, cell phone bills, rent, monthly premium payments, etc.

6. AETNA HEALTH INSURANCE:

Aetna is one of the US’s oldest and leading health care insurance providers. It was founded in 1852 and the headquarter is located in Hartford, Connecticut.

Their insurance products are health insurance, Medicaid insurance, dental insurance, pharmacy insurance, group life insurance, and disability insurance. They are operational in all 50 states.

Their services are highly rated as they provide good customer services, including a website and educational resources. The insurance products and plans they provide include family and individual coverage, their options are affordable.

Note that their plans are not short-term. They also boast of customer satisfaction as their policyholders plan to renew their health insurance coverage.

Pros:

• low-cost insurance options,
• large options of health care providers to choose from,
• excellent financial strength

Con:

• it does not offer many short-term insurance options like other.

7. AMERIGROUP:

Amerigroup corporation is a multi-state managed health care company. Their focus is to serve people who receive health care benefits through publicly sponsored programs like Medicaid, children’s  health insurance program (CHIP), and medicare advantage.

Amerigroup began as AMERICAID community care in the year 1994. Initially, they aimed at the health care problems of children, mothers, and pregnant women who enrolled in Medicaid.

 Their health care products includes:

• Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) which manage health care product for uninsured children not eligible for Medicaid
• Seniors and people with disabilities (S/PD) which manage health care products that are designed for supplement security income (SSI) recipients
• Temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) which is designed primarily for low-income children and mothers,
• Family care that focuses on uninsured adults and parents of CHIP.

9. HUMANA HEALTH INSURANCE:

Humana provides health insurance services through three segments, which are retail, group and specialty and health care services. The retail segment sells products like medicare, and state-based Medicaid contracts to individuals on a retail basis.

Their employer group fully insured commercial medical products and specialty health insurance benefits fall under the group and specialty segments. The specialty health insurance benefits include dental, vision, military services, and voluntary insurance benefits, and they are marketed to individuals and groups.

Once an individual qualifies for medicare, medicare advantage coverage will be made available for purchase. Their Medicaid service is made available only in two states which are Kentucky and Florida.

The availability of their dental insurance comes in three tiers of coverage which are a dental saving plus, preventive value, and dental preventive plus.

 Once a member, you gain access to their online My Humana portal. Through the online platform, you can pay your premium, locate a doctor and even find additional information that will guide you.

It is worthy to note their lack of individual health insurance and their poor customer service.

9. BRIGHT HEALTH CARE:

This is a startup insurance company that offers plans in select markets across the country. Bright Healthcare is good for those looking for low-cost insurance. But it’s the opposite for those who want broad choices of which doctors to see and those who prefer frustration-free interactions.

Their plans are most of the time affordable and maybe the cheapest in the state. Bright Healthcare is best for those that are willing to save money on health insurance by having access to a smaller network of providers.

The services they provide include free preventive care, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and free pediatric dental and vision. All this is being made possible because their plans are compatible with the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Cons

Bright health care, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has a high rate of members who are dissatisfied, and the rate of complaints from members is higher than the national average.

Denial of claims and poor customer service are the common complaints from the members.