Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Kansas City a great spot for buying health insurance
[Julius A. Karash, "KC ranks No. 1 for individual health plans," The Kansas City Star, 7 December 2004.]
Kansas City residents have reason to be pleased - the city was just ranked number one in the counrty for individual health insurance affordability:
Online broker eHealthInsurance has ranked Kansas City as the most affordable city in the country for health insurance outside the group market.
The rankings were based on a survey of premium costs available for a family of four. Such policies can be obtained in Kansas City for as low as $171.86 per month, the survey said.
California-based eHealthInsurance is a broker that operates an online clearinghouse for buying individual, family and small group health insurance. The rankings released today look at family coverage that consumers obtain on their own through the eHealthInsurance Web site.
“This is the first time we've done this type of analysis,” said Bob Hurley, vice president of customer care for eHealthInsurance.
“We're seeing families faced with increasing health-insurance costs passed onto them by their employers. They're not just taking it lying down anymore, they're doing something about it.”
He said the Internet has made it easier for consumers to shop for insurance.
Kansas City came in first because of keen insurance industry competition and a relatively low level of state mandates regarding insurance coverage, Hurley said.
Area residents who have benefited from the competitive environment here include Denise and David Gilliland of North Kansas City. The two recently switched their health insurance after shopping the eHealthInsurance Web site.
“I could quickly compare policies and premiums,” Denise Gilliland said.
The Gillilands' new policy carries an annual deductible of $2,500 and a premium of about $90 a month, Gilliland said. The old policy had a $5,000 deductible and a $190 a month premium, though the coverage provided by the two policies is virtually the same, she said.
[Matthew Hisrich, "State Mandates reduce insurance affordability," The Flint Hills Center, May 2004.]
[Julius A. Karash, "KC ranks No. 1 for individual health plans," The Kansas City Star, 7 December 2004.]
Kansas City residents have reason to be pleased - the city was just ranked number one in the counrty for individual health insurance affordability:
Online broker eHealthInsurance has ranked Kansas City as the most affordable city in the country for health insurance outside the group market.
The rankings were based on a survey of premium costs available for a family of four. Such policies can be obtained in Kansas City for as low as $171.86 per month, the survey said.
California-based eHealthInsurance is a broker that operates an online clearinghouse for buying individual, family and small group health insurance. The rankings released today look at family coverage that consumers obtain on their own through the eHealthInsurance Web site.
“This is the first time we've done this type of analysis,” said Bob Hurley, vice president of customer care for eHealthInsurance.
“We're seeing families faced with increasing health-insurance costs passed onto them by their employers. They're not just taking it lying down anymore, they're doing something about it.”
He said the Internet has made it easier for consumers to shop for insurance.
Kansas City came in first because of keen insurance industry competition and a relatively low level of state mandates regarding insurance coverage, Hurley said.
Area residents who have benefited from the competitive environment here include Denise and David Gilliland of North Kansas City. The two recently switched their health insurance after shopping the eHealthInsurance Web site.
“I could quickly compare policies and premiums,” Denise Gilliland said.
The Gillilands' new policy carries an annual deductible of $2,500 and a premium of about $90 a month, Gilliland said. The old policy had a $5,000 deductible and a $190 a month premium, though the coverage provided by the two policies is virtually the same, she said.
[Matthew Hisrich, "State Mandates reduce insurance affordability," The Flint Hills Center, May 2004.]
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