Find the right health insurance coverage for you

Choosing health insurance involves knowing what plans are available to you, whether you’d rather pay higher premiums or out-of-pocket costs, and what you want from a health insurance plan.

Health insurance plans before age 65

Short-term health insurance

Most states allow short-term health plans, which offer limited coverage for low premiums. These plans can last a year in most states, with the option to extend coverage to three years. Short-term plans don’t provide as many benefits as standard health insurance and have hefty out-of-pocket costs.

Coverage through work

Individual health insurance either through the health insurance marketplace or directly from a health insurer is a way to get health insurance if you can’t get one from an employer. Individual health insurance offers comprehensive benefits, but it’s often more expensive than an employer-sponsored group health plan.

Student health insurance

Students often get health insurance through a parent’s health plan, but students may also get a plan through their employer, college, or an individual health plan. Another option for people under 30 is catastrophic health insurance, which offers coverage for low premiums, but with a high deductible.

Individual health insurance

Individual health insurance either through the health insurance marketplace or directly from a health insurer is a way to get health insurance if you can’t get one from an employer. Individual health insurance offers comprehensive benefits, but it’s often more expensive than an employer-sponsored group health plan unless you qualify for tax credits.

Medicaid

Medicaid is a federal/state health insurance program for lower-income Americans. These plans offer comprehensive benefits at low costs that are based on your household income.

Self-employed health insurance

People who are self-employed can get coverage through an individual or small group plan. These plans can be more expensive than other plans, but you may qualify for premium tax credits to help reduce the health insurance cost on the health insurance marketplace.

Best Health Insurance Companies

Insurance cost solutioins editors conducted a survey of insurance consumers and collected data from several independent sources such as A.M. Best and NCQA to create a list of Best Health Insurance Companies. According to this data, Kaiser Permanente, Highmark and Horizon are the top three health insurance companies for 2025.

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Common types of health insurance plans

Health maintenance organization (HMO)

These plans have limited networks and you must receive care within that network. Otherwise, the health insurance company won’t pay for the care. HMOs have lower premiums than PPOs, but that comes with more restrictions, including limited provider networks and needing primary care physician referrals to see other health care providers, such as specialists.

Preferred provider organization (PPO)

PPO plans are typically more expensive than other types of health plans, but that higher premium comes with more flexibility. You often don’t have to choose a primary care provider in a PPO plan, you can select health care providers from a larger network typically, and opt for either in-network or out-of-network care (with the latter charging more).

Exclusive provider organization (EPO)

This is a managed care plan that allows you to go to doctors and hospitals within the plan’s network. An EPO has a limited network of doctors and hospitals and only pays for coverage from in-network doctors unless it’s an emergency. However, you don’t need to choose a primary care physician or need a referral to see a specialist.

Exclusive provider organization (EPO)

This is a managed care plan that allows you to go to doctors and hospitals within the plan’s network. An EPO has a limited network of doctors and hospitals and only pays for coverage from in-network doctors unless it’s an emergency. However, you don’t need to choose a primary care physician or need a referral to see a specialist.

Point of Service (POS)

These plans serve as a hybrid of PPOs and HMOs. “Point of service” means that you get to pick whether to use HMO or PPO services every time you see a provider. POS plans often have rules similar to HMOs. For example, you need to choose an in-network physician as your primary care physician. However, you can visit an out-of-network physician for a higher fee in a POS plan, which is similar to a PPO.

Health Insurance Advisor

Answer a handful of questions about your insurance situation and let the Health Insurance Advisor provide a comprehensive look at what kind of coverage you need.

Health Insurance Advisor

Frequently Asked Questions About Health Insurance

How does health insurance work?

The concept behind health insurance is simple: You pay money to an insurance company for a policy that aims to protect you against health care costs. The goal is to pay much less overall in a given year for health care insurance than you would out-of-pocket if you didn’t have insurance.Health insurance plans differ and may provide a distinctive combination of services as well as access to particular providers. However, most plans help pay doctor visits, prescription medications, preventive care, and hospital stays.Members pay a monthly or regular premium and the insurer pays for a portion of your medical care costs, according to the plan’s terms.

Who should buy health insurance?

Health insurance is a smart decision for everyone — both for your health and finances. Without health insurance, you won’t be covered for medical care, including preventive services like annual physicians, chronic illness help, and emergency care. Being uninsured can also leave you on the hook for large medical bills.

Which type of health insurance should you buy?

The type of health insurance to get depends partly on your eligibility. Most people pre-retirement age get health insurance through an employer. An employer-sponsored health plan is usually the best avenue to get comprehensive coverage at the lowest price because employers pay more than half of the health care costs. However, you can also get an individual health plan on the health insurance marketplace or directly from an insurance provider. People with a health insurance marketplace plan may be eligible for premium tax credits that help reduce the cost of premiums. People who are 65 and over are eligible for Medicare. Medicare beneficiaries choose between Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage.

How can you find affordable health insurance?

If you can’t get a health plan from an employer, a good place to look for a plan is the health insurance marketplace. Marketplace plans offer premiums tax credits based on income that help reduce the cost of health plan premiums. If you’re eligible, another option is Medicaid, which offers comprehensive, low-cost plans to lower-income Americans. The federal/state health insurance program bases premiums on your household income. So, if you have a low income, you could pay little to nothing on premiums for a Medicaid plan.

What are different types of health insurance?

There are multiple ways to get health insurance, including:

Employer-sponsored health insurance

Health insurance marketplace

Individual health insurance purchased directly from a private insurance company

Medicare

Medicaid

A former employer’s COBRA plan

Short-term health insurance

When can you buy health insurance?

You can enroll in health insurance during open enrollment. Employers set their own open enrollment periods throughout the year. The Affordable Care Act marketplace open enrollment typically occurs between Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 every year. Some states with their own exchanges have longer open enrollment periods. Meanwhile, Medicare has two open enrollment periods. The Medicare open enrollment period is Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 when you can make changes to your plans. Also, Medicare Advantage open enrollment is from Jan. 1 to March 31. During that time, you’re only able to make changes to a Medicare Advantage plan or switch from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare. If you miss out on open enrollment, you may qualify for a special enrollment period and enroll in a health insurance plan at any time if you have a qualifying life event, such as getting married, having or adopting a child, or losing other coverage.