Quoth the Raven: Save on Maryland Health Insurance Forevermore
While no one is claiming that health care in Maryland is heads and tails above the competition, the Old Line State doesn’t have anything to be ashamed of in the health care department, either. According to the Commonwealth Fund’s 2009 State Scorecard on Health System Performance – a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of health care in all 50 states – Maryland ranked 17th in the nation, ahead of 33 other states and the District of Columbia. Even more surprising is that Maryland has accomplished this feat without adopting widespread regulation of the insurance industry like so many of its neighbors to the north. The end result for the health insurance consumer in Maryland? Quality health care is out there for the taking in the Free State, though if you want to get the best value possible on your health care coverage you had better know what you’re doing when you start shopping around.
The Average Cost of a Maryland Health Insurance Quote
We’ll get to proven strategies for finding a reasonable Maryland health insurance quote in a moment, but for starters it’s important to establish a baseline for what people are paying for health care in Baltimore, Bowie, and Hagerstown. Here is a quick summary of the going rate for a Maryland health insurance quote, as indicated by data compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the AHIP.
- Group Health Care Premiums in Maryland –According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, group health care premiums in Maryland cost plan participants an average of $964 per year for a single individual, and $3,920 per year for families. As for employers and other group plan administrators, the Kaiser Family Foundation lists average annual premiums of $3,396 for single participants, and $8,621 for families. For the record, plan participants in Maryland pay about 2% more than the national average, while employers pay about 2% less.
- Individual Market Health Care Premiums in Maryland —And what if you’re on your own and need health insurance in Maryland? According to the AHIP (America’s Health Insurance Plans), an individual market Maryland health insurance quote averages $2,208 per year for a single individual, and $5,055 per year for families.
How to Find Quality, Affordable Maryland Health Insurance
Once you have a ballpark idea of what a Maryland health insurance quote is going to run, the next step if soliciting a few quotes of your own. The Maryland Insurance Administration (the MIA) can provide you with a list of Maryland insurance providers that are licensed through the MIA at your request, though by law they are not allowed to give recommendations or referrals to specific companies or agents. Nevertheless, the MIA isn’t a bad place to start. By combining that information with quotes received from a free online quote service like NetQuote.com, and doing a little background check of your own regarding performance ratings and customer satisfaction rates, you can easily get a host of quotes from providers that are in compliance with state regulations and that you know you can trust.
Maximizing Your Health Insurance Dollar with a Maryland Health Insurance Quote
Last, but certainly not least, consumers looking for health insurance in Maryland can use the multiple quotes they solicit to get the upper hand in the hunt for affordable premiums and quality coverage. Be it the Wall Street Journal’s SmartMoney.com or Consumer Reports, financial experts and consumer advocates alike agree that comparison shopping is the key to getting the best possible insurance coverage at the most favorable rates. By soliciting multiple quotes from a number of providers you can compare premiums, health insurance plans, policies, and providers on your way to finding the best possible health insurance package for you and your family in the state that likes to call itself Little America.
