Having affordable and trustworthy healthcare is one of the top concerns for many Americans. A good insurance plan can improve your quality of life tremendously. The top health insurance providers in the country have packages that provide a variety of coverage plans to meet your needs. Good customer service is also an important quality for insurance providers to have, especially when helping their customers through stressful life events.
I personally know how important this is. Just last month I had to undergo some minor surgery to treat a condition that was negatively impacting my work and my life for several months. I’m self-employed, which poses challenges in getting decent health insurance at an affordable rate, but fortunately I’m covered under my husband’s insurance policy (through a Blue Cross, Blue Shield provider). But for years I wasn’t, and I paid out of pocket for my healthcare needs.
For those still without insurance, even minor procedures can be a major financial strain.
If you’re currently without insurance, it can be a good idea to at least research your options. To help you do that, let’s take a look at some of the best health insurance providers in the U.S. While every insurance company is bound to have some unhappy customers, these examples are some of the largest — serving the needs of Americans while staying at the top of their industry.
Note: Remember that these are ten “of” the best insurance companies — not necessarily the best of the best, which is completely subjective based on your individual experiences. To keep it simple, we’ve put these health insurance companies in alphabetical order and we’ve included some revenue information to give you an idea of each company’s size in relation to the others.
1. Aetna
Revenue in 2011: $33.61 billion
Aetna offers several insurance packages for both medical and dental coverage. They’re one of the largest insurance companies in the country with over 26 million policy holders spread across all 50 states. They offer individual plans, small business plans, and company plans for larger organizations.
2. Cigna Corporation
Revenue in 2011: $22.0 billion
Cigna is one of the oldest health insurance providers in the United States and currently operates internationally in 30 countries. It has 70 million customers with about 9 million of them in the United States.
3. Coventry Corp. Group
Revenue in 2011: $12.2 billion
Coventry Health Care was formed in 1986 and has become one of the top health insurance providers in the country. They are driven to provide the greatest value for their customer’s healthcare investment. This policy has allowed it to grow each year with over 5 million members currently.
4. HCSC Group
Revenue in 2011: $18.3 billion
HCSC is the largest customer-owned health insurance provider in the United States. It operates under Blue Cross and Blue Shield which has 39 separate insurers. HCSC has over 20 million customers who are located mostly in Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
5. Highmark Group
Revenue in 2011: $14.8 billion
Highmark group is also affiliated with Blue Cross and Blue Shield. It has 5 million customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. Highmark’s stated vision is to ensure that their customers “have access to affordable, quality healthcare.”
6. Humana Group
Revenue in 2011: $26.6 billion
Humana is a large insurance provider with over 30 million policy holders. It has diverse lines of business that have allowed it to reach many customers in the U.S. That diversity includes group health insurance plans, dental and vision plans, and specialty offerings for groups such as the military and seniors. And they operate the Concentra clinics across 40 states. Humana relies on innovation to continue to improve the services they offer their customers.
7. Independence Blue Cross Group
Revenue in 2011: $9.2 billion
Independence Blue Cross operates under Blue Cross and Blue Shield to serve customers in southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. It serves 2.2 million customers in that region but also operates nationally with 3.1 million members in total. Independence Blue Cross has been praised over the years for its charitable contributions and volunteer efforts.
8. Kaiser Foundation Group
Revenue in 2011: $48.4 billion
Before Kaiser Foundation was a healthcare provider they were a hospital management organization. But that doesn’t mean it’s the new kid on the block. The company has operated as an insurance provider for the past 60 years, and it currently has over 50 million customers.
9. UnitedHealth Group
Revenue in 2011: $80 billion
United Healthcare is the largest insurance provider in the United States. It serves over 70 million Americans and more than 75 million people worldwide. In addition to their coverage options, United Healthcare offers a wealth of educational material through their website, helping all Americans become more educated consumers of healthcare services.
10. WellPoint, Inc.
Revenue in 2011: $56.3 billion
WellPoint is another very large insurance provider with over 54 million policy holders. It is a part of Blue Cross and Blue Shield and operates mainly in 14 states. It is the largest group under Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
What do you look for in an insurance provider?
Are you satisfied with your insurance plan or do you wish you could switch to another?
Tell us about your health insurance company, what you like about it,
and what you don’t like about it in the comments below.Are you happy with a health insurance provider not on this list?
Add it in the comments as well to give readers other options to
consider when choosing an insurance company of their own.
