Compare Health Insurance Quotes

Compare Health Insurance Rates

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Comparing health insurance quotes can get you a better deal on coverage.

ValuePenguin's health insurance calculator can give you rate estimates and plan recommendations. Our experts can help you:

Find a cheap health insurance plan
Get the right coverage for your medical needs
Check to see if you qualify for discounts

Compare health insurance quotes and plans

Compare health insurance coverage

The first step to picking the best health insurance plan is to compare the coverage.

Start with comparing each plan's deductible and out-of-pocket maximum limits. These amounts show you how much you have to pay for medical care yourself. The deductible is the amount you have to pay before your plan starts to cover your bills, and the out-of-pocket maximum is the most you could pay each year toward your medical bills.

To pick the right amount of coverage, think about what kind of medical care you might need and how much you can afford to pay each month for a plan. If you need a lot of medical care, choose a plan with a lower deductible and out-of-pocket maximum, so your plan pays for more of your bills. If you need a cheap plan, you'll likely have to pay for more of your medical care yourself.

Health insurance terms you should know

Monthly rate: This is the price you pay each month for your health insurance plan. It's also called the premium.
Deductibles, copays and coinsurance: You'll have to spend a certain amount of money on healthcare, called a deductible, before your plan starts paying for things. After you meet your deductible, you still have to pay part of your medical bill, either a flat fee called a copay or a percentage of the total bill, called coinsurance.
Out-of-pocket maximum: The out-of-pocket maximum is the most you will have to spend on medical care in a year. After hitting this limit, the insurance company pays for the full cost of covered health services. Your deductible, copays and coinsurance usually all count toward reaching your out-of-pocket maximum. The monthly rate you pay is not part of the out-of-pocket maximum.

Compare plan tiers

Private health insurance plans are divided into five categories: Catastrophic, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Coverage tiers help you know how much coverage you'll get and how much you'll pay each month. Typically, as your monthly rate increases, so does your coverage level.

Silver plans are a good place to start when comparing health insurance quotes. These plans offer middle-of-the-road coverage and rates. If you go to the doctor often or have expensive medical needs, a Gold or Platinum plan is usually the best option. The extra coverage usually makes the higher monthly cost worth it. A Bronze plan makes sense if you're young and mostly healthy. Just make sure that you have the savings to pay for more of your medical bills yourself.

Catastrophic and Bronze health plans have the cheapest monthly rates. But you'll pay for more if you need medical care because the plans have high deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. Bronze and Catastrophic plans are best for people in good health. If you choose a lower-tier plan, you should also have savings to pay for the higher medical costs, just in case. You may pay more for a Catastrophic plan than a Bronze plan because Catastrophic plans don't qualify for subsidies.
Silver tier plans have middle-of-the-road rates and deductibles. These plans are best for people or families with average health care needs. Plus, if you have a low income, you can get extra discounts called cost-sharing reductions. That means you'll pay less in coinsurance, copays and deductibles.
Gold and Platinum health insurance plans cost the most each month. But they also give you the most coverage, so you pay less for health care. If you think you'll need expensive medical care, like prescription drugs or a surgery, consider a Gold or Platinum plan. The lower deductible might save you money overall, even though the plan costs more each month.

Compare health insurance networks

A plan's network limits which doctors you can use, the flexibility of your coverage and how easy it is to see a specialist.

PPOs and HMOs are the two most common network types. PPOs typically cost more, but they let you see specialists without a referral. They also give you some coverage for doctors that aren't in the plan's network. HMOs are cheaper, but you only have coverage to see an in-network doctor. With an HMO, you'll also need to go through your primary care doctor to see a specialist, which can slow down your medical care.

Two less-popular plan types are exclusive provider organizations (EPOs) and point of service (POS) plans. These usually aren't the best option, and you might not even have any of these plans in your area.

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Sources and methodology

The average cost of health insurance uses 2025 quotes for a 40-year-old person sourced from public use files (PUFs) on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) government website and state marketplaces.