In this article we will review the top health insurance companies in California. Given the high populations of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and Sacramento, we have been careful only to include the best companies who offer coverage in these areas.
California health insurance companies can be divided into three categories:
- Offering Group health insurance coverage
- Offering Individual health insurance coverage
- Provide both individual and group health insurance coverage
We update this list on a regular basis as health insurance companies tend to come and go in California. You will find the most up to date information available about California Health Insurance providers in the State.
Please note most of the companies below only sell health insurance. Most do not sell car insurance, homeowners insurance, or business insurance.
California Health Insurance Companies Providing Only Group Health Insurance
There are 14 health insurance companies in California which offer only group health insurance. These companies are listed in no particular order.
- Anthem BlueCross
- Blue Shield of California
- Cigna + Oscar
- Kaiser Permanente
- Oscar
- UnitedHealthcare
- Humana
- Aetna
- Health Net of California
- Western Health Advantage
- Sharp
- Chinese Community Health Plan
- California Choice
- Covered California for Small Business
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Best California Health Insurance Companies - Individual Health Insurance
There are 16 major medical insurance providers in California offering only individual health insurance. Here is a list of the best ones.
- Western Health Advantage - Commonly referred to as 'WHA', they offer an HMO plan in Sacramento, Yolo, Solano, El Dorado, Placer, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma counties.
- Chinese Community Health Plan - Servicing only the Bay Area, in San Francisco and Northern San Mateo Counties offering an HMO plan.
- Health Net - Available widely throughout California offering HMO, PPO, EPO, and HCSP health insurance plans.
- L.A. Care Health Plan - The nation's largest publicly operated health plan in place to help low income families in Los Angeles County.
- Valley Health Plan - The County of Santa Clara owns and operates this HMO health plan for residents of the county only.
- Medi-Cal - Offered to for free or minimal charge to residents of California with limited incomes and resources.
- Aetna Health of California - Offering Medi-Cal coverage for qualified California residents.
- Cigna Healthcare of California - HMO health plan offered throughout California.
- United Healthcare of California - The largest national provider of healthcare in the US, offers PPO, HMO, and HSA health plans.
Which provider is best? It really depends on your specific needs. We have a handy tool below to help you sort through the companies that will give you the best deal.
California Health Insurance Companies Providing Both Individual & Group Health Insurance
There are 11 major companies in California offering both group and individual health insurance coverage. These are listed in in no particular order below.
- Anthem Blue Cross - Presently offers EPO plans to northern California residents and Group plans.
- Blue Shield of California - Offers HMO, PPO, & HSA health insurance plans and Group plans.
- Kaiser Permanente of California (Northern California - Southern California) - Available throughout California offering HMO and HSA health insurance plans. See our Kaiser Permanente Review for more information and Group plans.
- Oscar Health Plan of California - Oscar was developed to support Obama Care and offers a virtual clinic to its members and Group plans.
- Sharp Health Plan - Offering HMO health plans to San Diego and Riverside County and Group plans.
- Western Health Advantage - Commonly referred to as 'WHA', they offer an HMO plan in Sacramento, Yolo, Solano, El Dorado, Placer, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma counties and Group plans.
- Chinese Community Health Plan - Servicing only the Bay Area, in San Francisco and Northern San Mateo Counties offering an HMO plan and Group plans.
- Health Net - Available widely throughout California offering HMO, PPO, EPO, and HCSP health insurance plans and Group plans.
- Aetna Health of California - Offering Medi-Cal coverage for qualified California residents and Group plans.
- Cigna Healthcare of California - HMO health plan offered throughout California and Group plans.
- United Healthcare of California - The largest national provider of healthcare in the US, offers PPO, HMO, and HSA health plans and Group plans.
Note that while all of the providers above offer coverage in areas like Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and northern California, not all are California based. For example, Aetna is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut.
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Health insurance shloud be considered a human right as it is in every other western nation. When people are well they can properly participate in a society as contributors, workers, etc. When they are ill they cannot and they will be a drain on our resources one way or the other. Should we let people die because they have no money to afford health care? On the other hand, why shloud any corporation make big money on another person’s misfortune (ill health)? The health of no person shloud be dependent on his/her monetary resources. We shloud, however, be required to make payments for health insurance according to our income or ability to pay. It can only be completely free to those who have no resources.References :