If you live in Monterey, Santa Cruz or San Benito counties and are looking for the best health insurance plan for your needs, look no further. NerdWallet has compiled the plans available to you, along with estimated monthly premiums and links to provider directories so you can verify that your doctor accepts Obamacare plans. Not the location you were looking for? Check out our California health insurance directory.
Do you have experience with these insurance companies? Share your review in the comment section below.
Obamacare Health Insurance Plans in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties
| Health Insurance Company |
Health Plan Name |
Estimated Monthly Premium* | Doctors Included in Plan |
Shop for Health Insurance |
| Anthem | Anthem Bronze 60 Health Savings Account PPO | $294 | Visit Anthem to locate in-network doctors>> |  for Anthem health insurance plans |
| Anthem Bronze 60 PPO | $292 | |||
| Anthem Multi State Plan Silver 70 PPO | $387 | |||
| Anthem Multi State Plan Gold 80 PPO | $475 | |||
| Anthem Platinum 90 PPO | $557 | |||
| Blue Shield | Blue Shield Bronze 60 Health Savings Account EPO | $291 | Visit Blue Shield to locate in-network doctors>> | for Blue Shield health insurance plans |
| Blue Shield Bronze 60 EPO | $296 | |||
| Blue Shield Silver 70 EPO | $358 | |||
| Blue Shield Gold 80 EPO | $422 | |||
| Blue Shield Platinum 90 EPO | $484 | |||
| Health Net | Health Net Bronze 60 EPO | $318 | Visit Health Net to locate in-network doctors>> | for Health Net health insurance plans |
| Health Net Silver 70 EPO | $448 | |||
| Health Net Gold 80 EPO | $535 | |||
| Health Net Platinum 90 EPO | $642 | |||
| *Premiums are estimated for a 40-year-old before government subsidies. Source: Covered California Health Insurance Companies and Plan Rates for 2015 and Shop and Compare Tool. |
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Health insurance can be complicated to shop for. Familiarize yourself with these terms before getting started:
1. Premium: The amount you or your employer pays monthly, quarterly or yearly to buy a health insurance plan.
2. Deductible: The amount that an individual must pay, per year, before his or her health insurance will begin to pay for coverage. If you have a $2,500 deductible, then you must spend this amount on out-of-pocket medical expenses before your insurance will contribute. It is sometimes used in combination with coinsurance or copayment.
3. Copayment (copay): A cost-sharing measure sometimes used in conjunction with a deductible that requires a patient to pay a given dollar amount at the point of service. For example, if a patient has a $15 copay for doctor visit, then he or she must pay $15 per visit. Not to be confused with coinsurance.
4. Coinsurance: Once you’ve met your deductible, coinsurance will kick in. Coinsurance requires a patient to pay a specific percentage of the total cost of a particular service. For example, if your coinsurance is 10%, you will be required to pay 10% of the total cost of a doctor visit, procedure or any other health care service, and your insurance will cover the remaining 90%. Keep in mind that coinsurance does not apply until after you’ve met your deductible—so up until that point, you’ll be required to cover all of your health care costs. Not to be confused with copayment.
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