About one in 10 Louisiana adults ages 19 to 64 buy their own health insurance on the marketplace or directly from an insurance company. NerdWallet crunched the numbers on 118 health insurance plans to find the best and most affordable in Louisiana.
We built our own data-driven marketplace health insurance rating system based on costs, claims denial rates, medical management programs, dental care, complaints, government quality data and more. We scored plans from every company offering marketplace health insurance in Louisiana for 2025.
Here are the best health insurance companies in Louisiana
Best overall: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Best for quality: HMO Louisiana
Most affordable: Ambetter from Louisiana Healthcare Connections
Compare the best health insurance plans in Louisiana
Company name | NerdWallet rating | Plan types | Claims denial rate | Avg. Silver premium | Learn more |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BEST OVERALL | partnered with HealthSherpa Call a consumer advocate at HealthSherpa Mon–Fri: 6am–4pm PT | ||||
5.0/5 | PPO | 12.6% (Far fewer than average) | $706.73 | ||
BEST FOR QUALITY | partnered with HealthSherpa Call a consumer advocate at HealthSherpa Mon–Fri: 6am–4pm PT | ||||
5.0/5 | POS | 16.6% (Average) | $511.18 | ||
MOST AFFORDABLE | partnered with HealthSherpa Call a consumer advocate at HealthSherpa Mon–Fri: 6am–4pm PT | ||||
![]() | 4.5/5 | EPO | Not yet available | $462.05 |
How we choose the best health insurance companies
👋 I’m Alex Rosenberg, a lead writer and content strategist covering health insurance. I built NerdWallet’s health insurance rubric and did the research for this page to find the best health insurance options in the state. I gathered and analyzed data across four major categories:
- 💰 Cost
Plans with lower costs, such as premiums, deductibles, copays, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximums, score the best.
We evaluate plans’ costs using marketplace health plan datasets. These enormous spreadsheets include as many as 149 discrete data points for over 100,000 plan offerings in 31 states that use the federal marketplace (other states use their own separate marketplaces).
It’s not feasible to evaluate every kind of cost in every scenario, so we use these as a sample:
Premiums
Premiums have the highest weight in our scoring. We compare each plan’s unsubsidized premium for a 30-year-old individual as a level playing field for comparison. We score plans based on how cheap they are compared to other plans of the same type and metal — Silver HMOs vs. other Silver HMOs, for example.
Deductibles
The amount you need to pay out of pocket before your plan starts to pay for its share of covered benefits. The lower the deductible, the better.
Out-of-pocket costs
We analyze each plan’s copays, coinsurance and deductibles for primary care visits, specialist appointments, emergency care and several tiers of prescription drugs.
- 🩺 Coverage
Plans score higher if they made covered medical care and prescription drugs more easily accessible.
We evaluate plans’ coverage using the same marketplace health plan datasets that we use to analyze costs along with additional data from government-provided “public use files.”
All marketplace plans have to cover the same essential health benefits, but some plans’ coverage is more usable than others. We score them on how coverage works.
Pre-deductible benefits
We give a strong scoring preference to plans that cover certain benefits before (and also after) you’ve met the deductible. Plans get lower scores when they don’t start to cover things like doctor’s office visits or prescription drugs until you’ve paid the full deductible.
Dental coverage
Plans that cover adult dental care also get more points for coverage than plans that don’t. (Unlike children’s dental care, adult dental care isn’t considered an essential health benefit, so plans may or may not cover it.)
- 📞 Customer experience
Plans score well when they have fewer denials, lower complaint rates and stronger customer satisfaction surveys.
We use three different data sources to evaluate customer experience:
Customer complaints
We collect and analyze customer complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. For each company, we calculate a multi-year average complaint rate.
NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC.
Denials
Based on claims data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, we rank companies based on how often they deny in-network claims. The fewer denials, the better.
Satisfaction scores
We rate plans based on how well or poorly they score on government surveys evaluating customer satisfaction.
- 📈 Quality
Companies earn points based on their medical management programs and rankings on government ratings of medical quality.
We use two sources to score plans’ quality of care:
Government ratings
Marketplace plans get star ratings from the government based on how well they manage members’ health care, monitor conditions and provide certain medical services. We rank plans based on how highly they score on these ratings.
Medical management programs
Some plans offer medical management programs to help members with certain conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, depression, pregnancy and pain management. Plans score points based on how many of these programs they offer.
Best overall: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Why we picked it: Several factors suggest that Blue Cross and Blue Shield members are satisfied with their coverage: strong government ratings for member experience, low complaint rates and low denial rates for in-network claims.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield offers PPO plans, which can cover care outside of the plan’s network (though you’ll pay more out-of-pocket). If other plans’ more restrictive networks don’t work for you, BCBS’ PPO plans might offer more flexibility.
Mon–Fri: 6am–4pm PT
Pros
- Happy customers.
- Rarely denies in-network claims.
Cons
- PPO plans have higher premiums.
Best for quality: HMO Louisiana
Why we picked it: HMO Louisiana, a subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, earned the highest average government rating of all companies in the state. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services assigns ratings to companies if enough data is available, based on member experience, medical care and plan administration.
The company (along with parent company BCBS of Louisiana) has the lowest complaint rates in the state, too.
Mon–Fri: 6am–4pm PT
Pros
- Solid government ratings.
- Low customer complaint rates.
Cons
- Higher out-of-pocket costs for primary care and specialist appointments.
- Network requirements for medical providers.
Most affordable: Ambetter from Louisiana Healthcare Connections
Why we picked it: Ambetter from Louisiana Healthcare Connections’ low average premiums for Silver plans make it our pick for the most affordable health insurance in Louisiana.
Silver plans are often the most affordable because they’re potentially eligible for more subsidies than any other plan type. Silver plans can end up costing you less than Bronze plans if you qualify for certain cost savings — and most marketplace enrollees do.
If you’re interested in plans of other metal levels, the company has the lowest average premiums for Gold and Expanded Bronze plans, too.

Mon–Fri: 6am–4pm PT
Pros
- Low premiums.
- Multiple plan options for adult dental coverage.
Cons
- Higher out-of-pocket costs for brand-name drugs.
- Network restrictions for covered health care providers.
Bronze plans cover about 60% of the cost of care, which means you’re responsible for about 40% out of pocket. Expanded Bronze plans have the same coverage as regular Bronze plans, broadly speaking, but they either pay for at least one major non-preventive service before you meet the plan’s deductible or function as a high-deductible health plan.
- See all marketplace insurance companies in Louisiana.
Ambetter from Louisiana Healthcare Connections.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
CHRISTUS Health Plan.
HMO Louisiana.
UnitedHealthcare.
How to pick a marketplace health insurance plan
There can be a lot of moving parts when shopping for health insurance coverage. Here are a few questions to help you think through your needs and options:
How much are the plan’s costs? Do you understand what the plan’s premium, deductibles, copays and/or coinsurance will be? Can you afford them?
Are you eligible for subsidies? Whether applying yourself or with an agent/broker, be sure to enter accurate information to check whether you’re eligible for subsidies through the marketplace.
Is your doctor in-network? If you have a preferred doctor (or doctors) or hospital, make sure they participate in the plan’s network.
Are your prescriptions covered? If you’re on medication, understand how the plan covers it. What tier are your prescription drugs on, and are there any coverage rules that apply to them?
Is there dental coverage? Does the plan offer routine coverage for vision, dental and hearing needs?
If you have questions or need help navigating the marketplace, you can get help from a trained assister or an agent/broker at HealthCare.gov.
Off-marketplace health insurance in Louisiana
Some marketplace plans have matching policies that can be bought outside of the marketplace. You can choose to buy an off-marketplace plan rather than a marketplace plan during open enrollment (Nov. 1 through Jan. 15), but subsidies aren’t available if you do so.
You might be able to find other kinds of health insurance plans sold outside of the marketplace (and outside of open enrollment), such as limited, short-term or alternative health plans. These plans might not have the same coverage and/or consumer protections as plans sold on the marketplace.
It’s a good idea to check whether an off-marketplace plan offers “minimum essential coverage.” If not, the plan might be allowed to do things that most health plans can’t, such as deny coverage due to health status, limit coverage of pre-existing conditions and/or not cover essential health benefits.
Best Medicare plans in Louisiana
Medicare is available for people age 65 and older and people living with certain medical conditions. There are many kinds of Medicare coverage, and the best choice for you can depend on your health, finances and preferences. Check out NerdWallet’s reviews of the best Medicare plans:
Health insurance resources in Louisiana
Louisiana Department of Insurance: Provides information about health insurance and resources to get help with questions, appeal carriers’ decisions and file complaints against insurance companies.
Louisiana Health Insurance Consumer Help: A list of resources from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Article sources
NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary, trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's high standards for journalism by reading our editorial guidelines.
- 1.Census Bureau. Health Insurance Coverage and Type by State. Accessed Apr 25, 2025.
- 2.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Issuer Level Enrollment Data. Accessed Apr 25, 2025.
- 3.Department of Health and Human Services. Health Plan Categories: Bronze, Silver, Gold & Platinum. Accessed Apr 25, 2025.
Marketplace health insurance ratings methodology
NerdWallet evaluates marketplace health insurance plans based on marketplace data about plans’ premiums, out-of-pocket costs and benefits, prescription drug coverage, dental coverage, government quality rating data, complaint data, records about how plans approve and deny claims and more.
We evaluate individual plans and then aggregate scores to the company level. When a plan is missing data for a certain metric, we exclude it from calculations. For example, the federal government calculates official star ratings for marketplace health insurance plans, but many plans are unrated, and others have incomplete ratings. NerdWallet’s analysis incorporates government quality ratings when they’re available, but doesn’t penalize plans that are unrated.
These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best coverage and rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines for more information.
Insurer complaints methodology
We examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. To assess how insurers compare to one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry.
To evaluate a company’s complaint history, we calculated a similar index for each insurance company, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary. We score companies based on this index of how many complaints the company receives relative to its market share.
NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC.