Top health insurance in Michigan

With a population of 9,986,857 residents, the state of Michigan is the 10th most populous state in the USA. According to recent statistics, 50.9 percent of these residents receive their health insurance from their employers. The remaining half purchase their health insurance through private insurance providers or government-assisted health insurance plans.

Michiganders can purchase their health insurance plans through companies that offer the top health insurance providers in Michigan. These companies and their plans are listed on the Health Insurance Marketplace Michigan. Buyers simply have to enter their personal information like their zip code, age, average monthly income, number of dependents, and answer a few simple questions about their medical history to enroll in a private health insurance plan. Residents are allowed to file applications for their health insurance in open enrollment rounds.

Every year, the open enrollment starts on November 1 and ends on December 15. However, due to the COVID-19 emergency, another special enrollment round will begin on February 15, 2021, and last until May 15, 2021.

All residents unable to afford private health insurance and without access to employer-provided health insurance, can purchase government-assisted insurance plans from the State Marketplace like the Department of Insurance and Financial Services in Michigan. Or they can enroll in one of the health insurance plans provided by the federal government through the website healthcare.gov. They can directly apply through the website by creating an account and requesting a quote. If you are looking for a health insurance provider outside of Michigan or a provider that provides health insurance in all states  – make sure to take a look at our best health insurance providers list.

The government-assisted Medicaid and the Healthy Michigan Plan are available throughout the year. Small businesses, individuals, and families are all eligible for these government-assisted health insurance plans.

Summary

In this article, we will give you a detailed review of the top health insurance providers in Michigan. We will analyze and compare the health plans of all the health insurance providers to give you a complete guide on buying health insurance plans in Michigan.

List of Providers and Comparison of Plans

There are several private health insurance companies in Michigan that provide affordable Michigan health insurance plans. We have listed some of the most popular health insurance providers in Michigan and their plans below:

• Blue Care Network
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
• McLaren Health Plan
• Meridian (Now known as Ambetter Health Insurance)
• Molina
• Physicians Health Plan
• Priority Health
• Total Health Care
• Oscar Health

In the NCQA’s Health Insurance Plan Ratings of 2017-2018, Priority Health had the best overall rating. The results are presented below:

According to a recent report, Michiganders spend around $8,055 per year on their health insurance. Only 6% of the population of Michigan is uninsured, and even though the premiums for health insurance were reduced by 2.5% in 2020, the average monthly premium per person is $406 for a bronze plan.

However, the pricing for monthly premiums primarily depends on the type of plan, and the age of the insurers. In Michigan, residents can choose from one of these private health insurance plans and pay their monthly premiums accordingly.

• Catastrophic
• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold
• Platinum

From the graph above, it can be seen that the monthly premium for the catastrophic plan bought by an adult is $222.

A catastrophic plan is a basic health insurance plan that covers the medical costs for emergencies and accidents. It gives users coverage for basic healthcare services like vaccinations, health screenings, annual check-ups, and in case they require contraceptives. Even though catastrophic plans have the lowest monthly premiums, the annual destructible for the catastrophic plans are the highest.

On the other hand, the platinum plan has the highest monthly premium of $475 for an adult individual, but the yearly deductibles for the platinum plans are the lowest, as has been explained in the table below:

To explain simply:

• The Bronze level gives you 60 percent health coverage
• The Silver level gives you 70 percent health coverage
• The Gold level gives you 80 percent health coverage
• The Platinum level gives you 90 percent health coverage

 

Moreover, it was observed that in 2021, the residents of Michigan will pay an average of $402 on their monthly premiums. This is 4% less than what they were paying in 2020.

However, a large number of people in Michigan rely on government-assisted health insurance plans that are available at the federal and state level. On the federal level, people can enroll in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is also known as Obamacare. Currently, 879,446 people in Michigan receive their health insurance from the ACA-authorized Healthy Michigan Plan.

The table above shows that nearly 22% of the population in Michigan receives its health insurance through the expanded ACA (Obamacare) program in the form of Medicaid and around 16% of the senior citizens receive their health insurance coverage through Medicare.

 

Cheapest Health Insurance Plan by Cities in Michigan

Let’s take a look at the county-wise breakdown to understand which health insurance plans are the cheapest in the popular cities of Michigan.

 

1.   Detroit

The City of Detroit has a population of over 674,841. The city is home to a number of African American residents. The black community makes up 78% of the population of Detroit city. Because of the lack of cultural diversity and frequent racial riots, residents of Detroit have a low-income level and hence are unable to pay for pricey health insurance plans.

The most affordable health insurance plan in the city is the Totally You – Value plan by Total Healthcare USA. The monthly premium for a 40-year-old person for this plan is $305, and its yearly deductible is $4,450

 

2.   Grand Rapids

The city of Grand Rapids has a population of over 198,401. It is the 2nd most populous city in the state of Michigan. 

The cheapest health insurance plan in Grand Rapids is the Ambetter Balanced Care 12 (2021) plan by Ambetter Health Insurance. The monthly premium of this plan is only $326.

In the bronze category, the cheapest health insurance plan for an adult individual is the Ambetter Essential Care 1 (2021) plan. The monthly premium for this plan is $238.27, and its yearly deductible is $8,300

 

3.   Warren

The city of Warren has a population of over 134,797. It is the 3rd largest city in the state of Michigan.

The cheapest health insurance plan in Warren is the Totally You – Value plan. The monthly premium for this plan is $305, and its yearly deductible is $4,450 for the silver plan.

4.   Sterling Heights

The city of Sterling Heights has a population of over 132,476. It is the 4th most populous city in the state of Michigan.

The cheapest health insurance plan in Sterling Heights is the Totally You- Value plan. The monthly premium of this plan is only $305.

In the bronze category, the cheapest health insurance plan is the Total Saver Plus plan by Total Healthcare USA. The monthly premium for this plan in Sterling Heights is $229.58, and it has a yearly deductible of $6,100.

5.   Ann Arbor

The city of Ann Arbor has a population of over 120,735. It is the 5th most populous city in the state of Michigan.

The cheapest health insurance plan in Ann Arbor is the Constant Care Silver 4 plan. The monthly premium of this plan is only $311 for a 40-year old person.

In the bronze category, the cheapest health insurance plan is the MyPriority HMO Bronze 8550 plan by Priority Health. The monthly premium for this plan in Ann Arbor is $277.20, and it has a yearly deductible of $8,550.

The results above indicate that the Totally You- Value plan is the most affordable health insurance in Michigan as it is the cheapest plan in three major cities of Michigan.

 Average Cost of Health Insurance by Family Size in Michigan

The average cost of health insurance in Michigan is $402, which is around $100 less than the national average. The average monthly cost of health insurance in the USA in 2021 is $495

According to health insurance quotes in Michigan, the average monthly cost of a premium family health insurance plan is $1,404 for a family of four (2 adults and 2 children). This is considered to be the cheapest low-income health insurance in Michigan.

If you are opting for a family health insurance plan, you must bear in mind that the size of your family and the ages of all family members will have an effect on the monthly premium.

In the table below, you can see the average monthly premium on health insurance plans in Michigan according to the family size.

 Michigan Health Insurance Guide and Resources

In the state of Michigan, there are 3 main types of health insurance providers:

• Health insurance provided by your employer
• Private health insurance in Michigan for individuals and families
• Government-assisted health insurance

According to recent statistics, only 6% of the population in Michigan is uninsured. The 3 different types of providers for health insurance in Michigan and their numerous health insurance plans ensure that everyone in Michigan has access to affordable healthcare.

1.   Employer-Provided Health Insurance in Michigan

Nearly half of all residents in Michigan have employer-provided health insurance, which covers the medical expenses of the employees and their families. This gives them all the basic benefits of health insurance. These include coverage for:

• Emergency service
• Hospitalization
• Maternity care, delivery, and childcare
• Healthcare for children
• Mental health and therapies
• Treatments for substance abuse
• Outpatient services and care
• Medical tests
• Accidents and injuries
• Prescribed medicines and drugs

2.   Private Health Insurance Providers in Michigan

There are many private health insurance companies that provide individual health insurance in Michigan as well as health insurance for families. The top health insurance companies in Michigan provide affordable health insurance plans with all the essential benefits. These can be bought from the State marketplace by entering all personal details including your postal address, age, average monthly income, and the number of dependents online. These online health insurance tools will suggest health insurance plans in Michigan based on your needs.

However, you must keep in mind that most private health insurance providers open their round of applications in the fall. You can apply for open enrollment between November 1 and December 15. This is to ensure that as the new year begins, you and your family have insurance from the first day of the year. But due to COVID-19, a special enrollment round will be initiated from February 15, 2021, which will end on May 15, 2021, to ensure that those who were not able to apply last year can still apply this year and have health insurance for the year of 2021.

3.   Government Assisted Health Insurance in Michigan

You can apply for three different types of government-assisted health insurance in Michigan. At the federal level, we have the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is also known as Obamacare. But in Michigan, the ACA is being expanded under the MI Bridges program that covers Medicaid and Healthy Michigan Plan.

Currently, only 879,446 residents in Michigan have access to the Healthy Michigan Plan. You can directly apply for the Healthy Michigan Plan through the government portal for MI Bridges. You can check the eligibility criteria before enrolling yourself to ensure that you and your family qualify for government-assisted health insurance.

Or, you could apply for one of the state-level health insurance plans such as Medicaid and Medicare. Almost 22% of people are enrolled in Medicaid in Michigan, and nearly 16% of the senior citizens are enrolled in Medicare. You can apply for Medicare or Medicaid through their website and pick a plan that works for you. For children, there is a special health insurance plan known as the MIChild. This health insurance program provides health coverage to uninsured children from Michigan’s working-class families.

Most of these health insurance plans cover the costs of the following essential healthcare services:

• Routine visits to the physicians
• Primary care
• Urgent care and emergency room admissions
• Cancer treatments
• Blood tests
• Physical therapies
• X-Rays

Who Qualifies for Healthy Michigan Plan?

In order to qualify for the Healthy Michigan Plan, you must be a resident of Michigan and aged between 16 and 64. Your household income must be below 133% of the federal poverty rate. Meaning, if you are a single person, your annual income must be below $16,000, and if you are a family of four, then your household yearly income must be below $33,000.

The female applicant must not be pregnant at the time of application, and you must not be covered by Medicare or Medicaid.

 Who Qualifies for Medicare?

Only people who are over the age of 65 and cannot afford private health insurance are eligible for Medicare. If an individual over the age of 65 applied for Medicare, his/ her monthly income must be below $1,084. If a couple in which husband and wife are both over the age of 65 applies for Medicare, then their combined monthly income must be below $1,457.

 Who Qualifies for MIChild?

In Michigan, the households that have children below the age of 18 qualify for the MIChild coverage if their monthly incomes are high for Medicaid, but their income range falls between Families between 150% and 200% below the federal poverty level.

Families who have MIChild coverage only have to pay a maximum of $10 for their monthly premiums, regardless of the number of children in the family.

 Tips to Save on Health Insurance in Michigan

There are several factors that affect the cost of your Michigan health insurance premium. Michigan health insurance companies will decide your monthly premiums based on these compulsory factors:

• Your body mass index (BMI): Obese and underweight people will have higher premiums
• Tobacco use: If you are habitual to smoking, your premiums will be higher
• Age: Older people and senior citizens will have higher premiums
• Location: People who live in dangerous cities and town have higher premiums
• Cost-sharing reductions: If you qualify for this discount, your premium will be lower
• Applying as a family or individually: Family plans have lower premiums as compared to individual plans
• Pre-existing conditions: People who have pre-existing medical conditions have higher premiums.
• Gender: Women pay a higher premium on their health insurance plans as compared to men
• Insurance and medical history: If your insurance and medical history are satisfactory, you will pay a lower premium.

 

 

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