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Affordable health insurance
The health insurance exchange makes it easy to find affordable high quality coverage available in your home state.
low cost health insurance
personal enrollment support

Personal professional enrollment support is available for all of the benefit plans listed on this page. Send your question by e-mail for fast OnlineAdviser response. Limited telephone support (800) 609-0683. Office hours posted daily on Twitter @FreedomBenefits


 

Most Liberal Eligibility

Basic Health Insurance - the least expensive plan in the exchange with the lowest level health benefits
Core Health Insurance - the nation's most popular defined benefit health plans with guaranteed acceptance from US Fire Insurance Company
Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan - a temporary government-sponsored plan available to citizens/residents who have  been uninsured for more than 6 months due to a pre-existing medical condition.
Value 24 Hour Accident - up to $10,000 of supplemental health insurance coverage for emergency treatment of injuries at a cost of about $2 per day. Can be used as a stand-alone coverage or added to other insurance.
Value Emergency Room - add $1,000 additional emergency room coverage for $1 per day for the whole family

Most Affordable

Basic Health Insurance - the least expensive plan in the exchange with the lowest level health benefits
Secure Lite STM - the lowest priced major medical insurance for 1 to 12 months
Secure Saver STM - $2 million maximum coverage for 1-12 months at an ultra-low rate
Value Med Insurance - 3 question simple medical eligibility and immediate approval for supplemental doctor and hospital benefits

Long Term Major Medical

Celticare - well-known renewable individual major medical insurance for discriminating healthy applicants

Dental Insurance

Secure DentalOne - one lifetime deductible of $100 and then up to $1,250 per year coverage

Online Life Insurance

Great Start Child Life Insurance - inexpensive permanent insurance that can be gifted by parents and grandparents
Guarantee Trust term life Insurance
- fast, easy and inexpensive online term insurance coverage up to $250,000
International Term Life - up to $2 million coverage issued by Lloyds online specifically for those who spend time outside of the US
Simple whole life insurance
- the fastest way to get affordable permanent coverage up to $50,000. Online underwriting, no exam.
Smart term life insurance - up to $500,000 coverage directly online without an exam or blood test
QuoteIntelligence Term life insurance
- find the lowest rates, compare features & eligibility requirements and then apply online with the best insurance companies in less than 30 seconds.

low cost health insurance

Minnesota health insurance exchange

Minnesota has several commercial health insurance companies that offer individual major medical insurance and 17 small group health insurance plans as well as state-sponsored Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association (MCHA) high risk health plan for residents that have been declined commercial coverage due to a pre-existing condition. These standard health insurance plans may not be affordable to all residents. This Web page lists some of the most popular low cost commercial health insurance plans and related benefits. All of these policies offer secure online enrollment and professional OnlineAdviser personal enrollment support. Please note that while many of these choices could be included in more than one of the suggested usage categories, each plan is listed only once for the sake of brevity. Your enrollment adviser is available to discuss suitability of any plan for your specific situation.

low cost health insurance

Minnesota insurance & benefit news

Minnesota had the 2nd highest health insurance costs of all states in 2008 with an average family premium of $13,639 per year. (The average annual premium for a U.S. family covered under an employer-sponsored health plan in 2008 was $12,298 according to The Commonwealth Fund report. The overall quality of health care ranked 4th out of the 51 states (including DC).
Minnesota regulates the benefits required for both individual major medical and group health insurance plans, known as "mandated benefits".

Short Term Insurance

Celtic Insurance - competitive rates from a well-known insurer
Markel Smart STM - popular and affordable short term major medical insurance with fast online approval
Secure STM - along with its 12 month and 36 month options, this may be the highest quality short term coverage

Intermediate Term

Inbound Immigrant - up to five years of liberal health insurance coverage after immigration including maternity coverage, emergency and other essential benefits

Supplemental Insurance

Smart Accident Insurance - supplemental coverage for emergency treatment of accidents and injuries for as little as $20 per month. Can be used as a stand-alone accident plan or to increase other insurance benefits.
Value Access Guarantee - everyone qualifies for this plan that pays in addition to any other insurance


low cost health insurance

Minnesota Insurance Law

The Minnesota Department of Commerce Web site contains a link to legislative updates related to insurance laws as well as information for consumers who have an unresolved insurance complaint. The Web site has not yet developed resources to help individuals find commercial low cost health plans like mini-med or core coverage, specific illness policies, supplemental insurance and basic health insurance.
The Department of Commerce can be reached by telephone at 651-296-2488 or by mail at 85 7th Place East, Suite 500, St. Paul MN 55101. The state children's health insurance plan (CHIP) Web site is MinnesotaCare.

Non-insurance Discount Plans

Careington PPO Discount Plans - the nation's leading network PPO discount provider allows a no-risk trial of any discount plan for only a $20 processing fee
Drug Card America - a free prescription drug card that an be used nationwide
Essential Dental Solutions - simple, inexpensive, no waiting period, up to $500 treatment per year
Rx Pay Card - $10, $20, or $30 payments for hundreds of popular prescriptions.

See International Coverage and Travel Insurance Listings

Minnesota Insurance News

2/7/2011 The state's pre-exisitng condition insurance plan (PCIP) monthly premium rates (per person):

Plan/Age Band

00-18

19-34

35-44

45-54

55+

Standard

$156

$234

$281

$358

$498

Extended

$210

$315

$378

$482

$671

HSA

$162

$243

$291

$372

$518

PCIP will cover a broad range of health benefits, including primary and specialty care, hospital care, and prescription drugs. All covered benefits are available for you, beginning on your coverage effective date, even if it’s to treat a pre-existing condition - there are no waiting periods. PCIP applicants who are approved to participate in PCIP can choose from three plan options, with different levels of premiums, calendar year deductibles, prescription deductibles and prescription copays. The HSA Option provides an opportunity to open a Health Savings Account, a tax-exempt account where you can deposit funds for eligible medical expenses. Each of the three PCIP plan options provides preventive care (paid at 100%, with no deductible) when you see an in-network doctor and the doctor indicates preventive diagnosis. Included are annual physicals, flu shots, routine mammograms and cancer screenings. For other care, you will pay a deductible before PCIP pays for your health care and prescriptions. After you pay the deductible, you will pay 20% of medical costs in-network. The maximum you will pay out-of-pocket for covered services in a calendar year is $5,950 in-network/$7,000 out-of-network. There is no lifetime maximum or cap on the amount the plan pays for your care. If you apply for PCIP coverage on the governemnt Web site, you will be billed for the premium once your application is approved. You will need to send in your payment in order for your coverage to be effective. Please do not send in the premium before you are billed. Note that your premium may increase if you age into a higher rate tier, or if PCIP adjusts its premiums to any changes in the commercial market.

2/3/2011 Minnesota is named as one of the states most likely
to cut back on Medicaid spending and coverage. The Universal Health Insurance blog discusses the impact on the state's commercial insurance consumers.

2/2/2011 The Universal Health Insurance Blog published a review of the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association high risk insurance plan. To our knowledge, this is the most complete review of any high risk health plan available in public media.

12/20/2010 Minnesota was one of two states that has not indicated that it will adapt a version of the American Health Benefit Exchange Model Act that was distributed to the states by the federal Department of Health and Human Services last week. Minnesota's Governor is quoted as saying that the insurance exchange is a waste of taxpayer money. Freedom Benefits has previously voiced the opinion that the huge amount of money being spent to set up alternate insurance sales system technologies could be better used providing health benefits to the public. We proposed on the Universal Health Insurance blog that adequate commercial insurance sales systems are already in place that could be modified in a public/private partnership to make health insurance more affordable.  

5/14/2010 Diabetes Coverage: A new resource to help find health insurance for diabetics in Minnesota is now available at Freedom Benefits.


Office of Tony Novak Contact the Author:

The content on this Web page is maintained by consumer finance writer Tony Novak. Comments, feedback, questions and corrections are welcome to help keep content relevant and up-to-date. Contact the author directly by e-mail, on Twitter or through the contact information included on his Web site.

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