There are hundreds of Ohio health insurance plans. Coverages range from high-deductible catastrophic plans to comprehensive plans with small out-of-pocket expenses. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are also available and growing in popularity.

Ohioquotes.com, the premier website for Ohio health insurance plans, reviews popular Ohio policies each month. This month, all four reviewed plans are readily available, easily underwritten, and quite affordable.

Anthem Value Plan Two office visits per person (per year) are included, subject to a $30 copay. Brand-name formulary and and Generic non-formulary prescription are included. Like many Ohio health insurance plans, some preventative care and diagnostic services are included. And a generous $5 million lifetime limit is also built into the policy.

UnitedHealthCare Copay Saver Plan  One of many Ohio health insurance plans offered by UnitedHealthCare. A $35 copay applies to the two allowed office visits per person per year (including wellness). Generic prescriptions are subject to a $15 copay while non-generic prescriptions are not covered. The lifetime limit is $3 million and maternity coverage can be added as a rider.

Aetna Preventative And Hospital Care 3000  Perhaps Aetna’s most affordable Ohio health insurance plan, this policy is HSA compatible. The principal feature of the policy is the outstanding preventative care coverage. Annual routine GYN exams, routine physicals, and Paps/Mammograms are not subject to a deductible. A $1 million lifetime limit is included.

UnitedHealthCare Saver 80 Plan One of the least expensive Ohio health insurance plans, this plan is designed to cover catastrophic claims. Major medical and emergency room charges are covered, along with most routine hospital expenses. Office visits are not covered, although a drug prescription discount card in included. $3 million of lifetime limit coverage per person is included in each policy.

Affordable Ohio health insurance plans are available, and often can be approved in less than a week. The application process is simple and physicals are rarely required.

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UPDATE: August 2011. It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since I wrote this short post. Many plans have changed. The Anthem Value plan has been replaced by the “SmartSense” plan. You can easily view Anthem Ohio Rates on our website.

Also, The UnitedHealthCare Copay Saver plan is now referred to as the Copay Value plan. The rates are still very attractive.

Lifetime caps have also been eliminated on all plans.

And you don’t have to live in Ohio to enjoy these websites:

WebMD  A plethora of information awaits you. What causes fatigue? What can you substitute for corn syrup? Does the “Master Cleanse Diet” work? What vitamins cut stroke risk?  The answers to these questions and much more can be easily found on this website. And the topics change daily, so you’ll always have relevant information to read.

MayoClinic  Reliable medical information is presented on an easily-navigated website. Popular topics discussed include alternative medicine, fitness, cancer recurrence and dealing with depression. A popular feature is “Asking a Mayo Clinic Specialist.”

MedicineNet   “We bring Doctor’s knowledge to you” is their motto. And the website is packed with interesting information. From articles on “Universal flu drugs” to “Hidden truths of dreams,” the topics discussed are always helpful. “Featured Patient Discussions” and “Doctor-to-Patient”/Patient-to-Patient Stories are two of the more popular website features.

MSN Health  Site contents include weight loss, nutrition, fitness, expert advice, FDA recalls and dozens of other subjects. A “Health Topics” library and a Message Board allow interaction between the consumer and the website. The “food and recipe” section is quite popular.

Drugs.com  Keeping track and identifying your medications is made easy with this website. The free “Mednotes” system gives the consumer instant advice, warnings and interactions for all of their medications. More than 24,000 prescription drugs are reviewed.

Yahoo Health  Heath expert advice and informative videos are among the features of this website. Health news is updated daily and a free “diet evaluation is usually prominently displayed on the front page. Sorry Yahoo Fantasy Football plans…there are no fantasy tips on this website.

RightHealth  Featured videos and updated news clips provided “HealthVideo.”Common health topics discussed include diabetes, prostrate cancer, breast cancer and pregnancy. Other contributors to the site are “Familydoctor.org,” “Fatsecret” and “Daily Apple.”

Additional free  information and free medical insurance quotes are found at http://www.majormedicalhealth.com.

Congress has passed the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” which was signed into law by President Obama. This act includes a 65 percent subsidy on the cost of Cobra premiums for nine months. The Cobra recipient will only pay 35 percent of the overall Cobra premium for that period.

The coverage expires on the earlier of the date the individual becomes eligible for major medical employer-sponsored coverage or Medicare, nine months, or the end of the maximum required period of Cobra continuation.

The Cobra subsidy is available, if:

*You were laid off between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009; and

*At the time of your layoff, you were covered by an employer-sponsored policy  and

*Your annual income is less than $125,000 or your annual family income is less than $250,000; and

*Your prior employer must still be actively in business.

This subsidy is not retroactive and will only apply from the date of the law’s passage. If you are already enrolled in Cobra, and began paying premiums before the Act effective date, you will not receive a credit for the Cobra premiums you paid prior to the effective date.

However, if you were layed off on or after September 1, 2008 and did not Select Cobra within the 62-day window, you are allowed to become eligible for Cobra again, as long as your former employer still exists and offers group coverage.

Despite the 65% subsidy, it is still very possible that Cobra’s rate will be substantially higher than an Ohio individual health insurance plan. And, of course, the Cobra subsidy only lasts for nine months, leaving open the possibility that a chronic health condition could occur, thus, making it more difficult to qualify for an individual or family health insurance policy.

Additional Cobra details can be found from the United States Department of Labor. 

If your Cobra coverage is close to ending, we’ll find an affordable Ohio health insurance plan to meet your needs. You can view instant quotes at the top of the page or contact us.

UPDATE 2011- Of course, this subsidy has now expired.

President Obama wants to overhaul U.S. and Ohio health care. Can he do it? He took his first step by naming a University of North Dakota  health care expert to head the federal agency in charge of improving access to care in the United States.

Mary Wakefield was chosen to head the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. This agency will oversee the release of $2.5 billion in the economic stimulus signed by President Obama. Ohio health care programs will likely see some of the money, but it may take quite a while to trickle down to you and I.

The Ohio health care system faces a shortage of nurses and has many individuals and families without Ohio health insurance. Can Obama push through a bill in Congress ?

The Associated Press reports that President Obama plans to move quickly.

“They don’t intend to blink. They intend to plow ahead,” said health economist Len Nichols of the nonpartisan New America Foundation. “Health reform is seen as essential to balancing the federal budget and economic recovery in the long run.”

Ohio health care will change, but it will take time. Premiums will likely reduce, but the major Ohio health insurance companies, such as Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna and UnitedHealthCare, will still be able to offer a wide variety of policies.

UPDATE: August 2011. Obamacare is now the law of the land…at least for now. Stay tuned for a possible Supreme Court ruling in 2012.

If you live in Ohio and have recently lost your job…you’re not alone. The state has lost more than 260,000 jobs since 2000, about 5 percent of all jobs. The hardest hit areas have been Trumbull County, losing 20.5 percent of its jobs, and Montgomery County, losing 14.1% of its jobs.

President Barack Obama’s health care ideas are now facing delay, when Tom Daschle, who was chosen to head the initiative, suddenly withdrew his nomination for the health secretary position. Health care reform has taken a back seat to more important matters…such as the failing economy and helping auto manufacturers and some financial institutions.

If you find yourself out of a job, between jobs, or your employer is reducing your hours, your health insurance may be affected.  In many cases, your current coverage extends for a few months (or less), and then the search for an affordable Ohio health insurance plan begins. But there are many affordable options, including those persons with serious health conditions.

Cobra is one option. Under this program, Ohio workers laid off from companies with 20 or more employees can extend their employee-provided health insurance for 18 months. Of course…premiums are often extremely expensive. And with the current recession and no end in sight, Cobra’s premiums are not a viable health insurance option for many Ohioians.

However, if you have no significant medical issues, such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease, you may qualify for an individual Ohio health insurance policy. The application process is simple and physicals are rarely required. The most popular Ohio companies are Anthem Blue Cross, UnitedHealthCare, Medical Mutual, Humana and Aetna.

For example, in Franklin County, a nonsmoking family of four (Parents-Age 40 & Children-Ages 8 & 10), with no medical issues, can buy a “catastrophic health” plan for about $140 per month. A “comprehensive” plan, which offers many more coverages, would cost between $250 and $330 per month, depending on the major medical deductible.

 Naturally, rates will be substantially less if only one person is insured. Also, existing medical conditions can raise the rate. With your own policy, your coverage is portable, so you may keep the policy as long as you want. Also…with individual coverage, unlike group coverage, your rate is not affected by a large amount of unhealthy persons in the group.

Ohioquotes.com offers free quote comparisons and you never pay any fees for using our website. Feel free to contact us or use the quote engine which gives you instant rates.