IdahoInsurancePlans.com (208) 523-3924 - Individual Health Insurance

Alternatively, you can fill out a paper application and fax it (1-888-315-2771), scan and email it (ryan@idahoinsuranceplans.com), or mail it to us. We can then send that one application to all 3 companies and do the legwork for you.

2) Choose a plan - the insurance companies will send you rates for every plan and every deductible option they offer. At this point we can help you sort through the plans and their cost and help you make the best decision based off your needs. Some people believe they have to decide on a plan before they apply. It makes more sense to have the firm rates in hand before you worry about what plan since rates can depend on your health, height/weight, and tobacco use.

3) Send back in the Acceptance Letter, marking the plan that you have selected, and send in the first month's premium if you are going with Blue Cross or Pacific Source (Regence bills you later). After they receive it, they will process your policy and send out the ID card and policy in the mail.

Compare the Health Insurance Plans in Idaho - Click on Policy Brochure for Full Benefits and Exclusions
Insurance Company	Policy	Deductible Options	In-Network Co-insurance	Dr. Office Copay	Prescriptions	Maternity View additional maternity plans
Blue Cross	Essential Blue Plus	1000, 2000, 3000, 5000	80% / 20%	$30 (4 per year)	$15 generics; $30 brand-name after $5000 deductible	$5000 deductible
Blue Cross	HSA Blue	2000, 3000, 5000	80/20, 90/10, 100	applies to deductible	applies to deductible	no coverage
Blue Cross	Simply Blue	2500, 5000, 7500, 10000	70% / 30%	$25 (4 per year)	$15 generics; $30 brand-name after $5000 deductible	$10000 deductible
Blue Cross	Essential Blue	1000, 2000, 3000, 5000	80% / 20%	no coverage	no coverage	$5000 deductible
Blue Cross	BlueCare PPO	1000, 2000, 5000	80% / 20%	$25, $30, or $35	$15 generics; $30 brand-name after $5000 deductible	$5000 deductible
Regence	Evolve Core	2500, 5000, 7500, 10000	70% / 30%	$35 (4 per year)	$10 generics; 50% formulary brand after $3000 deductible	$7500 deductible
Regence	Evolve Plus	2500, 5000, 7500, 10000	80% / 20%	$25 (4 per year)	$10 generics; 50% formulary brand after $2000 deductible	$5000 deductible
Regence	Evolve HSA	1500, 3500, 5000	50/50, 80/20, 100	applies to deductible	applies to deductible	no coverage
PacificSource	SmartHealth	2000, 4000, 5000, 7000	75% / 25%	$30 (4 per year)	$10 generics; 50% brand-name after $1000 deductible	$7500 deductible
PacificSource	BrightIdea Preferred	2500, 5000, 7500	70% / 30%	$25	$10 generics; 50% brand-name after $1000 deductible	$5000 deductible
PacificSource	BrightIdea Value	2500, 5000, 7500, 10000	60% / 40%	$25 (4 per year)	$15 generics; 50% brand-name after $1000 deductible	$5000 deductible
PacificSource	BrightIdea HSA	1500, 3000, 5000	80%/20% , 100%	applies to deductible	applies to deductible	no coverage

What are the most popular health insurance plans in Idaho?

Several years ago Blue Cross created the Essential Blue Plus plan. Compared to the more comprehensive plans such as the BlueCare PPO, the Essential Blue Plus had many of the frills that consumers were looking for without the high premium. Regence BlueShield took notice of all the customers Blue Cross gained with the Essential Blue Plus and created a very similar plan called the NowSelect. Both plans are clearly labeled as limited benefit plans. They have great coverage for inpatient hospital care as well as outpatient surgery. They also offer prescription coverage, wellness/preventive benefits, and a low office visit copay. They are considered limited because they do not cover or they limit some of the outpatient services. For example, they do not cover durable medical equipment, outpatient rehabilitative therapy, psychiatric services, growth hormone therapy, chiropractic care, and the number of office visits is limited per year. However, most people look at the list of exclusions/limitations and realize they are willing to forego those benefits if they can pay about half of what the more comprehensive plans cover. Pacific Source (formerly Primary Health) has gained a fair amount of traction with their Smart Health PPO plan. Its benefits and premiums fill a nice hole left between the most comprehensive plans such as the Regence Summit and the Blue Cross BlueCare PPO and the limited benefit plan such as the Essential Blue Plus and the Regence NowSelect. They have more recently introduced their BrightIdea Preferred and BrightIdea Value plans which use their BrightPath network and offer some attractive benefits such as first dollar coverage for accidents.

On February 1, 2010, Regence BlueShield of Idaho closed their Regence NowSelect, Summit, and HSA plans to new sales. Current members that have those plans may remain on them. The new product portfolio they have introduced in their replacement is called Regence Evolve, consisting of the Evolve Core, Evolve Plus, and Evolve HSA. The Evolve Core is expected to be their most popular plan as it most closely resembles the NowSelect which was very popular. The Regence Evolve Plus is the plan with richer benefits and more comparable to the Regence Summit plan. Click on the above links to compare the Regence Evolve and the Regence NowSelect and Regence Summit plans.

What are the "best" health insurance plans in Idaho?

Here is a list of the most comprehensive individual health insurance plans. They are not the least expensive if price is your primary concern; however they do give you piece of mind knowing you are not buying a limited benefit policy.

1) Blue Cross - BlueCare PPO

2) Regence - Evolve Plus

3) Pacific Source – BrightIdea Preferred

By contrast, the cheapest or least expensive health insurance policies in Idaho are the Blue Cross Essential Blue $5000 Deductible, Regence Evolve Core $10,000 Deductible, and the PacificSource BrightIdea Value $10,000 Deductible Plan. The premiums on those plans are quite a bit lower, but they do shift more costs to the consumer if and when you do have claims.

What do we recommend for family health insurance coverage?

Everyone has a unique situation and desire for benefits and what they are willing to pay for those benefits. So it is hard to say that any one plan is good for everyone. We can however, recommend a solid family plan that will provide a good level of protection, low premiums, and tax benefits. It is pretty much what you call “having your cake and eating it too.”

Here are the 2 plans we recommend combining:

- A Health Savings Account (HSA) eligible plan on just one spouse, typically the husband

- Either the Essential Blue Plus, Regence Evolve Core, or Smart Health for the other spouse and children if any (which plan depends the rates the company offers)

Here is the great benefit of HSA's that many people don’t realize. Only one spouse has to have an HSA plan and yet the whole family can use their HSA account funds. The deterrent to most people buying an HSA plan is that it does not allow for copays on physician office visits or prescriptions. By IRS code, those benefits have to apply to the deductible first, meaning you are paying for them out of pocket until you meet your deductible (the exception is wellness care). HSA plans also do not cover maternity. So when most families are shopping for health insurance they immediately skip over the idea of an HSA because of the copay issue and maternity. But why not buy an HSA just on one spouse, usually the husband since he won’t need maternity coverage. The other spouse and kids will still have a plan that gives them copays for office visits and prescriptions. Then you can setup a Health Savings Account at a bank or credit union and receive some of the best tax benefits the IRS code allows (see the next section). You can then pay for all your families’ out of pocket medical, dental, and vision expenses on a tax deductible basis. Otherwise you get no tax deduction for those expenses unless you have to pay out more than 7.5% (soon to be 10% due to new PPACA law) of your AGI (Adjusted Gross Income); let’s hope you don’t ever have to reach that level of medical expenses.

What are the benefits of Health Savings Accounts (HSA's)?

First to be clear, you cannot setup a Health Savings Account at a bank or credit union unless you have a Qualified High Deductible Health Plan. The insurance companies make it pretty easy to know if your plan qualifies by specifically using HSA in the name of the insurance policy. Chances are if it does not say HSA anywhere, then it does not qualify.

Here is a list of benefits of Health Savings Accounts:

1) Annual contributions are tax deductible up to the IRS limits (even if you don’t itemize)

2) Earnings are tax free

3) Qualified distributions for medical, dental, and vision expenses are tax free

4) Only one spouse has to have a HSA health plan while the whole family can access his or her account funds

5) The money is yours to keep and roll over – unlike an FSA which is use it or lose it

6) Funds can be used to pay for Medicare premiums and Long Term Care insurance

7) At age 65, funds can also be withdrawn for retirement income with no penalty, just income tax

8) Premiums for your HSA health plan are often less expensive, giving you more room in your budget to contribute

9) There are no income limitations for high earners like there is with a Roth IRA

10) You choose what bank or credit union to administer the account – many offer no fees and extra investment options such as mutual funds

11) Great way to pay for services not covered by a health plan such as dental, vision, Lasik eye surgery, and orthodontia

12) Great way to fund maternity expenses for the self-employed that have a high maternity deductible

13) HSA contributions can be made when you want. You can fund the annual maximum at one time, on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, or fund it as you incur health expenses and need to pay for them

14) Almost all financial institutions will give you (and spouse if you authorize) a debit card for easy access to your funds.

If you have a hard time appreciating some of the tax benefits of HSA's then try thinking along these lines.

First, consider the fact that HSA account holders are receiving free money (in the form of tax breaks) just because they select a certain kind of insurance plan and setup and fund a certain kind of savings account. You are missing out on this “free money” by not doing an HSA.

Second, if the idea of tax benefits is obscure, think of it as getting about a 20-30% discount on all your qualified medical, dental, or vision expenses. If for example you are in the 15% federal tax bracket and 6% state, then it is worth a 21% discount. If you are in the 25% federal and 6% state then it is like a 31% discount. If you have ever gone shopping because a store is having a sale, then how can you not like the idea of a year-round sale on all your qualified health expenses.

Third, really consider the tax benefits. Are you currently contributing to a Roth IRA, Traditional IRA, SEP, SIMPLE, 401(k), or some other tax favored investment vehicle allowed under the IRS code? If you are, then great; you should be. However, compare the tax benefits of each of those to the tax benefits of the HSA. With all of those you either get a tax deduction to contribute or you get tax free withdrawals, as is the case with the Roth IRA. None of them give you both. Now consider the tax benefits of an HSA. It offers the best of both worlds: a tax deduction for your contributions and tax free withdrawals.

IRS Publication 969 - Rules Surrounding HSA and Other Tax Favored Accounts
IRS Publication 502 - Qualifying Medical, Dental, and Vision Expenses

What happens if I am denied coverage for health insurance in Idaho?

Every resident of Idaho is guaranteed health insurance coverage. Our state laws are quite progressive compared to other states. If you are rated too high or denied a preferred plan with the insurance companies, then they have to offer you the high risk pool plans. The plans and the premium are the same no matter what company you have administer the plan. The rates are based only on age, gender, and tobacco use. Click here for a brochure that describes the plans and shows the rates.

Compare the Health Insurance Plans in Idaho - Click on Policy Brochure for Full Benefits and Exclusions