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Apart from Medicaid, the cheapest health insurance coverage available in most counties of Georgia in 2022 is the Ambetter balance care (11 and 30) or CareSource marketplace low premium silver.
Whereas the average cost of health insurance plans in Georgia is $585 for an individual, one could still get insurance coverage for as low as $197 which is actually the cheapest coverage available for a major medical plan.
In this article, we’ll go over the availability of affordable health insurance in Georgia, the insurers, and how you could buy a plan.
Top health insurance companies in Georgia in 2022
2022 has seen the enlisting of 5 additional health insurance providers in Georgia, making it possible for people seeking to enroll in any county to have access to not less than 3 different insurers to make their choice. The current health insurance providers for this year listed in alphabetical order are:
1. Aetna: Founded in 1853 and undoubtedly one of the oldest insurers around with about 5,700 hospitals and 1.2 million healthcare professionals in its network.
2. Alliant: It’s present in up to 47 counties and is believed to have one of the cheapest plans in those areas and offers bronze, silver, gold, and even platinum metal tiers.
3. Ambetter from Peach State Health Care Plan (Centene): Ambetter health insurance plan is present in about 54 counties where it’s reputed to offer the cheapest silver plans, but it’s struggling with customer satisfaction issues. More on it later.
4. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia: It runs with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and reduces your monthly healthcare expenses by offering financial assistance. Included is a catastrophic plan with low premiums but high deductibles.
5. Bright Health: It’s one of the five new health insurance companies in Georgia this year and offers telehealth as well. Its prices could be cheap but with a trade-off.
6. CareSource: Offers one of the cheapest insurance coverages in Georgia this year. Its partnership with Medicaid ensures you get some of the cheapest prices in the market place though you do pay more for services not covered by Medicaid. More on it later.
7. Cigna: They offer coverage in the bronze, Silver, and Gold metal levels and are one of the new companies that made their debut this year in Georgia.
8. Friday Health Plans: Also one of the companies that made a debut this year in the Georgia marketplace. As one of the options available to you, it offers catastrophic, Bronze, Silver, and Gold health insurance plans.
9. Kaiser: It has both families, and individual plans, offers benefits such as special online services, and routine preventive care, and gives you control over health decisions.
10. Oscar: It has been in operation in Georgia much earlier than now and offers the Bronze, Silver, and Gold health plans. The silver plan has 4 options you can select from.
11. UnitedHealthcare: They also offer individual, and family health insurance plans for the three Metal levels of Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
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Best affordable health insurance in Georgia
We’ll now take a look at the most affordable health insurance providers offering the cheapest coverage in Georgia in 2022.
Ambetter Balance care.
The Ambetter Balance Care 11 and Ambetter Balance Care 30 are available in Georgia. The company doesn’t sell directly to you but rather through an insurance company it’s in partnership with. That’s to state it’s only a marketplace or on-exchange health insurance provider.
In comparison to other companies, it has one of the cheapest rates open to you. It’s a great choice if you are looking for an affordable premium on basic coverage or member benefits.
It also offers dental and vision insurance coverage but with added costs. As a member, you’ll also be eligible to earn cash by completing health and wellness tasks, through its membership rewards program.
Application for Ambetter health insurance is done during the annual open enrollment period, or special enrollments if you have a qualifying life event. Qualifying life events are circumstances that change the health insurance plans you are eligible for or the amount of coverage you need.
Health and wellness services that covered by Ambetter.
- Prescription drugs
- Outpatient services,
- Preventive care,
- Newborn care,
- Wellness programs,
- Therapy services,
- Pediatric care,
- Emergency care,
- Pregnancy or maternity services,
- Mental health, or psychiatric,
- Hospitalization,
- Visual care,
- Dental care,
plus the privilege of earning cash via its member benefits program by completing health and wellness tasks or surveys.
It offers the cheapest plans in several counties under either the Ambetter Balance Care 11 or Ambetter Balance Care 30. Do check if they are available in your county.
On the flip side, Ambetter’s customer service, or relationship, leaves much to be desired going by the opinions of those who have used the service.
Caresource marketplace low premium silver.
Caresource has over 2 million members and has been in the industry since 1989 to provide needed health insurance coverage even for pre-existing medical conditions and telehealth.
All of its plans are in line with the Affordable Care Act and it has better customer service. It offers some of the cheapest plans too in about 73 counties. Be sure to check it out.
The health and wellness services covered by CareSource.
- Prescription drugs
- Outpatient services,
- Preventive care,
- Newborn care,
- Wellness programs,
- Therapy services,
- Pediatric care,
- Emergency care,
- Pregnancy or maternity services,
- Mental health or psychiatric,
- Hospitalization,
- Visual care,
- Dental care.
These, as you can see, are just about the same services offered by Ambetter except for certain membership benefit programs that give you the privilege to earn money. However, they are comparatively reputed for better customer service.
Georgia Medicaid.
The State of Georgia Medicaid program offers you the privilege to benefit from health insurance if you are a resident U.S. citizen or legal alien, and you earn low or very low income but require health insurance coverage.
With Georgia Medicaid, you stand to pay little premiums and at times nothing at all but it has the following eligibility requirements:
Firstly, you must be of either a low or very low-income group, and then meet any one of the following 6 criteria.
- You are legally blind,
- Pregnant,
- You are a child or teenager,
- You are 65 years or older,
- You have a disability,
- You require nursing home care.
How to get affordable health insurance in Georgia.
Most people in Georgia get health insurance coverage through their employers, however, there are other options open for those who are self-employed or seek other insurance covers not provided in their job health insurance cover.
The federal marketplace is where to look for cheap and affordable health insurance and the best time to enroll is during the open enrollment period which happens once annually. If you missed the last one, opting for short-term insurance till the next open enrollment is a good option.
Apart from the open enrollment, you can also get enrolled if you qualify for a special enrollment period as a result of qualifying life events.
Getting a cheap health insurance plan in Georgia is also subject to the county where you live. Whereas some counties can be relatively expensive, some of the cheapest counties in the state include Mcintosh, Charlton, Brantley, and Wayne.
There are also various programs to meet the health needs of people with specific kinds of health challenges. For instance, The right-from-the-start medical assistance group helps pregnant women and those with breast cancer, or cervical cancer to receive comprehensive healthcare services through the Medicaid program.
There is also SHOP insurance for employers in Georgia with less than 50 employees.
How to get free health insurance in Georgia.
To get free health insurance in Georgia you’ll have to go through the state’s Medicaid program. It is coordinated by the Department of Community Health in Atlanta.
Approval of your application will depend on whether you have a low income and any one of the program’s eligibility requirements described earlier in this article. These include being blind, disabled, pregnant, etc., as outlined by the state.
Getting free coverage at times may have to do with family size rather than income. In Georgia, you may qualify for free Medicaid coverage even if you earn $94,000 for a family of 4 Click To Tweet
You may also be interested in long-term care health insurance.
