Whats the best healthcare in Arizona?

Wednesday, February 3 2021 By Lee Prindle

The Grand Canyon State has more than desert landscapes. It is also home to the 24th best health care in the country. This study by US News looked at health care access, quality, and good public health.

Health care options in Arizona

According to the Arizona Department of Insurance, health insurance is available through several platforms:

Employer-provided

• From your employer
• Through your spouse's employer

Individual or family plans

• Through HealthCare.gov
• Directly from a health insurance company

Government-assisted

Where do most Arizona residents get their health insurance coverage?

About 11 percent of Arizonians are uninsured, a few percent above the national average. This is bad news for policyholders, as higher rates of uninsured people leads to higher costs for insured people.

Arizona health insurance companies

Arizona residents have plenty of options when it comes to health insurance providers. Here are some of the top insurers in the state:

• BlueCross BlueShield of Arizona
• Cigna
• Health Net of Arizona
• Oscar
• Bright Health

These providers offer individual and family plans. Do some research to find out what plans fit your needs best and how coverage varies based on where in the state you live.

Arizona insurance costs and rate factors

According to KFF.org, Arizona residents spend an average of $6,452 on health care every year. That number falls short of the national average of health care expenditures. How much should you expect to pay for health insurance in Arizona? Factors vary from person to person, but here's what insurers will look at to price your policy:

Health insurance plan type

Marketplace plans come in metal tiers: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. If you want a higher level of coverage, you'll have to pay more in monthly premiums.

Curious about how much you'll be paying per month for health insurance in Arizona? These are the average costs for each plan type for a middle-aged AZ resident in 2020:

Jumping from a bronze plan to a gold plan will cost you about 60 percent more. That's because gold plans cover 80 percent of health care costs, versus 60 percent coverage with a bronze plan.

The lowest level of coverage available is a catastrophic plan. These types of plans are usually only available to people under 30 or with certain exemptions. They have very low monthly premiums but a high yearly deductible of $8,150. Even though you would be paying more monthly, a bronze or silver plan could save you money if you need to use your insurance.

Body mass index

According to the CDC, a high body mass can lead to numerous health conditions. That's why insurers will look at your BMI to assess your risk-level and price your policy. A higher BMI often leads to higher monthly premiums.

In 2017, Arizona had a 29.5 percent obesity rate, the 30th highest in the country. Out of the many AZ residents who use QuoteWizard to shop for health insurance, 30 percent have a BMI in the obese range.

Tobacco use

It's no secret that smoking can cause some serious health conditions. That's why whether you're a smoker plays a big role in how much you will be paying for insurance. According to America's Health Rankings, 15.6 percent of AZ residents are tobacco users, the 16th lowest rate in the country.

Age

Unfortunately, a health insurance plan can cost up to three times more for an older person than a younger person. On average, Arizonians who used QuoteWizard to compare health insurance rates are 41 years old.

Location

Location plays an important role in how much you'll be paying for health care. This is because the laws, regulations, and providers surrounding the health insurance marketplace vary from state to state.

Also, health insurance costs are often community rated. That means they're partly based on the claims that everyone files. If your neighbors file a high number of claims, your prices could spike.

So, living in a healthier state could keep your premiums low. According to America's Health Rankings, Arizona is the 31st healthiest state in the country.

Arizona health care laws

The Affordable Care Act doesn’t allow insurance companies to consider certain factors to price your policy.

• Pre-existing conditions: Providers can’t charge you more for having a pre-existing condition. According to HHS.gov, this used to be a big factor in your monthly premium costs.
• Gender: According to a study by Health Services Research, women historically pay more for health care. Luckily, the ACA mandates that providers cannot charge men and women different premiums for the same plan.
• Insurance and medical history: People also used to pay more if they had previous medical problems or lapses in insurance coverage. But with the ACA, insurers can't analyze these factors.

There's a limit to how much you'll be paying out-of-pocket for a marketplace plan. The out-of-pocket maximum for 2020 is $8,150 for an individual plan and $16,300 for a family plan.

Arizona law requires insurance companies to provide at least some coverage for the following services:

• Maternity care
• Emergency transportation
• Autism treatment
• Speech therapy
• Home health care services
• Emergency room services
• Clinical trials

There are additional services that providers need to cover. Find the complete list here.

Medicare and Medicaid in Arizona

Medicare and Medicaid are government-funded programs that offer health care options. Medicare is available to seniors, whereas Medicaid assists low-income families and children.

Medicare

Medicare is available to residents 65 years and older. There are several different options within the program. These include parts A, B, C, D, and supplemental coverage plans. As an Arizona resident, you may qualify for a Medicare Savings Programs if you meet these financial requirements:

• Individual monthly income limit: $1,456
• Married couple monthly income limit: $1,960

Medicaid

The rate of uninsured Americans has substantially improved since 2010 when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed. Medicaid expansion was a huge part of reducing Arizona’s overall uninsured rate.

In 2013, 17.4% of Arizona’s residents did not have medical insurance. Arizona expanded its Medicaid program in 2014, and between 2014 and 2019 the state’s uninsured rate dropped by 12%. The primary cause of this was an 11% increase — or 147,800 Arizona residents — in Medicaid enrollment from 2014 to 2019.

Medicaid in Arizona is called the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). These are the state's Medicaid financial requirements:

Arizona department of insurance

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Arizona residents can buy cheap health insurance plans through the state marketplace, or low-income households may be eligible for coverage through Arizona's Medicaid expansion. To help you find the best health insurance plan for your family, we evaluated all policies on the state exchange to find those with the lowest premiums.

The average cost of health insurance in Arizona is $503 per month. This represents a 5% increase in cost since the 2021 plan year.

In most of Arizona, the cheapest Silver health insurance plan is Blue AdvanceHealth Silver - Neighborhood Network, which has the lowest premium in 11 of 15 Arizona counties.

Health insurance plans on the Arizona exchange are divided into metal tiers, which indicate the benefits you would receive from a policy as well as its out-of-pocket costs and premiums. To help you find a cheap health insurance plan for yourself, we compared all those listed on the Arizona marketplace and identified the most affordable policies in each metal tier.

Not all of these health insurance policies are offered in every county, but we recommend using these to get a sense of the costs and benefits you can expect in each tier of coverage.

The actual cost of a health insurance policy will vary depending on your age in addition to the policy you choose and the number of people covered. As you can see below, the cost of a health insurance plan in Arizona is 22% cheaper for a 21-year-old than for a 40-year-old, which translates to an average savings of $125 per month for the average Silver plan. A 60-year-old, on the other hand, would end up paying $648 per month more than a 40-year-old for the same level of coverage.

Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes in Arizona

Finding your best health insurance coverage in Arizona

If your household income falls below 138% of the federal poverty level, you may qualify for Arizona's expanded Medicaid program to gain health insurance coverage. For those who don't qualify, the county you live in, your household income and your expected medical expenses will all help determine the best cheap health insurance plan available through the Arizona marketplace. Different health plans are available in different counties. For example, a Pima resident would have different coverage options than a person who lives in Apache.

Within a given Arizona county, you'll be able to choose from different metal tier health plans, each of which has its own pros and cons.

Lower metal tier plans, such as Bronze and Catastrophic policies, come with the cheapest health insurance premiums. However, the trade-off is paying higher out-of-pocket costs if you become ill. You may end up covering much higher deductibles and copays than you would if you were to choose a Gold plan.

Gold plans: Best if you have high expected medical costs

Though Gold health insurance policies come with the highest premiums — on average, they're almost 20% more expensive than Silver plans in Arizona — your variable expenses will be much lower. Gold health plans have the lowest cost-sharing features, such as deductibles, copays and coinsurance, making them the best health insurance option for those with high expected medical expenses.

If you have ongoing prescription needs, for instance, you'll likely find that Gold plans have the most affordable out-of-pocket expenses for drugs.

The cheapest Gold plan in Arizona is Bright Health Gold 1000 Direct. Compare all tiers in Arizona above.

Silver plans: Best for average medical costs or people with low income

Silver plans are eligible for cost-sharing subsidies, so one of these policies is likely to be the best cheap health insurance plan if you're in a low-income household. Silver policies are also a good middle ground between Gold and Bronze plans, combining affordable monthly premiums with out-of-pocket expenses if you do need medical care.

The cheapest Silver plan in Arizona is Bright Health Silver 4000 Direct. Compare all tiers in Arizona above.

Bronze and Catastrophic plans: Best for healthy people with low expected medical costs

Catastrophic plans are only available to people under the age of 30 or for those who meet certain requirements, but we would only recommend these policies for people who are fairly young and healthy. Similarly, a Bronze plan will likely be the best cheap health insurance policy if you have low expected medical costs and are able to pay the high out-of-pocket expenses in the event that you need medical care.

Though Bronze and Catastrophic health insurance plans have the cheapest monthly premiums, their high deductibles, copays and coinsurance mean you may face a particularly large bill before your coverage kicks in.

The cheapest Bronze plan in Arizona is Ambetter Essential Care 1 through Health Net of Arizona, Inc. The cheapest Catastrophic plan is Bright Health Catastrophic 8700 Direct. Compare all tiers in Arizona above.

Health insurance rate changes in Arizona

In Arizona, health insurance premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums are determined yearly by the health providers. The changes are then approved by state and federal regulators.

In 2022, most health insurance premiums increased on the Arizona health insurance exchange. The largest increase was seen in Bronze tier plans, which grew by 30%. Meanwhile, average Catastrophic plan premiums decreased by 31%.

Short-term health insurance in Arizona

Short-term health insurance is available for purchase in Arizona. Federal regulations allow short-term health insurance to last up to 12 months or 364 days per term, with renewals up to a total duration of three years. Arizona follows federal regulations with respect to short-term health insurance term limits.

Most short-term plans do not cover the essential benefits, including maternity, mental health and prescription drug coverage. For this reason, they are not qualified Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans and are not offered on the state marketplace. It can be useful to consider short-term health insurance if you are looking for a more affordable option for health coverage or missed open enrollment.

Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes in Your Area

Best cheap health insurance companies in Arizona

There are six health insurance companies on the Arizona health exchange for 2022:

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona, Inc.
• Bright Health Company of Arizona
• Cigna HealthCare of Arizona, Inc
• Health Net of Arizona, Inc. (Ambetter from Arizona Complete Health)
• Oscar Health Plan, Inc.
• UnitedHealthcare of Arizona, Inc.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona, Inc. offers the best-priced Silver plans in 11 Arizona counties. If you want to compare health plans from multiple companies, you may not be able to do so depending on where you live, as certain insurers are only available in select counties. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is the only insurer available across the entire state.

Cheapest health insurance plan by county

The lowest-cost health plan and its price will vary based on the region you live in. For instance, you would pay $218 per month less for the Blue AdvanceHealth Silver - Neighborhood Network health plan if you live in Santa Cruz County than you would as a resident of La Paz County. To help you find the best health insurance plan where you live, we identified the cheapest Silver policies in each county below.

Average cost of health insurance by family size in Arizona

The cost of a health insurance plan in Arizona will vary depending on the size of your family, in addition to your age and the policy you choose. For example, the average price of a Silver health insurance plan in Arizona would be $690 more for a family of five than it would for a family of three.

Health insurance premiums are determined for each adult based upon their age, while children below the age of 15 are priced at a flat rate. So, if you add your 40-year-old spouse to your health insurance plan, your premium would increase by an average of $577 per month in Arizona. But the cost of an average Silver health plan would only increase by $345 per child added to the policy.

Frequently asked questions

The best health insurance in Arizona is based on your budget and insurance usage. Plan tiers in Arizona start with Catastrophic policies, which have lower monthly payments but higher deductibles and copays. These plans may be good for those without high prescription use or frequent medical needs. Gold plans come with higher premiums but lower out-of-pocket costs, making them a cheaper option for those with ongoing health care expenses.

The average cost for an ACA health insurance policy in Arizona, across all plan tiers, is currently $503 per month for a 40-year-old. Those who qualify may be able to lower insurance expenses through cost-sharing subsidies or premium tax credits. These cost-reduction programs are based on income and family size.

You may qualify for free or low-cost health insurance in Arizona through Medicaid. Medicaid plans provide coverage for services such as doctor visits, immunizations, prescriptions and other essential health care needs. For eligibility and application information, visit the Arizona Medicaid page.

Methodology

The Arizona health insurance rate data in this analysis was sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website. ValuePenguin used the CMS Public Use Files (PUF) in our calculations to average premiums across a variety of factors such as metal tier, county and family size. Plans and providers for which county-level data was included in the CMS Crosswalk file were used in our analysis; those excluded from this dataset may not appear.