New Jersey Health Insurance
Find the right health insurance policy for you.
Written by
Ann Herro has been writing about insurance and employee benefits for over 15 years. She has covered topics as easy as insuring a car, and as difficult as transparency in healthcare costs.
New Jersey has plenty of attractions to keep residents busy, making this an excellent state of residence for families, young couples and retirees. Every resident today needs good New Jersey health insurance to ensure that concerns are covered, from regular doctor's visits to health complications.
There are many healthcare plans available, so finding a policy that is right for you can seem daunting. But when you work with an independent agent in the Trusted Choice® network, the search becomes simple. Independent agents can help you compare affordable New Jersey medical insurance quotes and find a policy that helps you manage the costs of regular healthcare as well as illnesses and accidents. Contact an independent agent right now to find the health coverage you need.
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New Jersey Top 3 Causes of Death
- #1: Heart disease, with 18,870 deaths
- #2: Cancer, with 16,740 deaths
- #3: Chronic lower respiratory diseases, with 3,255 deaths
How Does Health Insurance Work in New Jersey?
In 1992, the New Jersey legislature introduced two separate health plans to guarantee access to healthcare for state residents. These programs were created for both individuals and small businesses to ensure that residents could get healthcare coverage regardless of their health status, age, claims history or other risk factors. These New Jersey health insurance plans include:
- Individual Health Coverage Program (IHC)
- Small Business Employer Health Benefits Program (SEH)
What Is the Individual Health Coverage Program?
The Individual Health Coverage Program (IHC) provides two types of coverage which are sold through insurance companies and provide coverage for a single person, two adults, a family, or an adult and child. These two plans consist of "individual standard health benefit" plans, and "basic and essential" plans.
- Individual standard health plans. These provide various options when it comes to what kind of health plan will work for you. Some of your choices include:
- Indemnity plans: These plans are more commonly known as “traditional” or “fee-for-service” plans.
- Managed care plans: These plans operate within a network of health professionals. The health insurance plans are:
- Health maintenance organization (HMO): This policy requires that you choose a primary care physician. If you want to see another doctor within the network, you’re required to obtain a referral from your primary care physician. If you use services out of network, it’s likely they won’t be covered. HMO plans are affordable, using co-payments and/or co-insurance to reduce your medical spending, but flexibility is limited.
- Professional provider organization (PPO): This policy may not require that you use a primary care physician, but it’s useful to have a doctor to call upon. Any services within this network are covered at a higher percentage than out of network services. You still have the flexibility to venture outside of the network. Certain services will have a co-payment attached and you may be required to meet a deductible before you can use your plan’s additional benefits.
- Point of service plans (POS): This policy uses a network of physicians, hospitals and other health care providers, but also allows you to seek care outside your network with other physicians, hospitals or professional health care providers, as long as the referral is provided by your primary care physician.
- Basic and essential plans. These are provided through exclusive provider organizations (EPOs). Similar to an HMO program, this policy works within a network, but doesn’t require that you designate a primary care physician. In-network services are covered at a reduced rate.
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Our independent agents shop around to find you the best coverage.
What Is the Small Employer’s Health Benefits Program?
These benefit plans ensure that employees and small employers have access to New Jersey health insurance plans by allowing both to:
- Find accessible small group health benefit plans, regardless of the occupation or health status of any of its members.
- Have the ability to renew the health coverage from year to year.
The Small Employer Health Benefits Programs include a right for employees and dependents to continue coverage when they are no longer eligible for the group’s health plan.
These plans are available for small NJ employers who have 2 to 50 employees.
How To Find New Jersey Health Insurance
Many residents apply for health insurance through their employers, but you may be surprised to find out that you could be overpaying for New Jersey health insurance, and that there are ways to find more affordable care.
One of the simplest ways to find the health coverage that best matches your budget is to contact a local independent agent in the Trusted Choice network. Independent agents have access to numerous carriers, and can help you compare New Jersey medical insurance quotes for the many plans so you can make an informed choice. Find an independent agent today and protect yourself with affordable New Jersey health care insurance that’s right for you.