July 22,2006
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
According by an
eHealthinsurance study,
Ohio ranks second in the nation in terms of
affordable individual health insurance plans.
The report by
eHealthInsurance, also ranked
Columbus No. 3 for most-affordable
children’s health insurance.
The study compared private
health-insurance costs in the largest 100 U.S.
cities for a healthy family of four, choosing
the lowest premium available for policies with
an annual deductible of $2,000 or less.
In Ohio, the lowest monthly
premiums were $179.68 for a family and $43.71
for a child.
"Children are generally very
inexpensive to cover, because as a whole, they
are healthy," said William Hayes, president of
the Health Policy Institute of Ohio.
About 13.6 percent of Ohio
residents younger than 65 don’t have health
insurance. About 5.4 percent of Ohio children
lack coverage.
Cost is the most common reason
people pass up health coverage, Hayes said.
Health insurance premiums for
families covered by
employer sponsored health plans cost $153.42
out of pocket every month. 64% percent of Ohio
residents have their health insurance coverage
provided through their employers.