Health Insurance for Individuals and Families
If you don't get coverage through an employer, a licensed advisor compares individual and family plans across the top carriers, free, and finds the best fit for your doctors and your budget. Most clients save up to 50%. Individual results vary.
Free. No obligation. No flood of calls.
Here's how to shop your own coverage without guessing.
Shopping for your own health insurance can feel like guessing. The plans all read differently, the fine print is dense, and the price can blindside you, especially after the 2026 premium jump. Health Trust Financial is the only company the Ramsey Team recommends to help you find health insurance, and a licensed advisor does the comparing for you so you can choose with confidence.
When you don't have access to an employer-sponsored plan, you enter the individual and family market. This is where you purchase coverage directly from an insurance carrier or through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. Navigating this on your own often leads to buying a plan that looks cheap on paper but costs a fortune when you actually need medical care.
We exist to remove the guesswork. Our advisors look at your specific household, your income, and your medical needs, and then we filter the entire market to bring you the options that genuinely fit. You don't pay us a dime for this service.
The problem with shopping alone
The health insurance market is not designed to be easily understood by the average consumer. The problem is that the terminology is confusing, the networks are opaque, and the true cost of a plan is often buried in the fine print. When individuals and families try to shop alone, they typically default to sorting by the lowest monthly premium.
This is a dangerous strategy. A plan with a very low premium almost always carries a punishingly high deductible. If you or a family member actually gets sick or needs a procedure, that "cheap" plan suddenly requires you to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket before the insurance company contributes anything.
Furthermore, provider networks shift constantly. The doctor you love might be in-network on one carrier's Silver plan but out-of-network on another's. The formulary is the list of covered prescription drugs. If you don't check it, you might find that a daily medication you rely on isn't covered at all. The pain of realizing you bought the wrong coverage usually hits right when you need the coverage most.
How individual and family plans actually work
To make a smart decision, you have to understand the basic mechanics of how health insurance operates. Let's define the terms that dictate what you will actually pay.
Premium: This is the amount you pay every single month just to keep the policy active. You pay this whether you go to the doctor zero times or fifty times.
Deductible: This is the amount you must pay out of your own pocket for healthcare services before your insurance starts sharing the costs. If you have a $5,000 deductible, you are responsible for the first $5,000 of your medical bills for the year.
Coinsurance: Once you meet your deductible, you and the insurance company share the costs. If your coinsurance is 20%, you pay 20% of the bill, and the insurance company pays 80%.
Out-of-pocket maximum: This is your financial safety net. It is the absolute maximum amount you will have to pay for covered services in a year. Once you hit this number, the insurance company pays 100% of your covered medical bills.
Subsidy: A financial assistance program provided by the government based on your income. A premium tax credit (subsidy) can significantly lower your monthly premium.
When you work with Health Trust Financial, we look at all these factors together. We calculate your expected healthcare usage and balance the premium against the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum to find the most cost-effective path for your household.
What an advisor compares for you
Plans across top carriers.
We compare Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, and Kaiser so you see your real options side by side.
Your doctors and your subsidy.
We check whether your doctors are covered and whether your income qualifies you for help that lowers the premium.
The true cost, not just the monthly.
We look at the deductible and the whole picture, so you're not surprised later.
We compare plans from the carriers you already know.
The three numbers that actually matter
Most people shop on the monthly premium alone, and it's the fastest way to end up with a plan that costs more than the one they turned down. There are three numbers, and they work together. The premium is what you pay every month whether you use the plan or not.
The deductible is what you pay before the plan starts sharing costs. The out-of-pocket maximum is the most you can lose in a bad year. A cheap premium with a punishing deductible is not a cheap plan. We look at all three against how you actually use healthcare.
- Do not shop on premium alone. Look at the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum.
- A cheap premium with a high deductible can be an expensive mistake if you need care.
- Choose a plan based on how you actually use healthcare.
Bronze vs. Silver vs. Gold Plans
| Metal Tier | Monthly Premium | Out-of-Pocket Costs | Best Fit For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Lowest | Highest (high deductible) | Healthy individuals who rarely see a doctor and want protection from worst-case scenarios. |
| Silver | Moderate | Moderate | Most people. This is the only tier where cost-sharing reductions apply if you qualify based on income. |
| Gold | Highest | Lowest (low deductible) | Individuals who know they will need significant medical care or expensive prescriptions during the year. |
This is a general comparison. Your advisor will walk you through the specifics for your situation.
A real-world scenario
Consider a family of four deciding between a Bronze plan and a Silver plan. The Bronze plan looks appealing because the monthly premium is significantly lower. However, one of their children plays competitive sports and often needs urgent care, and a parent takes a brand-name daily medication.
If they choose the Bronze plan, they save money on the premium every month. But when they visit urgent care or pick up that prescription, they are paying the full negotiated cost out of pocket because the Bronze deductible is very high. By the end of the year, those out-of-pocket costs have completely wiped out their premium savings, and they've actually spent more total money.
If they had chosen the Silver plan, the monthly premium would be higher, but the deductible would be lower, and copays for urgent care and prescriptions would kick in much sooner. A licensed advisor runs this exact math for you, ensuring you don't step over dollars to pick up dimes.
The mistakes that cost you money
When people buy health insurance without an advisor, they tend to make the same expensive mistakes. The most common is auto-renewing a plan without checking if it changed. Insurance carriers alter their networks, deductibles, and covered drug lists every single year.
A plan that was perfect last year might drop your doctor this year, leaving you to pay out of network. Another frequent mistake is failing to update your income on the marketplace.
Subsidies are based on your projected income. If you earn more than you estimated and don't update your profile, you will have to pay back the excess subsidy when you file your taxes. If you earn less, you might be missing out on larger subsidies that could lower your monthly premium.
Finally, many people ignore cost-sharing reductions. If your income falls within a specific range, you can qualify for extra savings that lower your deductible and copays. Those savings only apply if you select a Silver plan. Choosing a Bronze plan in this scenario is a massive financial error.
- Do not auto-renew without checking if networks or covered drugs have changed.
- Keep your income updated to avoid owing money at tax time or missing out on a larger subsidy.
- If you qualify for cost-sharing reductions, you must choose a Silver plan to get them.
Get a free plan review, make sure you're not overpaying
See my optionsWho this fits, and who it doesn't
It is a strong fit if
- You do not have access to employer-sponsored health insurance.
- You are self-employed, an independent contractor, or a freelancer.
- Your income qualifies you for a premium tax credit (subsidy).
- You need comprehensive coverage that protects against pre-existing conditions.
It may not be a fit if
- You have access to a heavily subsidized, high-quality plan through your employer.
- You are 65 or older and eligible for Medicare.
- You only need coverage for a very short, temporary gap of a few weeks between jobs.
What to ask before you decide
When you speak with a licensed advisor at Health Trust Financial, make sure you cover these bases so you get the complete picture:
- "Are my current primary care doctor and specialists in-network for this plan?"
- "Are my specific daily prescription medications covered on this plan's formulary, and at what tier?"
- "Based on my projected income, do I qualify for a subsidy or cost-sharing reductions?"
- "What is the true out-of-pocket maximum if I have a major medical event this year?"
- "Does this plan offer out-of-network coverage, or will I pay 100% if I go outside the network?"
- "Is an HSA-eligible high-deductible plan a better mathematical fit for my situation?"
What it costs to work with us
Nothing. We're paid by the carriers, so comparing your options is free and doesn't raise your premium. You get a licensed advisor who works for you, not the insurance company.
"They answered the phone which was an unusual wonderful surprise for companies nowadays. They were genuinely searching for the best thing for my family, and explaining how the process and plans worked, very clearly. They seemed to actually care and showed kindness and compassion."
Free. No obligation. No flood of calls.