A California family health insurance company frequently provides coverage through employee or other group insurance and may cover the entire family. However, children may need their own health insurance and some insurance companies require a separate policy for each family member.

Family health insurance in California is more expensive than individual health insurance because more people are covered and the scope of the coverage is typically greater. CA family health insurance providers take factors such as age, gender, tobacco usage and state of residency of each family member into account when determining a preliminary quote.

There are three key points to consider when evaluating family health insurance in CA:

1. Your family’s specific needs. A California family insurance plan should include a vision plan for a family with a history of poor eyesight. Likewise, a family that takes a lot of medication will require a prescription plan.

2. The exclusions. These are services or treatments that health insurance plans in California will not cover. Most policies list exclusions in a specific section but look for additional exclusions throughout the policy.

3. The premium. Family health plans in California with a high premium may provide services that your family won’t need.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get a California family health insurance quote

Family health insurance frequently will cover your entire family unless a family member has a pre-existing condition. In this case, the affected individual may require his own individual policy. No matter what your family situation is, seek multiple quotes from different providers before you choose a plan.

I recommend: Apply with a CA family health insurance company by completing the application form at eHealthInsurance, including the census data on your family members and your zip code. Begin your quote request at HealthInsuranceProviders with your zip code.

Contact a specific agent when looking for family health insurance in CA

You may want to get family health insurance in California through an agent who can make a recommendation based on your specific needs.

I recommend: Find local health insurance agents at the Association of Health Insurance Advisors. Locate specific Celtic agents if you have enough of their personal information to identify them.

Get a California family health insurance quote from a specific carrier

Go straight to the carrier for quotes if you've already decided on the carrier and don't have a regular insurance broker.

I recommend: Anthem Blue Cross of California, formerly Blue Cross Blue Shield of California, is one of the largest California family health insurance companies. Placer Insurance is a smaller independent insurance company that may be able to provide a more customized plan for your family.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Providers of California family health insurance use health maintenance organizations in local clinics as a less expensive option. This may be a good choice for families that are generally healthy. Point of service and preferred provider organization plans are more expensive but more flexible and may be preferred for family members who may need a specialist. You should ensure that your family physician is a member of the POS or PPO network.
• •  Review your family health insurance expenditures for the previous year when selecting a new health plan. This may allow you to sensibly reduce your premium by increasing your deductible. Reduce a high premium by eliminating coverage for services your family doesn't really need. However, a policy with an unusually low premium may indicate inadequate coverage, difficulty in getting claims approved or slow payment.