Does where you live affect how much you will pay for health insurance? The answer is yes. According to a national survey released by eHealthInsurance.com, people living in Boston and New York can pay as much as 300% more than people living in Kansas City or Long Beach CA.
Why the huge difference? This is how SmartMoney thinks:
"Health-insurance premiums are based on a number of factors including the cost of providing health care, the utilization of services and the number of plans available in a given market. The top-ranked cities in this survey, for example, all offer consumers at least 43 plans to choose from, says Robert Fahlman, chief operating officer of eHealthInsurance. Specific insurance companies, such as Kaiser Permanente, also keep costs down in California by operating on a staff model, which means its doctors work for a salary and its members go to Kaiser-owned hospitals."
Now to the list. Seattle is in the circle of the most expensive cities, but fortunately I don't have to pay for health insurance right now, thanks to good employee benefits.
1. Kansas City, Mo. ($171.86)
2. Long Beach, Calif. ($180.00)
3. Columbus, Ohio ($182.28)
4. Mesa, Ariz. ($184.88)
4. Tucson, Ariz. ($184.88)
5. San Jose, Calif. ($190.00)
5. San Francisco ($190.00)
5. Oakland, Calif. ($190.00)
5. Sacramento, Calif. ($190.00)
5. Fresno, Calif. ($190.00)
6. Omaha, Neb. ($190.09)
7. San Diego ($199.00)
8. Cleveland ($208.32)
9. Phoenix ($210.92)
10. Los Angeles ($212.00)
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..
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36. Seattle ($410.00)
37. Albuquerque, N.M. ($422.26)
38. Houston ($429.00)
39. Washington, D.C. ($436.00)
40. Portland, Ore. ($441.00)
41. Miami ($524.18)
42. Minneapolis ($529.00)
43. Charlotte, N.C. ($541.85)
44. New York ($712.77)
45. Boston ($767.30)