How A.M. Best Ratings Affect Your Maryland Health Insurance Policy

When comparing Maryland health insurance rates, there are a variety of factors to consider. Of all the factors that are important when purchasing health insurance; the A.M. Best rating is something you have to pay attention to. A.M. Best is a worldwide insurance rating company that is over 100 years old. With offices in 3 countries, A.M. Best issues financial strength ratings on insurance companies around the world.

There are quite a few licensed Maryland health insurance providers, however only a few of them really make up much of the market. Assurant Health, United Health One, Aetna, Celtic, Coventry, Kaiser Permanente and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield. Of these carriers, 2 are unrated, and 2 have a rating of B++ or worse as of the writing of this article. That leaves you with 3 worthwhile carriers in Maryland that have a rating of A- or better.

With the financial situation that this country is presently in, quite a few carriers been downgraded by A.M. Best in 2009. Some have even gone completely under and pulled out of the insurance arena all together. This needs to be a legitimate wake up call for people who are stuck on name brands because they "heard it was good". Stick with an A rated carrier and steer away from companies with low and/or no ratings and especially those that AM Best indicates as having a negative outlook!!!! View the table below with real-time links to A.M. Best so you can see for yourself. If you have any questions about the information below, or would like to view a no cost Maryland health insurance comparison, call us at (866) 260-9829.

Company Name	Financial Strength Rating as of 11/25/09	Outlook / Implication	Issuer Credit Rating Long Term	Outlook / Implication
Aetna Health Inc (a MD corp)	A	Stable	A+	Stable
Time Insurance Company (Assurant Health)	A-	Stable	A-	Stable
Golden Rule Insurance Company (United Health One)	A	Stable	A	Stable
Celtic Insurance Company	B++	Stable	BBB	Stable
CareFirst of Maryland Inc (Blue Cross Blue Shield)	NR-5	Not Applicable	NR	Not Applicable
Coventry Health Care of Delaware Inc	B+	Negative	BBB-	Negative
Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company	NR-5	Not Applicable	NR	Not Applicable