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How New York Realtors Should Compare Health Insurance Plans
Agents compare premiums and stop. Here's the order that actually protects you.
1. Out-of-pocket maximum
The most you can spend in a year on covered care. This is the number that matters in a bad year. Marketplace plans in New York cap around $9,200 individual; private PPOs commonly $6,000–$9,000.
2. Network — and where it works
Is your doctor in it? Is the hospital you'd actually go to in the five boroughs in it? Does it work in another state? HMO vs. PPO decides this. MagnaCare PPO PPOs are national.
3. Deductible
How much you pay before the plan pays. Healthy agents usually do best with a mid-range deductible and lower premium, plus an HSA.
4. Premium
Only now. And compare net of subsidy if you qualify, net of the self-employed deduction either way. New York (and New York City) income taxes are among the highest in the country, so the self-employed premium deduction is worth real money here.
5. Enrollment flexibility
Marketplace: once a year. Private: any month. If your income is volatile, flexibility has value.
New York uses pure community rating — a 25-year-old and a 64-year-old pay the same marketplace premium — and the state restricts most non-ACA plans. Private options in New York are narrower than in other states, so the honest answer here is usually a careful comparison, not a promise of savings.
Our quoting tool shows every private plan in New York with deductible and out-of-pocket max side by side. Or check your options and we'll compare both markets for you.