National General Insurance is one of the industry leaders for short-term health insurance plans, covering all the basic healthcare needs and available for purchase at any time and across 35 states. Using Aetna's provider network, it can offer a wealth of provider options for its customers. For more information on other health care providers like Blue Cross Blue Shield, read our round up of the best health insurance companies.
Short-term health insurance policies are great for people who may have missed open enrollment dates, who are in a probationary period at a new job and who are waiting for their company policies to take effect, and students who are leaving their parental coverage plans, among others.
The company was founded in 1939 and was formerly known as GMAC Insurance. Customers can access the huge Aetna Open Choice PPO Network of 690,000 doctors and specialists as well as 5,700 hospitals. This provides a great deal of flexibility. In addition to coverage for doctor visits, urgent care, ER, and ambulance services, National General also provides telemedicine services, and patients can consult with doctors over the phone or online 24/7.
The central website has a wealth of resources even for National General customers, and quotes are efficiently dispatched to match customers with the best healthcare insurance for their situation, with policies available from as early as the next day.
National General Insurance review: How much does it cost?
- Quotes were above average for the industry
- Offered a good number of additional benefits
- A very good short-term fix for temporarily uninsured people
Sample quote for family: A man and a woman aged 35 with two kids aged 3 and 7: $1,360
Sample quote for a married couple: Aged 45-50, no pre-existing conditions: $780/month
Sample quote for an individual man or woman: Aged 45-50, no pre-existing conditions: $485/month
Quotes for health insurance policies vary dramatically depending on requirements and geographic locations. But overall, quotes for National General were above average for the industry but offered a good number of additional benefits, as well as being a very good short-term fix for temporarily uninsured people.
National General’s website returned a good range of options after a quote request was submitted, and the options offered were clear and gave an accurate view of what customers could expect for their monthly premiums.
National General Insurance review: Products
- Wide range of insurance products
- Most popular products include short-term individual health insurance
- Customers also receive access to its telemedicine services
National General offers a wide range of insurance products for customers across its network. Its most popular products include short-term individual health insurance and dental insurance.
National General insurance plans are accepted in 35 states and its healthcare network (via Aetna) of professionals and institutions numbers well over one million. Eighty years in the insurance industry and a robust financial status also help make National General maintain its well-established position.
National General’s health insurance website is a portal for customers who, when buying a policy, also receive access to its telemedicine services (video or phone link to a health professional 24 hours a day, seven days a week) as well as a chance to download its mobile app, HealthNet. With both, customers get access to everything related to their Health Insurance, including real time submission of claims, policy documents, tables of benefits, eligibility & exclusions and searches of the provider network. Both the website and mobile app are clean, easy to read and intuitive when it comes to navigation.
National General Insurance review: Key features
- Expansive Network and Flexible Plans
- Short-term Healthcare Policies
- LIFE Association Membership
Key features include an expansive network, flexible plans, short-term healthcare policies and LIFE Association Membership. National General provides coverage across 35 states, using the Aetna network of healthcare providers. It offers good flexibility in terms of offering plans with differing levels of plan deductibles, coinsurance levels, out-of-pocket maximums and coverage period maximums.
National General short-term plans provide coverage for all of the essential benefits, such as doctor visits, preventive care, hospital care, ambulance coverage and surgery. Note that they would not provide coverage for normal pregnancy, prescription medications and pre-existing conditions. The plans are highly customizable, though.
National General Insurance review: LIFE Association Membership
Customers that purchase an insurance policy through National General, automatically become enrolled in a LIFE Association Membership. This program provides access to a variety of benefits including telemedicine (as outlined above) and a variety of product and service discounts. This membership also provides discounts for everyday expenses such as subsidized gym memberships and there’s also a program that assists with cases of ID theft.
National General Insurance review: Usability and user reviews
- Plenty of reassuring independent ratings
- A+ rating and Accreditation from the Better Business Bureau
- Rated as excellent by the credit rating agency, A.M. Best
The expansive reach of National General’s network means that user experiences are likely to differ considerably region to region and with individual practitioners and institutions, but there are plenty of reassuring independent ratings that make the company a worthwhile choice. National General can boast a solid foundation, having been a leader in the insurance industry for some eighty years.
The company generally has good reviews, including an A+ rating and Accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. They note that National General satisfies complaints in a timely manner and interacts with customers regularly. General customer reviews are positive with relatively (for the industry) few complaints regarding the filing process and payment of claims. National General has also been rated as excellent by the credit rating agency, A.M. Best. This indicates a strong reputation for creditworthiness and ability to pay claims and meet future financial obligations.
The National general website is very straightforward to use, with intuitive navigation for potential customers to ask for and receive quotes, as well as for existing customers to access their health records and upcoming appointments, and finding healthcare professionals in their region.
Should I choose National General Insurance?
National General’s history in the industry and financial clout puts it in a good position, and specializing in short-term policies means that it is one of the industry leaders in this field. Although their policies come at above the industry average in terms of pricing, it's backed up by excellent ratings, additional programs and discounts and flexibility. Its plans are perfect for anyone temporarily without health insurance whether it is due to an employment situation or missing a sign-up window, and coverage is good for routine doctor visits, labs, x-rays, ER visits, ambulance usage and urgent care facilities.
As well as our guide to the best health insurance companies, we also look at how to choose a health insurance plan. You might also want to look at something more specific when it comes to health cover, in which case you'll find our guides to the best dental insurance and best vision insurance useful. Looking further ahead and we rate the best life insurance options and best Medicare Part D plans.
