Question: How much more can a health insurance carrier charge versus quote on internet?

Answer: All health insurance companies who offer individual health insurance must work off a published price list for individual health insurance rates. So the internet rate is the published rate - the lowest rate you can get. During the underwriting process, a risk or a grouping of risks, for example overweight and elevated cholesterol, may cause the underwriter to “rate-up” the applicant. The amount that the insurance company can rate-up the applicant varies among states. but it can be as much as much as 300% in some states. In that case the carrier is saying, “we’d rather not cover you, but if we must, you’re going to have to pay through the nose. Thankfully, this BS goes away in 16 months with health reform.