Broker:

--"I'm living in WA now, and went through NASRO to get mine. They have

CA coverage too: http://www.nasro-co-op.com/health/state/ca/index.shtml.I hope this helps!"

--Hi! I used Margo Lampell 415 929 1585; lampell@msn.com; www.mlampell.com. She's a broker who represents all kinds of plans. She's nice and thoughtful and can easily help you pinpoint a plan that's best for you. She helped me individually, and then with a company I was involved in starting.

--"I can also recommend an insurance broker: Clark Kelly 650-369-8794

who helped my wife & me with navigating the insurance application process."

Kaiser:

--overall, i've been happy with the customer service and medical care i've received from kaiser. (although my opinion may be biased since i work for them). but no really, i've been pretty satisfied with them; for being a large organization, i was pretty surprised at how helpful the RN's, doctors, and staff have been when i've gone in for appointments. i'm not sure what the individual coverage costs are compared with other carriers, ... but kaiser's got those cool ads.

--"I have Kaiser Permanente, and I think they're great. You can call and ask

for advice from a nurse (with my PPO with Blue Cross they would never give

you advice over the phone) and making appointments is super easy. I called

them once at 6:30pm, and they saw me 7:15pm! Also, I would look into the (Health Savings Account) HSA plans. It's tax deferred account and the money is yours to invest in the mean time!"

"I received something from Kaiser-Permanente a few weeks ago advertising

some program for the self-imployed. I didn't look it over (since I'm

covered by Stanford) but you might want to look into it. They're one of

the highest rated HMOs in the country (non-profit unlike most)."

--"I've used Kaiser ever since I was fresh out of undergrad 16 years ago, and I

was a freelancer for many years."

Blue Cross:

--"None of them are great, but I've had Blue Cross for years. They seem to be

decent for individuals."

always been a fan of blue cross of CA

--I have TONIK from blue cross which seems pretty good (so far)...It is about $130/mo and has some dental and most major items.

--"I'm 50, self-employed graphic designer, and have insurance with Blue

Shield, which I'm not at all sure is my best deal. I don't know your circumstances, but I would strongly recommend you look into an HSA account and insurance policy. There is a lot of info

available on the web about HSA's but briefly, it's a two part system:

1. you get an HSA policy from your health insurance provider, which will

have a deductible around $ 2,500

2. you set up an HSA account with a bank, which you contribute into, up

to your deductible amount each year. I set my HSA up with Stanford Federal Credit Union (which is a great

place for accounts--I'm using it for biz, personal, mortgage, HELOC,

credit card, etc.)

The HSA works like an IRA, the money you put in is sheltered from income

taxes, and can stay in your account, earning interest, until you retire.

You don't have to spend it, and you keep what you don't spend. You can

also use it to pay medical expenses: whatever costs are part of your

deductible, AND dental, eye care & glasses, prescriptions, that may not

be any part of your health insurance policy. The beauty is that ALL that

money you pay out from the HSA is tax sheltered."

Gradmed:

--this is what i used when i was between jobs:http://www.gradmed.com/av3/index.asp

Health Net:

--I have individual heath insurance through Heath Net. (I pay about $150 a

month.) They have a variety of plans so you can weigh the amount of the

deductible vs the monthly fee--which is great for someone who is young and

healthy and mostly needs insurance for emergencies.

One tip though--don't let your current coverage lapse before getting a new plan. It's harder to get individual insurance if there is a gap in coverage...

Palo Alto Medical Foundation:

--If you are living in the Palo Alto area, my friend loves Palo Alto Medical

Foundation.