The moment one decides to buy health insurance, the question of which health insurance company to approach comes to mind. One of the best ways to choose the right health insurance company is to compare the ratings of the different health insurance companies.

By comparing the health insurance company ratings, the financial strength of the company, competitive forces and changing fundamentals are taken into consideration. If the health insurance company cannot pay future claims or benefits, the other considerations are unimportant. There are various rating schemes available online to get the ratings of health insurance companies, like Fitch Ratings Insurer Financial Strength Rating, Standard & Poor's Insurer Financial Strength Rating and Credit Watch. These ratings provide an opinion on the financial strength of the health insurance company and whether it can meet the obligations of its policyholders on a timely basis. It does not address the willingness of the insurance company to honor its companys obligations, or its quality of claim handling services.

The health insurance companies are rated on a scale from AAA to CC. The health insurance companies rated NR have not been rated. The health insurance companies rated AAA have extremely strong financial characteristics, while those rated CC have weak financial characteristics, and may not be able to pay the claims. Those health insurance company ratings of BBB+ or higher are considered secure, while those with ratings BB+ and lower are vulnerable. A plus (+) or minus (-) sign following the ratings from AA to CCC show the relative standings with the major rating categories. Some health insurance ratings have DDD as a rating. This rating is assigned to the insurers that have either failed to make payments in a timely manner or have been subjected to some type of regulatory intervention.

It should be borne in mind that the health insurance company ratings do not take into account deductibles, surrender or cancellation penalties, nor the likelihood of use of fraud to deny claims. They also do not take into account the potential of foreign exchange restrictions preventing financial obligations from being met. The health insurance company ratings can change or be suspended or withdrawn as a result of changes in information provided by the health insurance companies. So get different ratings done on the different times you compare health insurance company ratings.