Ever wonder why you cannot seem to find any real bargains when looking for health insurance or why similar plans do not differ that much in price from company to company? You are not alone.

Remember that health insurance premiums reflect the cost of health care. What you pay at the doctor's office, the hospital, or at the pharmacy remains about the same regardless of which insurance company you have. Some insurance companies do negotiate discounts with certain medical providers and may be able to save you money that way.

This option is now under a handicap. With a shortage of physicians and other medical facilities particularly in rural areas of the state, it is more difficult for insurance companies to negotiate significant discounts. The insurance company's promise of more patients in return for a discount loses its value for the physician when he has more patients than he can handle already.

In Oregon, only policies approved by the Insurance Division can be used as employee benefits. All approved policies contain the same set of state mandated benefits. This works to further reduce the difference in cost between competing plans. Mandated benefits also require increased premiums to cover their cost.

The only advantage you may have is the age of your employee group. Insurance premiums are based on the age of individual members of your group and are usually reflected in a single premium for all. Premiums increase or decrease with the age of your group with older groups having higher premiums. If an insurance company's claims experience for a given age group is good, they may have a lower price than a competitor whose is not.