Kaiser Permanente on Tuesday announced 10 new health coverage plans for individuals and families, joining other insurers who have bolstered their individual offerings as more employees lose their job-based coverage.

Kaiser now offers a total of 16 individual and family plans that range from comprehensive and traditional Health Maintenance Organization options to high-deductible plans with Health Savings Accounts. Some of the plans are priced as low as $63.25 per month, and many include $5 generic medications. All offer free preventive care.

Kaiser joins Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna and other insurers who have ramped up their offerings of individual policies in what was once a market with little competition. About 60 percent of Americans are covered by health plans offered by their employers, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which studies health care.

A 1 percent jump in the national unemployment rate translates to an additional 1.1 million uninsured, and the nation's unemployment rate in December climbed to 7.2 percent from an average of 5.8 percent last year. At the same time, many small businesses can no longer afford to extend benefits to workers' families and the premiums can be very expensive.

"With the economy, people are desperately trying to find ways to cut costs, and employers, unfortunately, are doing that," said Michael Rankin, Kaiser's director of individual sales. "A lot of families are sitting around the kitchen table looking at ways they can save money rather than being on a small group plan."

Individual plans also appeal to the unemployed. Workers who are laid off can continue their health insurance for up to 18 months under the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. But COBRA is expensive because workers are buying their employer's benefits without a subsidy. The average national premium costs for family COBRA coverage consume almost 84 percent of average unemployment benefits, according to consumer health group Families USA.

COBRA, however, is usually the best bet for consumers who have pre-existing conditions. With individual coverage, customers can be charged varying rates based on their age and health status or be denied coverage altogether.

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield late last year introduced its SmartSense individual insurance program that can be tailored to each consumer, costing as little as $33 to $178 per month for a healthy 25-year-old man. Deductibles start around $500.

Kaiser's plans are priced as low as $63.25 for children ages 1 to 4 years old, rising to $73 a month for 5- to 18-year-olds.

Kaiser already offered six individual and health insurance coverage options, and the 10 new plans offer a broader range of price points and structures, Rankin said. Consumers with children might be more attracted to Kaiser's HMO plans because of the cost predictability, while empty- nest families might choose the Health Savings Accounts.