Here are five ways to drive down your health insurance — from the most common to the slightly more unusual. A quick note on the percentages: these are rough estimates from calling three major insurers. How much you’ll save will depend on the insurer and the policy. Continue reading and looking for ways to find the best health insurance for an affordable price!

#1) Quit Smoking

Let’s start with the most basic: stop smoking and your health insurance premiums will drop, because even one day after you stop smoking, your health improves substantially. As an example, twenty minutes after you quit smoking, your blood pressure drops, your pulse drops and more blood flows to your hands and feet. A day after quitting, your risk of heart attack drops.

Yes, as little as 24 hours away from nicotine does a lot to make you a healthier (if perhaps grouchier) person. It makes you less prone to various cancers, illnesses like COPD, and will cause fewer health complications later in life. Also, with prices running an average of $6.00 a pack or higher, you’ll have more money in your pocket even if your insurer doesn’t drop a cent … which is unlikely, because quitting is going to save them a lot of money.

Percentage saved: an average of 5% to 15%, or even higher, depending on age and pre-existing health conditions.

#2) Lose Weight

We know, we know, you get enough flack about your weight from pop culture and television. But you don’t have to do this for your image. Your insurer doesn’t care about how you look in a little black dress or a well-cut suit. Instead, they’re worried about the strain that extra weight is putting on your heart and your lungs. They’re thinking about the diabetes costs they might have to pay. You get the picture.

The big problem with being overweight is not the risk of heart attack or stroke, it’s the risk of diabetes. Diabetes is a disease on the rise, and it’s expensive to manage (ask any diabetic). If it progresses, it can involve surgery and other costs. To say your health insurer doesn’t want to pay those is understating the case.

Hit the gym a few times a week, and see if your health plan will reimburse gym fees. Many are happy to give you a partial or even full refund; anything that gets you moving and reduces your odds of serious health issues is worth their while. Losing weight could lower health insurance premiums!

Percentage saved: between 10% and 25%, depending on how much weight is lost and whether you keep it off. That last piece is important: a yo-yoing weight can be just as damaging to your health, or even more so, than just not losing it in the first place.

#3) Drive Responsibly

Quick, name something you own that has a high likelihood of inflicting injury, and that you use every day.

Yep, you have an insurance problem quite possibly lurking in your driveway. We were as surprised as you, but the insurers we spoke with had a good point: driving record is part of a background check, and insurers often offer packages that can include car and home insurance, or include life and health insurance, so the information often winds up in their hands.

Similarly, car crash injuries are something the health insurance company can’t anticipate and can affect your health for years. One bad crash is all it take to mess up your body for life. So insurers like to limit the likelihood of accidents.

Essentially, anything that you have that would drive up your auto insurance will also drive up your health insurance. For example, if your primary method of getting around is a bright red cherry Dodge Charger that you race off-road on the weekends, your health insurer is going to have some qualms about that, just like your auto insurer is quietly referring you to one of their competitors. So, if you’d like to drive down your claims, trade in the muscle car for something safer, and stop getting speeding tickets.

Percentage saved: This ranges between 5 and 10%, depending on what car you drive.

#4) Get Some Safer Hobbies

We know this will surprise you, but passionate base-jumpers have a higher rate of injury and fatality than, say, passionate stamp collectors. And that’s reflected in their health insurance premiums.

This isn’t to say people who stay at home all day get lower premiums; health insurance companies love to see people cycling, running, and engaged in other activities that keep people healthy and active. MMA fighting, funny car racing, snowboarding off cliffs, blindfolded motocross, making homemade fireworks … not so much.

So, if you’ve been on the fence, save some money and trade in your bungee cord for, say, macrame. It might not be quite as thrilling, but it will be a lot safer.

Percentage saved: Generally between 3 and 5%. As one insurer put it: “Unless you’re doing it every day, it’s not as heavy an effect as quitting smoking or eating better. But it does help.”

#5) Getting a Tubal Ligation or Vasectomy

Your health insurer is not eager to discuss this one; we had to mention it to them. As an insurer put it to us (and asked to remain anonymous): “This is hugely controversial, and we get in a lot of trouble for it, a lot of angry letters. But the truth is, and parents know this, babies cost a lot of money.” Do they ever: a normal birth with no complications costs $10,000. And then, of course, the child is insured for another eighteen years.

And that’s really why you’ll save if you get this surgery. If you’re married, and guarantee to your health insurer that you won’t be putting any babies or pregnancies on their tab, they’ll lower your premiums.

Percentage saved: Women save more than men, as vasectomies can self-repair and men don’t get pregnant, but you can expect a decrease ranging from 7% to a whopping 25%, depending on your age and whether you have children already.

Now that you’ve seen how to save, find out how much you can save by using our free health insurance comparison quote form. Just enter your ZIP code in the box below, and we’ll give you the cheapest health insurance quotes, from dozens of the best providers. Happy saving!

As a result of the measures, premiums for federally managed PCIP’s will decrease as much as 40 percent in 17 states, and the burden of document production for applications will not be as high. The modifications are presumably an effort by the HHS to increase enrollment in PCIPs, which currently cover about 18,000 people in the United States.

States have the option to run their own PCIP program or have the HHS administer it. In 8 of the states where PCIPs are federally administered—Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, and Virginia—premiums decreased by 37-40 percent.

The Department did not decrease premiums for Hawaii, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming because their premiums were similar to state averages. For the District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia, the HHS decreased PCIP premiums somewhere in the middle.

Starting July 1st, the HHS will lower the enrollment bar for all 23 federally managed PCIP programs. Applicants will no longer need to produce documents showing that insurance carriers denied them coverage for a pre-existing medical condition. Rather, a note from their physician that references the condition is sufficient. For the 27 state-administered PCIP programs, states can use their own discretion on whether to make either of these two modifications.

To further PCIP enrollment goals, it appears the government will also begin incentivizing affordable health insurance agencies to seek and enroll individuals into PCIP programs. Starting October 1st, the HHS will pay agents and brokers $100 for each successful enrollment, according to the National Association of Health Underwriters. Encouraging brokers in such a way is win-win because not only does it reward brokers for their efforts, it also creates more options to choose from and dissuades enrollment in weaker health insurance plans.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created the PCIP program for individuals who have found it difficult to find individual health insurance coverage because of their pre-existing health conditions. The program will only be necessary until 2014, at which time the ACA will prohibit insurers from denying coverage for medical reasons.

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The benefit of buying coverage through a private insurance company is that you have more options and you may even be able to get more competitive pricing for your Medicare coverage. However, with a low price tag of about $35 to $110 a month, depending on your income, you aren’t going to be paying a lot for your traditional Medicare coverage anyway.

Traditional Medicare covers both Part A and Part B; however, if you have other health insurance available to you, you can choose to purchase only Part A or only Part B. In addition, there are no income requirements to qualify for Medicare, although if you make more than $88,000 a year, your premiums will increase.

What is Medicare?

Medicare is a government sponsored, fee for service plan. This means that you can go to any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare for your services, giving you a lot of flexibility when you need medical care. This plan isn’t like Medicaid; your doctor will be paid for the services that he/she provides, not for a set amount of dollars.

Part A of your Medicare coverage pays for your hospital benefits. If you qualify, you can receive Part A without having to pay any premiums. In order to qualify for the no premium option you have to be:

• 65 years of age
• Collecting social security or
• Eligible for social security

Part B of your Medicare coverage pays for pretty much all of your other medical care. There are some exclusions for your care that you have to pay out of pocket for such as:

• Physicals
• Custodial care
• Hearing aids
• Foot care

There are some gap type Medicare insurance that you can purchase, but many experts don’t recommend buying them because the cost isn’t worth the value you receive by purchasing them.

You can also purchase what Medicare calls Medicare Advantage Care plans. These plans are called:

• Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO),
• Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO)
• Medicare Medical Savings Account Plans (MSA)

You can also purchase a Medicare prescription plan.

You have to choose between the original Medicare plan, the HMO or the PPO, you cannot choose all three. If, however, you want to switch plans, you can do so at the beginning of each new year, much like you would for any other kind of insurance.

HMOs and PPOs, which are Medicaid Part C plans, both work virtually the same way as these insurances do when you purchase private insurance.

• Health Maintenance Organization (HMO): When you choose the HMO, you have to choose your care and services from a network of doctors and hospitals. If you go outside of the network, then you pay for your services out of pocket.
• Preferred Provider Organization (PPO): A PPO offers more flexibility, meaning that if you choose from the network of doctors, then you pay your standard copay and leave it at that. If, however, you want to see a doctor outside of your network, you still can, you just have to pay the difference between your coverage amount and what that doctor charges.
• Medical Savings Account (MSA): The MSA plan is a high deductible plan that allows you to keep your premiums very low. You pay for your own medical care until your deductible is met. In the meantime, Medicare places an agreed upon amount of money into a medical savings account for you. This account draws interest and the money carries over any year you don’t use it. This money can be use to pay medical bills or purchase prescriptions.

The Medicare prescription plan is just that, a plan that helps you purchase prescriptions. If you take a lot of medication, then this plan is going to be important for you, and it’s very affordable. Like with most health insurance companies, if a generic form of your medication exists, you will have to purchase that before you can get a name brand medication.

If you are a low income person, you can get Medicare Part A and then combine it with Medicaid, if you qualify. This combination will usually provide you with every type of coverage that you will need during your twilight years.

All of these plans aren’t available in every state, which can be frustrating. However, every year more and more areas have access to the full line of Medicare options that are available.

It is important to note that if you travel outside of the US, Medicare will not cover your medical costs. When you travel outside of the country, make sure you purchase travel medical insurance to ensure that your medical needs are taken care of if anything should happen.

When can I enroll in Medicare?

As mentioned before, you won’t qualify for Medicare until you are 65 years old and you are collecting or are eligible to collect social security benefits. You can enroll in Medicare 3 months before you turn 65. After you turn 65, you have 7 more months to enroll, for a 10 month total before you have to wait for the new year to enroll.

If you wait to enroll, you may face a penalty of up to 10% for every year you don’t enroll. The exception is if you are still working and are receiving health insurance through your employer, then there are no penalties if you wait.

In addition, every year that you delay buying Medicare, your insurance rates will increase; this is beyond the possible 10% penalty. This happens even if you are getting health insurance from somewhere else.

How do I find out what Medicare Options are available in my area?

The easiest way to determine what Medicare options are available in your area is to use a quote tool to find private insurers that provide Medicare in your city or state. You can purchase traditional Medicare no matter where you live; however, the Medicare Advantage Plans may only be available in limited areas at this time.

With the 2010 health care bill, there are going to be some changes to Medicare because of cuts in government health plans. You can learn more about these cuts and other ways that the health care bill will affect your Medicare coverage by visiting the Kaiser Foundation site.

Medicare can be confusing and every time a change is made, which seems to occur almost annually, more confusion occurs. However, you can keep things simple by sticking with the original Medicare coverage, which is the easiest to understand. You shouldn’t allow this to limit you, however, and you should take advantage of some of the additional benefits that other coverage types have to offer.

You can call your social security office if you have any questions or if you want to enroll, or you can enroll online. If you want to compare rates between private insurers, enter your zip code now and we will get you started.

Try it today and see what Medicare has to offer you! Don’t qualify for Medicare? No worries, our quote tool can help you find an affordable health care plan today! Enter your zip code to get free online health insurance quotes now!

Enter your zip code and get free online health insurance quotes now!

If you work for a company that offers group health insurance, then you do not have to worry about your options as much as the person who is need of private insurance. However, group insurance is getting more expensive in current times, so checking into private options may be worth considering.

Private insurance can be very expensive, including basic catastrophic health insurance. Yet if you do not have the right insurance, your medical costs can put you into bankruptcy. Buying the right health insurance is very important. Explore online health insurance options to give yourself the full scope of what is available for you.

Online Health Insurance for Groups

As an employee, you most likely do not have a say in the insurance that your boss chooses. If you come across a good deal that you think would benefit the majority of employees, then you may want to share that with your human resources director. However, chances are you are going to either buy what they have available or opt to get insurance elsewhere.

Your employer has the opportunity to shop for group insurance using online health insurance tools. The person who is responsible for providing the company with group insurance has a fairly large burden. Group insurance is expensive, deductibles can be high, and premiums can be even higher.

Online health insurance comparison tools can help determine if the company’s current insurance is meeting their employees’ needs at a cost that is competitive. If another company is reputable and offers the same decent benefits for a much cheaper price, then there is little reason not to make the switch.

Online Health Insurance for Individuals

If you are too old to stay on your parent’s insurance as a student, then you have a couple of choices for health insurance as a private individual. If your employer offers group insurance, then you can buy into that plan and have payroll deductions taken to pay for your premiums. Or, you can buy private insurance.

There are many health insurance companies that offer private insurance and, since this is a competitive industry, you can use online health insurance tools to find the best rates. In order to use online health insurance quote tools correctly, be sure to compare the same kinds of packages.

The plans you select for comparison should have the same or similar benefits as well as the same or similar deductibles. You cannot compare one plan that has a $5,000 deductible with a plan that has a $2,000 deductible and consider one premium cheaper than the other. Either plan may be the better option for you, but it is important to consider all of the cost factors so that you have a true picture of the health insurance cost.

You should also compare prices with plans that have more or less benefits and varying deductibles since you may find a better deal that way. It is possible to get more benefits for only a modest increase in premiums or a change in your deductible.

Online Health Insurance for Families

Families have a few options for insurance, but all of them are expensive. However, it tends to be cheaper to insure an entire family on one policy than to split family members up onto different health insurance policies.

If your boss offers group insurance and your spouse’s boss offers group insurance, then you need to consider the costs of both plans as families and as individuals. In some cases, especially if there are no children to insure, it may be cheaper for each spouse to take his employer’s group insurance as an individual.

When children are involved, both parents’ insurance policies must be reviewed to see who has the cheaper insurance for families. It is almost always cheapest to combine all family members onto one policy.

In order to get a fair feeling of how much money you should be paying to insure your family, use an online health insurance quote tool to compare different plans for family health insurance. Private family health insurance will most likely be more costly than buying group insurance from one of the parents.

When shopping online, health insurance rates are simple to obtain. There is no obligation and you can take time to review and consider all of your options.
Enter your zip code to start accessing online health insurance quotes now!

Use the free tool and your zip code to obtain online insurance quotes for health coverage now!

The government-run Medicaid program is managed individually by each state. What this means is that even though the federal government funds each program, they allow each state to set their own qualification and coverage criteria. This is why you might qualify for Medicaid in one state and not qualify in another, even if your income and family size doesn’t change.

Some of the things that each state determines for itself are:

• Eligibility requirements
• Recertification methods
• How often recertification occurs
• What is covered under the plan
• Rate of payment for services rendered

Often, children of low-income families will qualify for Medicaid while their parents do not. This applies to children under 18, although is some states, if your child is still a full time student Medicaid will cover them until they are 21.

It is very difficult for adults to get on Medicaid, even if they are low income. The income eligibility requirements in some states are as low as $1,000 a month in income and assets. In addition, some states will not allow you to receive Medicaid if you own your own car or home.

Medicaid will provide coverage for your past medical bills if you qualify for Medicaid and can’t pay your previous bills. This can be a lifesaver for many people who have thousands of dollars in bills but don’t know how they are ever going to be able to pay them.

When you apply for Medicaid, you will need to provide some or all of the following items:

• Birth certificate or federally approved ID that shows proof of citizenship
• Social security number, if you have one
• Pay stubs for past 4 to 6 weeks or your previous year’s W2 if you don’t have any paystubs
• Current bank statement
• Current health insurance policy
• Current life insurance policies
• Asset list including house, car, stocks, bonds, etc…

What does Medicaid cover?

Some Medicaid services will vary from state to state, such as the cost of braces. Some states pay for this under Medicaid while most don’t. However, there are also some services that every person on Medicaid, no matter what state they live in, can expect to receive. These are:

• Well and sick doctor’s visits
• Prescription medications, although there will be a requirement for generic first
• Inpatient and outpatient hospital services
• Emergency treatment
• Emergency ambulance services
• Preventative dental care
• Medical equipment
• Physical therapy
• Hospice
• Immunization
• Home health services
• Vision screenings and glasses
• Hearing screenings and hearing aids
• Psychiatric care
• Counseling

In some states, your doctor determines the best care for you, including operations and such. In others, your doctor may have to get permission to provide you with certain types of services. It simply depends on how your state regulates this service.

In addition, your Medicaid may cover part or all of your services depending on your financial status. In some cases you will be required to pay a co-pay because the Medicaid department believes that at your income level you will be able to pay for some, but not all, of the costs out of pocket.

When you have Medicaid, if you can’t afford the copay at the time of your office visit, your doctor isn’t allowed to refuse you care. This is the agreement he/she made when they agreed to accept Medicaid. This doesn’t mean that you never have to pay, only that they will have to bill you for the services. In the future, they can drop you as a patient if you consistently don’t pay but, once they accept your appointment, they have no choice but to provide you with the care that you need.

Why don’t all doctors take Medicaid?

This is a touchy subject as of late because with the onset of the 2010 US health care bill, more and more doctors are actually refusing to accept Medicaid. There are various reasons for this, but the bottom line is all about money.
Medicaid determines just how much they will pay for each of the services that you receive when you to a doctor. In order for that doctor to bill for your services, they have to hire a Medicaid insurance expert to handle the filing of those claims. Medicaid is notoriously slow in paying claims in many states. What’s more, they are known for changing billing codes or requiring billing code changes time and again because they don’t feel like a service should be billed under the code that it was originally assigned.

What’s more, Medicaid is cheap; it’s that simple. If you were to go to a doctor’s office and have a check up, it would cost you about $90. This covers the cost of the doctor’s time, the nurse or nurses that helped you as well as the office staff that checked you in, the rental of the office, etc. etc. Medicaid, however, might pay $30 for that same visit, which doesn’t come close to covering the necessary fees.

That is why you will often find offices that accept Medicaid often book their appointments at 10-minute intervals and they are often backed up. They want to make some money, while providing treatment for their patients but they have to book 3 times as many patients a day in order to accomplish this.

If you live in a state where you get excellent care while on Medicaid, then you probably live in a state where the payment for services is higher than normal. In these states you will find that a majority of doctors accept Medicaid. The truth is that, in any state, if every doctor accepted Medicaid, then the cost would balance out and the doctors that do accept Medicaid wouldn’t be hit as hard when they receive their payment from Medicaid.

Who should apply for Medicaid?

Any low income family should apply for Medicaid. However, here are some other people who should consider applying for Medicaid:

• Pregnant women
• Elderly 65 or older
• Blind people
• Disabled people
• Someone in need of nursing home care
• Terminally ill individuals
• Women with breast or cervical cancer
• Families with children under the age of 18

Even if you aren’t a low-income family, if you don’t have enough money to cover the cost of health insurance, then you should apply for your children. Most states have alternative programs for families that don’t qualify for Medicaid and they will automatically be enrolled in the program they qualify for when you apply for Medicaid. These programs take a lot of stress off of families who feel as if they can’t provide care for their children.

You can find out what your state requires by visiting your state’s Food Stamp or Health Care websites. You can also find more information on the Health & Human Services’ Medicaid Web site.

If you don’t qualify for Medicaid and you are trying to find cheap medical insurance, try our free quote tool right now and find health insurance that you can afford!

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What’s more, you may be thinking that you can’t afford health insurance at all and in today’s economy, that isn’t unusual. The problem is, if you are like most people, you probably can’t afford a medical emergency. According to a study conducted by the New York Based Commonwealth Fund in 2010, nearly 1/3 of US adults don’t get the medical care they need because they can’t afford to pay for it.

Considering that the US is considered to be one of the richest countries in the world and people come from all over the world come to the US to get health care when they are seriously ill, this is an untenable situation and speaks to the need for more accessible health care.

Some argue that the 2010 health care reform bill that passed will solve these issues. Even with these changes many of the people who don’t receive the health care that they need actually have health insurance. The problem is that their plans don’t cover enough or have out of pocket costs that are too high.
The bottom line is that not only do you need health insurance, but you need to find affordable health insurance that meets all of your needs in such a way that you can get the care you need. This is what the best health insurance has to offer you.

The problem that many people face when they are looking for the health insurance is that they want someone to show them the best health insurance. It just doesn’t work this way because while Aetna’s Managed Choice Open Access 2000 plan might be the perfect plan for you, for your neighbor, this plan may be the worst possible option. What’s more, some plans aren’t available in every state.

The same thing applies to finding the best health insurance company. While there are companies that rank health insurance companies so that you can see who ranks high as far as customer service, claims paid and so on, these are national ranking systems. You are still faced with the possibility that ranked insurance companies may not offer insurance in your area or their reputation where you live isn’t nearly as good as their national reputation.

So, how do you find the best health insurance company and plan? This is going to require a bit of time on your part, but considering the cost of health insurance, you should be willing to spend some time on this issue to make sure your health insurance is exactly what you need.

Finding the Best Health Insurance Company

Finding the best health insurance company is going to be area specific. Every state has several insurance companies that sell health insurance, but not every insurance company sells health insurance in every state.

You can find a complete list of health insurance companies licensed to sell insurance in your state on your state’s Department of Insurance website. Your Department of Insurance is a place for you to learn about your insurance options, common misconceptions about health insurance and you will find a list of complaints against each health insurance company.

It is important to note that this list of complaints are only complaints made directly to the Department of Insurance. If someone complained to the insurance company, the Better Business Bureau, or on an online forum, this won’t be found on the Department of Insurance website. That’s why it is important for you to check all of these resources to determine the best health insurance company.

You should also use A.M. Best or Standard & Poor’s to check the financial situation of each company. You want to ensure that the health insurance company that you choose can afford to pay your claims when you have them and that they are financially sound.

The Best Health Insurance Company Might be State Funded

Because of the economy in the US, many people find that they can’t afford health insurance at all, especially if they have lost their job. If this is the case, you may want to consider some state funded programs for your health insurance. Keep these facts in mind:

• In order to qualify for programs like Medicaid you have to make under a certain amount of money and this amount is very low. However, if you don’t have any income coming in, it is well worth it to see if you can qualify for Medicaid.
• In most states, Medicaid is available to children of lower income families at no charge. Even if you don’t qualify for it yourself, you owe it to your kids to apply for this health care for them.

Choosing the Best Health Insurance Plan

Choosing the best health insurance plan is as equally important as finding a health insurance company that you can be happy with. You will find that every company has their own plans for you to choose from and that they can vary widely between companies.

What you need to consider is what each plan offers you in terms of coverage:

• HMO plans are the least expensive option, but don’t offer you any flexibility and there are many hoops you have to jump through if you need more than the most basic of care.
• Traditional health insurance offers you the most options but is by far the most expensive option, sometimes costing hundreds of dollars more each month than an HMO. You do, however, have all of the freedom that you want when choosing your doctor and the care you receive.

What makes it so difficult to choose the best health insurance plan is that pretty much everyone would like to have the maximum amount of coverage possible, but this option is very expensive. What you need to consider is your budget and then determine how much care you can get on your budget.

You also need to shop around for your insurance so that you can be the best health insurance plan for the least amount of money possible. You don’t want to waste your time visiting a bunch of health insurance company websites, however, as it will take you forever to compare health plans this way.

Because every insurance company offers something different it makes it difficult for you to do an “apples to apples” comparison. This is where a quote tool comes in handy. You can compare rates between insurance companies without having to try to search out the most similar types of insurance; the quote tool does that for you.

All you have to do is answer a few questions about yourself and the type of insurance that you are looking for and the quote tool does the rest of the work for you. In just a few minutes you will be able to review quotes from multiple companies, all of which have good reputations and good financial standing.

Type in your zip code to start comparing health insurance quotes and benefits now!

Start comparing insurance rates and benefits by entering your zip code now!

You can certainly become very confused about the benefits and drawbacks of each type of plan. Therefore, having a reference such as the one below can be of invaluable assistance. Utilizing this step-by-step guide will help you with this health insurance comparison.

Generally speaking, your place of employment will usually supply the simplest, most cost-effective health coverage. Inquire as to the types of plans that are available from which to choose. Additionally, you’ll find that when you sign on with your employer, your coverage will also be more cost effective.

However, not everyone is eligible for workplace benefits. Plus, the healthiest folks tend to pay for the higher risk applicants in this type of group coverage. Finally, opting for a group plan means you will have less say in the type of coverage you get and the doctors you are allowed to see. Other options include:

• COBRA insurance coverage- COBRA stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. If you’re unemployed, have recently been laid off or fired, COBRA is perhaps the best insurance coverage you will encounter. Additionally, under your new employer, you can lengthen your COBRA coverage from 18 months to 3 years utilizing the same group insurance. However, you should be ready to either to pay the insurance company directly or even your employer.
• Locate an insurance agent, from which you can collect data about the various available plans from which you can choose. Visit NAHU to find an office in the vicinity of your home. NAHU stands for the National Association of Health Underwriters, and their website can assist you in making a health insurance comparison.

Health Insurance Comparison: Types of Plans

You should also consider comparing PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations), HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations, Fee for Service Plans, and POS (Point of Service) Plans.

• PPOs don’t offer you the same flexibility as other plans, since you must select a physician from their own list, but the premium is lower than Fee for Service Plans.
• HMOs can be very limiting in terms of flexibility, but are also the least costly for your health benefits. They tend to work with multiple doctors, and their plans tend to be much more affordable. Fee-for-service plans allow you to select your own hospitals, physicians and specialists, but the premium is also higher than that of the others and the coverage can be limited and they can be much more cost-prohibitive to maintain.
• The Point of Service (POS) network will command your doctor to select the specialist that he or she so desires, but the plan’s other features are not unlike those of a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). Also, PPOs tend to have more doctors from which to choose.

It’s important not to overlook prescription coverage, as well, making certain to appraise the quality of the coverage you would receive under the various plans. Looking to determine which cover the medications associated with any pre-existing conditions not attached to any extra fees, is perhaps one of the best methods of going about this.

Additionally, it’s important to determine if there’s a renewal clause. A renewal clause would automatically renew your health insurance plan at your current plan’s rates, despite what your medical history might be, and it should also have some provision that confirms that they will not drop you, either.

Finally, you should consider the time element. How long does it take for your medical issues to be addressed? Are you kept waiting to see a doctor, or are you able to get in to see one right away?

Questions to Consider When Making a Health Insurance Comparison

Once you have had the opportunity to review the features, benefits, and potential drawbacks of each plan, you should ask yourself several important questions, such as the following, which will assist you in locating just the right amount of coverage to fit your budget for your own family’s needs:

• What will be the cost of my premium?
• Will I have a co-pay, and if so, how much?
• What is the amount of my deductible?
• Does my plan include prescription coverage, and if not, how much will be out-of-pocket?
• Does the plan I select cover any pre-existing medical conditions I may have?
• What services are covered/not covered?
• Can I go to my own physician and select the hospital I prefer?

You should consider all of these questions when making health insurance comparisons. The most important factor is to select an insurance plan that won’t burden you with additional expenses in the event of an emergency.

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Current Health Condition

The time to buy health insurance coverage is when you are young and relatively healthy. Waiting to put coverage in place means that you are more likely to have a health condition that may mean higher premiums.

If you are looking for coverage for yourself and other family members, keep in mind that the insurance company will consider the current health of all applicants when deciding whether to offer to extend coverage. In a case where one person in the family has one or more health concerns that would make finding cheap health insurance challenging, the other family members can apply for coverage without including the individual with health concerns to save money on the cost of coverage.

Consider Your Needs and Wants

Before you can start getting quotes for health insurance coverage, you need to consider what types of coverage are most important to you so that you know what to look for. Think about the types of medical services you have received over the past year, and you will have a good idea about kinds of services should be included in your plan.

Use this information to develop a list of “must haves” for your health insurance plan. These are the core services that you are most likely to use and that are most important to you.

• For a family with young children, this could include having coverage for check-ups, vaccinations and prescription drugs.
• Adults who only see their doctor for an annual physical and who don’t need to take medications regularly have different needs when it comes to health insurance coverage, and they may want to focus their search on finding a plan that focuses on paying for major medical expenses.

From that point, you can start to build out your health insurance plan to include things that would be nice to have, but aren’t deal breakers for you. This information will help you clarify how you want your health insurance plan to look. Keep in mind that the more things you add to the plan, the more you are going to pay in premiums.

Shop Around for Best Cheap Health Insurance Rates

Once you have your list of the kinds of services that are most important to you, it’s time to start shopping around for the best rates. Private health insurance companies can offer you a number of options for your coverage, including plans that look similar to an employer-sponsored one. These plans cover preventive care services and have co-pays for doctors’ visits when you visit a physician who is a member of the insurance company’s network of providers. Other available plans pay 100% of covered services once you have reached your annual deductible.

When you are looking for the best rates for your health insurance coverage, and you are comfortable with paying for your day-to-day healthcare expenses personally, consider a plan with a high deductible. This option is a good choice when you want to focus your attention on having protection in place for major medical expenses. The higher the deductible level you choose, the lower your premiums will be. Insurance companies reward people who are willing to pay more toward their health insurance services by offering them lower premium rates.

To find the right health insurance plan for your needs, go online to check out different health insurance companies to find out what they have to offer. If your goal is to find cheap health insurance, you may be tempted to buy a policy based solely on price. This would be a mistake.

Don’t make the mistake of confusing affordable health insurance with cheap coverage. Buying a policy simply because it has the lowest price may mean that you are not getting the level of protection you need. This is not a decision that you should be making lightly and if you take the step of establishing exactly what you are looking for from the outset, you will be able to make a better choice about the kind of health insurance policy you are getting for yourself and your family.

You can start comparing health insurance quotes by clicking on the insurance tool right now!

Compare rates and benefits with the free zip code based car insurance quotes tool now!

With cars we can look at hard numbers like gas mileage, repair incidents, and safety recalls. With insurance we must look at customer perceptions of service and financial stability.

Financial Strength Ratings

While consumers rate their insurance companies based on price, coverage, and customer satisfaction, industry players rate them according other factors. While there is some difference in how health insurance companies and other insurers are rated, there are things that are important to all. One of these factors is financial strength.

Insurance companies make their money by investing what they take in from customer premiums. They bank on the fact that their investments will give them a higher return than what they will pay out for claims made by those they insure. In most cases this works out just fine. But if a company is rated as having poor financial strength, it means their investments have not performed as well as they should have.

According to the Top Rated Insurance Companies website, the best insurance companies of 2009, rated by financial strength, included well-known names like Allstate, State Farm, Prudential, Travelers, and Fidelity. Independent entities that offer ratings of financial strength include A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s.

Ratings by Product Type

Various web sites and industry trade groups conduct regular surveys with customers in order to rate insurance providers. When surveys ask about specific insurance products rather than general questions of customer satisfaction, the results can be interesting.

As an example, customers may rate a company like Progressive or Geico as being very strong for auto insurance, but weak for homeowners insurance. Travelers or Allstate may be rated just the opposite. Then of course, there are many insurance companies dedicated to a single product like life insurance. Finding the best insurance companies sometimes means splitting up your coverage depending on which providers meet specific policy needs.

The Best Health Insurance Companies

Health insurance is a type of coverage unlike any other product on the market. Insurance typically provides financial compensation if and when a covered circumstance causes loss to be incurred by the insured individual. For example, your auto insurance compensates you only if you have an accident. You’re taking the risk of losing the money if you never file a claim, while your insurance company takes a risk of having to pay out a claim greater than what you paid in premiums.

With major-medical health insurance, things work pretty much the same. But with HMO insurance, the coverage really isn’t true insurance in the traditional sense of the word. Rather, the vast majority of insured people incur at least as much cost as they and their employers pay into the plan. This means that the HMO plan is essentially nothing more than a third-party payment system. You pay them, they pay your bill.

The best health insurance companies understand this dynamic and strive to keep costs as low as possible. They do so by offering plans outside of the standard HMO and requiring customers to participate in paying the doctor bills. They don’t force unnecessary coverage, such as obstetrics coverage for post menopausal women. They also refrain from requiring excessive testing, such as screening for sickle cell anemia among ethnic groups that rarely contract the disease.

The Best Life Insurance

Lastly, life insurance is one kind of coverage that will always be used by the purchaser, provided he maintains his policy until his death. The best life insurance companies are those who provide a realistic premium to benefit ratio, so as avoid charging some individuals too much and others too little.

Term policies will be somewhat less expensive due to the fact that policy holders come and go regularly. Whole policies will cost more in premiums, but once paid in full, the customer will have coverage the rest of his life at no additional charge.

Both types of life insurance should have a benefit that will cover all funeral and burial expenses, unpaid medical bills, and support to needy family members if the deceased was a substantial contributor of family income. Beware of life insurance polices that pay out only a few thousand dollars. You can blow through that amount in just the cost of a casket.

In the end, the best insurance companies are the ones that keep their customers happy. There are enough of them out there to make it possible for you to find what suits you. Now it’s time to start your search. Get online quotes from the best insurance companies right now, by entering your zip code into our free search tool.

It is estimated that about five percent of the population buys their own health insurance — that’s more than 15 million Americans!

Read through the below guide to the basics of individual health insurance and then get started finding the best health plan for your needs!

Who is individual health insurance for?

This type of health insurance is most ideal for those who are:

• Employees of a company that does not provide health insurance benefits
• Those between jobs and without health insurance
• Recently unemployed and find COBRA is too expensive
• Self-employed individuals looking for health insurance
• Recent graduates not covered under their parent’s plan

What are the benefits of individual health insurance?

The great thing about shopping for an individual health plan is the variety of affordable health insurance options available to pick and choose from. With the guidance of a licensed health insurance agent, you can figure out what your needs are and how to find benefits that can meet them.

Some benefits to consider are: pre-natal visits, maternity care, well-baby visits, prescription drugs, routine doctor’s visits, etc. You can also decide what is more economically feasible for you: paying for a high deductible and low monthly premium or vice versa.

If you recently become unemployed, an individual plan is likely cheaper than the high premium cost of continued employer coverage via COBRA.

What are the risks of having an individual health insurance plan?

The drawback is that you may pay higher premiums because you are solely responsible for your plan’s premium, versus having your employer pay some or all of the premium cost, as with group employer coverage. Also, premiums vary from state to state because of differing state health care usage histories or certain statewide legislative requirements.

Moreover, premiums are determined by expected health care costs, so individuals who are sick, smokers, or older can expect to pay more. Of course, if you are relatively healthy then individual health insurance may be much cheaper than a similar group health insurance plan!

The reason why individual health plans can be so much cheaper is that individual health plans are medically underwritten, meaning an insurer can deny or apply exclusions/rate-ups to your policy if you have pre-existing conditions.

OK, now how do you actually buy individual health insurance?

Buying the perfect individual health plan is a lot easier than you would think, and can be done best with the help of a licensed agent. Just enter some basic information about yourself in online to view side-by-side comparisons of plans in your zip code. Licensed agents can explain your state’s law and walk you through the entire process—from shopping for plans to completing your application and receiving your policy. Comparison shopping health plans online is free, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t take advantage of it.

What impact does health care reform have on individual health plans now, and in 2014?

The following changes will be implemented beginning September 2010:

• New plans must cover some preventative services without cost sharing
• Insurance companies can’t drop you when you’re sick, due to a mistake you made on your coverage application
• Carriers cannot impose lifetime maximums on your coverage
• New individual plans can’t deny or exclude coverage to any child under age 19 due to health conditions (this includes babies born with health problems)
• If a new plan doesn’t pay for services you thought were covered, you have new options to appeal the decision

Beginning in 2014, individual health plans cannot turn down individuals with a preexisting condition (including a disability).

Why not start comparing free individual health insurance quotes online now?