Millions have lost their health insurance over the last several years due to lost jobs or lost benefits due to corporate cut backs. If your one of us then stuck with a scary situation, not only do you not have insurance you also have to find an Individual Health Insurance plan. I’m not sure which one is the most scariest.
Remember these 5 things and your search will less scary and much simpler
#1 Make sure your doctor or clinic is included in your health insurance plan. Most insurance plans include a network of doctors and clinics that they work with. If your family doctor is not included in their network there’s a really good chance that your have to either pay a higher co-pay(the amount you’d pay prior to your insurance kicks in usually around 20-50 dollars) or a higher coinsurance (the amount of the overall bill that you’ll be sharing paying with the insurance company. If you can’t find a plan that fits your needs and has your doctor you may need to find a new doctor.
#2 What Can I Afford? This is by far the most difficult to answer. You have factor in several things when deciding which health insurance plan is for you. How often do you and your family visit the doctor’s office? If it’s several times a month you’ll want to find a plan with a lower deductible, you’ll pay a higher monthly premium in exchange for a lower deductible. On the other hand if you only visit the doctor a couple times and year and your coverage is more to insure against something major, then you’ll most likely be better off with a higher deductible with a lower premium. You also need to look at how much you could afford if something catastrophic did occur. Many plans make you pay a percentage f the cost after your deductible has been covered. If you had a $50,000 claim how much of that could you afford to pay- $5,000, $10,000 or more? Like I said this is probably you most difficult to answer. Do your leg work and check with several insurance companies when choosing!!
#3 Are My Prescriptions Covered? Are you or someone in your family is currently on a prescription? If so you’ll want to ensure that the health insurance plan that you choose covers those cost. If not it could cost you more to purchase those than it would to go with a plan that has a higher monthly premium. So make sure that this on the top of your list of questions to ask when talking to your customer service representative.
#4 Are You Expecting to be Expecting? If so then you’ll want to find out if find a health insurance plan that will cover those expenses as well. Don’t get lazy when checking on this one. Many plans will say that they’ll cover maternity and prenatal expenses, but they don’t state how much coverage is included. Make sure you get enough coverage for your expected needs.
#5 Shop Around! Check out several companies prior to choosing your individual health insurance plan. I recommend using a broker, since they work with several insurance providers and can offer multiple options. There are plenty of on line brokers like ehealthinsurance.com that you can instantly get multiple quotes. Insuranceagents.com is another site I recommend, they take your information and local heath Insurance agents will call you.
Use these insurance sites to help you select your new Individual Health Insurance Plan. ehealthinsurance.com, and Insuranceagents.com.