There are millions of people who have lost their medical benefits due to the economy. Either they’ve lost their job or the company they work for has had to cut cost and medical benefits had to go. If you’re one of these, like I was, you now face the scary fact that if something happened you’d have nothing to fall back on. Almost as scary is finding an individual health insurance plan that fits your needs and not break the bank.
Simplify your search by remembering these 5 simple things
#1 Is My Doctor Included in My Health Insurance Plans Network? Many health insurance plans have a network of doctors that they work with. If your family doctor is not in their network, you usually will pay a higher deductible and/or a higher percentage of the overall cost for your medical expenses. Unless you are willing to change doctors, I’d talk to their office and find out which insurance plans they except and see if one of them will fit your needs.
#2 What Plan Can I Afford? Choosing a health insurance plan that you can afford can be a very difficult task with several cost considerations. The one most think of is the premium you must pay monthly. Unfortunately there is much more to consider like deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance. Deductibles are the amount you must pay prior to your insurance paying a dime. Co-pay is the amount you must pay for a doctors visit (usually between $20 and $50 per visit). Coinsurance is the amount that you and your insurance company split after your deductible is covered. The more out of your pocket the less your monthly premium will be, but if something major happens and you have a low premium with a high coinsurance you may be put in a position that you may not be able to afford. Think about how much you could afford if some major illness or accident happened.
#3 Will My Prescriptions Be Covered? You’ll want to ensure that any prescriptions that your currently on will be covered. If not you may be spending more on your prescriptions than if you paid a higher premium to ensure they’re covered. Talk to a customer service representative to make sure you get the coverage you need.
#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 Check Out Several Insurance Providers. When choosing a Individual Health Insurance plan make sure you shop around to get the best deal. I know it’s a huge eye opener when you start looking at the price tags on some plans. That’s why you really need to check out several providers to ensure your getting the most coverage for your money. I recommend checking with at least 2 if not more companies to find the best deal. They work with multiple insurance companies that are competing for your business, and usually get you the best deal. With the Internet is easy to get several quotes in just a few minutes.
Check out these insurance sites to help you select your new Health Insurance Plan. ehealthinsurance.com and Health Plans of America.