Choosing the Best Health Insurance

choosing-the-best-health-insuranceHealth care costs have been increasing by leaps and bounds over the past 20 years. Costs have been driven up because of the increased advances in medical care.

The increased costs make having the best health care insurance coverage for you and your family even more important then it ever has.

Finding affordable health care insurance that provides the best coverage is getter harder these days. I recently read that 60% of personal bankruptcies are related to medical costs. Having health insurance will also increase the likely hood that you will seek more preventive care.

Most people have group health insurance plan coverage offered through an employer. There are several types of group health insurance including indemnity insurance, a fee for service plan which allows patients to see doctors of their choice. Managed care plans, such as a health maintenance organization (HMO), a preferred provider organization (PPO) or point of service plans (POS). Individual health insurance is another option but finding cheap individual health insurance isn't easy.

Be sure to compare health care plans before you select one. Things to keep in mind when selecting a plan are.

  • The cost of the plan
  • What coverage is provided
  • Access to doctors and hospitals, limited if you are part of a managed health care plan
  • Co-pays, how much do you have to pay to see your primary doctor or a specialist
  • Any lifetime limit on benefits

If your managed care plan is offered through an employer you can only change your plan once a year during "open enrollment". So be sure to choose your plan wisely.

You can find online health care insurance by using MonitorBankRate.com to get a health insurance quote in your area.

 
Author: Brian McKay
June 5th, 2009