How to Buy Health Insurance

Tips for buying health insurance

1. The first thing you should do is compare and contrast different plans from different providers. Learn the premiums for different plans, what the co-pay costs are for prescriptions and doctor and emergency room visits, and whether or not the plan you’re interested in covers preexisting conditions you might have.
2. The plans you’re going to come across most are HMOs and PPOs. HMOs are probably the least expensive as far as co-payments go, but they do tend to be restrictive. Most require you to see a doctor in their particular network, and most require you to see a primary care physician for a referral to a specialist. PPOs allow you to consult a specialist without a referral from your physician, although the premiums and co-payments in PPOs do tend to be higher than HMOs.
3. If you are already taking prescription medication, make sure the medication is covered in the health plan you’re considering. If it isn’t, you might want to consider choosing a different plan, for the cost of your medication could double under the plan it’s not covered by.
4. Get a good handle on how much you can afford to pay each month for health insurance. Calculate how much money you make in a month, and then determine what you will spend on your health insurance premium.
5. Before selecting a primary care physician with your plan, call the physician you’re considering choosing and ask about how long of a wait you can expect when you show up for an appointment. Also learn about how easy it is to make an appointment (some physicians will be able to see you the next day or even on the day you call, others won’t be able to see you sometimes for an entire month!).

Caution

Always learn what the maximum coverage amount of your health insurance policy is. If the plan you’re considering does not cover at least one million dollars in costs, avoid that plan at all costs!

Where to buy health insurance

Below you'll find links to the official Web sites of some of America’s most reputable and popular insurance companies.

Blue Cross/Blue Shield allows you to get health insurance purchase information straight from their home page. Learn about plans in the area you live in by simply typing your zip code in the allotted search field.

A full list of health care products are listed on Aetna's site for individuals and families. Also check out services and tools that allow you to find a physician and get prescriptions via mail order.

United Healthcare has easy-to-access info on its medical, life, vision, dental and disability health care plans. You can also learn about health care trends and preventative wellness measures.