by: Dr. Deepak Dutta

Affordable health insurance - it seems, especially today, those words just
don't belong together in the same sentence. Health insurance monthly
premiums have become the biggest single expense in our lives - surpassing
even mortgage payments. In fact, if you have any permanent health
problems, such as diabetes, or have had cancer at one time in your family
history, your monthly cost could easily be more than the house and car
payment combined.

Shopping for affordable health insurance can certainly be an eye-opener.
If you have always had a health insurance benefit where you work -
especially a state or federal employee - and now have to buy your own, you
may not be able to afford the level of health insurance coverage you have
become used to.

Affordable health insurance, however, is definitely available -if you know
how and where to look.

When you are looking for affordable health insurance, you want the lowest
cost per year that will fit your budget, of course. But, even more
importantly, you want a company that has a good record for paying without
fighting with you on every detail. Just as there is a car for just about
any budget, there is also affordable health insurance. You may not be able
to afford a "Cadillac" policy - but then you probably don't need all the
frills anyway.

Shopping for health insurance on the internet is the easiest and best way
to find affordable health insurance. Here are five reasons why.

1. You don't need a local agent to help you submit the claims for health
insurance. The medical provider does it for you. You save money because
the health insurance company saves money by not paying the agent
commission. This could amount to an 8% to 12% savings to you.

2. All the top health insurance companies are at your fingertips on the
internet. Most local agents can only quote you from the few companies that
they represent. They may not offer you what is best for you financially or
health-wise but only what they happen to have available.

3. Health insurance companies have to be extremely competitive because it
is so quick and easy to compare them with their competitors on the
internet today. In the past you would have had to visit physically eight
to ten agents to do a similar comparison. Most folks just didn't have the
time or desire for that.

4. You can change your coverage, deductibles, and payment options with
just a few clicks rather than going through the paperwork delay with a
local agent (and then finding out he/she made a mistake - more delay).
5. Charging to a credit card means you aren't going to forget a payment
and be without insurance. Also, it gives you another 30 days before you
actually have to pay. Also, many companies today give an additional
discount for "auto-pay".

The key, however, to finding affordable health insurance is realizing that
the purpose of any health insurance is to protect you from a major
financial loss - not to protect you from spending small money on clinic
visits and sliver removal. These small expenses may be cumbersome but they
generally will not hurt you. It's the $100,000 heart operation that will
break you. That's the financial disaster health insurance was originally
designed to prevent.

Also, keep this in mind. Health insurance, as with any insurance, is a
gamble. You are gambling that you will draw out more than you pay in. Your
health insurance company is gambling they will pay out less. The odds are
in their favor for two reasons. They have all the facts for millions of
families to average out, so they know the risk in advance. Also, they get
to set the rules and the prices. The higher you set your deductible, the
more risk you take. This is not a bad thing at all. You will most likely
be the winner in the long run.

Yes, finding affordable health insurance is much easier than most people
think.

Taking more of the risk with higher deductibles, spending a little time on
the internet comparing eight to ten different companies, and deleting
coverage that you will not likely need (such as maternity for many folks)
will make it very possible to find your own affordable health insurance.