by: Keith Thompson

Copyright 2005 Keith Thompson

If you find yourself in the position of shopping for an individual
health insurance policy, there are certain things you'll want to
keep in mind. Whether you are coming out of a job that covered you
before, or are at the end of your COBRA benefits, or simply have
never had coverage before there are things you can do to get
coverage on yourself and your loved ones.

The basic thing to know is that if you have a shot a group health
insurance, whether through a job or an association you're a member
of, that is usually much more affordable than buying individual
health insurance on your own. First you need to figure out your
health insurance goals; in other words, what are you after? If
you're young, healthy as a horse, no dependents and not attempting
Mt. Everest next week, you may want to opt for a policy that covers
only the catastrophes, and cover the rest out-of-pocket. On the flip
side of that, if you're the sole bread winner with a family to
support, the scenario is different.

The basic choices you'll have are Fee-for-Service, Managed Care
Plans, and Association-based health insurance. Fee-for-service is
the traditional indemnity plan, harder to acquire, more expensive,
but usually great coverage. Managed care plans include most HMO's
and PPO's. These offer lower costs but your choices are somewhat
limited. Another way to get insured is through a group or
association you may already be a member of, such as professional,
religious or trade organizations. Often they may offer health
insurance. It's worth checking out, as sometimes you can strike gold
in this vein.

Things to consider when you're looking for any policy are what's
covered on this plan, how much are the monthly premiums, what is the
yearly out-of-pocket, what is the deductible, how much are office
visits, does it cover preventative medicine, vision, dental? And I'm
sure you can come up with many of your own. Sit down before you go
shopping and make a list of your needs and wants, and decide in
advance what you're willing to give to get. Be aware that once you
start getting quotes they can vary as much as 50% for the same
person! Remember, you're shopping, and nobody's making you do
anything. If one insurer isn't cutting it, move on to another. If
you're coming at this cold and have no good recommendations it may
be wise to use a broker who represents several companies, as he or
she wil be more likely to find the best policy for you, as opposed
to selling the company they work for.

Shopping for individual health insurance can be frustrating and
time-consuming, but if you come armed with facts you'll be able to
navigate this highly competitive and ever-changing field.


About the author:
Keith Thompson is the webmaster at
http://www.health-insurance.giftsforbiz.com,a site geared toward
helping you find great individual health insurance!