Whether you are making a choice between the health insurance plans offered by your employer, or buying an individual policy for yourself, here are 10 tips to take into consideration.

1 Know thy needs
Before you gain down to comparing different plans, it is important to determine your insurance needs. You may not find a policy that will cover every contingency, but you should try to find a plan that at least covers the essentials, and meets your medical needs.
Does a family member have special needs? Do you understanding on having a baby in the next couple years? Does a dependant need prescription drugs? Do you travel abroad? Thinking this through will enable you to match your next policy with your current and future medical needs, and get the kind of coverage that is right for you.

2 Shop around
All health insurance policies are not created equal. You or your insurance agent should get quotes from different insurance companies for comparison. You will find that there are broad differences in the cost, benefits and exclusions offered by various policies. By shopping around, you may not only save money on your insurance premium, you may also find a policy with benefits that are better suited to your needs. While shopping, be obvious to do an apples-to-apples comparison of the standard benefits that each company has to offer.
One of the most convenient ways to get quotes from a number of health insurance companies, is at an insurance comparison website. You will fill out a single questionnaire and get several different quotes. Here are three comparison sites:
www.ehealthinsurance.com
www.netquote.com/
www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html

3 Review the Benefits
Before you commit to buying a policy, it is essential that you understand exactly what it will pay for and – just as important – what it will not pay for. Be sure to read the exclusions fragment of the policy very carefully, as many health benefits are strictly optional, and will vary from one plan to the next.
*Does the policy cover preventive care?
*Does it offer vision and dental care?
*Will the plan conceal pre-existing conditions?
*Is ambulance service included?
*Are prescription drugs covered?

It can be financially disastrous if you fall ill only to find out that your policy does not cover your particular condition and you are left on the hook for the bill.

4 Out of pocket expenses
Your monthly premium is not the only expense you will incur as far as your healthcare goes. Whichever insurance plan you go with, there will usually be some out-of-pocket expenses that you will have to pay. Before you buy your policy you should find out upfront what these expenses are going to be. What is the co-pay on the policy? If there is a deductible or co-insurance, what are the amounts? What is the maximum amount you will have to pay out of pocket?

5 Choice, Cost and Coverage
There are several types of health insurance plans out there: the HMO (Health Maintenance Organization), PPO (Preferred Provider Organization), POS (Point of Service), HSA (Health Savings Account) and traditional indemnity insurance plan.
The insurance plan you choose will determine:
*The flexibility you have in choosing your health care provider
*The cost in insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses
*The level of coverage offered and the benefits excluded

Make definite you compare and consider the pros and cons of each option when choosing your health insurance. If you are looking to save money, for example, an HMO has the lowest out-of-pocket expenses, but it has the most restrictions. Indemnity and PPO plans offer greater flexibility, but have higher out-of-pocket expenses such as a deductible.

6 The Price you pay
Price should not always be the determining factor in choosing a health insurance plan. Ensure that the opinion you choose offers all or most of the health benefits you may need, particularly coverage for major medical conditions. Having to pay for a notable medical service out of your own pocket may cost you far, far more than what you could possibly save in premiums. It may also be financially devastating.
In the long run, the plan with the lowest premium may not work out to be the cheapest plan. The least expensive plan is the one that offers the best price for the particular coverages that you need.

7 The “free look” Clause
Be determined your policy has a “free look” Clause. Most insurance providers allow you a 10-day period during which you can cancel your policy and have your premium refunded with no penalty. This allows you time to carefully review the policies documents, and make a final decision as to whether or not you like the terms and the coverage offered. Take advantage of this provision to read and really understand your policy and the policy terms, and even get a second view.

8 Guaranteed renewable coverage
Some health insurance companies will cancel your insurance policy or hike your rates if you plunge sick – distinguished like an auto insurer may cancel your coverage if you have one too many accidents. This is actually legal in distinct states.
Look for a policy that offers non-cancelable coverage, guaranteed to renew each year. If this is not available, a “conditionally renewable” policy is another option. Under this policy, the company will reserve the right to cancel all its policies that are similar to yours, but you cannot be singled out for cancellation.

9 Maximum Life Benefit
Another principal consideration is the maximum lifetime benefit. This is the total dollar amount your insurance plan will pay out as long as you own it. that your insurance company will pay over the lifetime of the policy. Ideally, this limit should be at least $1 million

10 Questions are the Answer
Choosing your health insurance plan is a crucial financial decision. Before you effect any money down, be sure that you understand your new insurance contract. Ask your insurance agent or company to fully explain anything on the policy that you do not understand. Ask questions and be sure that you understand the answers. If not, ask again.

***WHAT ON EARTH IS TEMPORARY HEALTH INSURANCE?

Many if not most, people have never heard of temporary health insurance until suddenly they need it. Into most lives a gap must fall. People are in between jobs, on strike; working but benefits have not yet kicked in. Or they may be recent graduates who had health insurance throughout college and now they are now they are out pounding the pavements without any health insurance. For these reasons temporary health insurance is there for all those in between times. It will cover you from one to twelve months.

***IS TEMPORARY HEALTH INSURANCE LIKE REGULAR INSURANCE?

Yes and no. For starters, it never ever covers pre-existing conditions. No, nyet, no way, nada, and N.O. Nor does it cover preventative, routine health care. That means no physicals, no routine blood work, no mammograms. There is no financial benefit whatsoever to a temporary health insurance company for providing this kind of coverage. Other than these exceptions, temporary health insurance is pretty much like regular health insurance.

***ARE THERE SPECIAL COMPANIES FOR TEMPORARY HEALTH INSURANCE?

Do you mean something like Temporary Contemporary or Memp Temp, headquartered in Memphis Tennessee? No, it’s the same conventional companies that you love, hate, or are indifferent to. Blue Nefarious, Aetna, Humana and many others offer a wide range of plans. There are a number of sites on the Internet where you can get quotes and details. Always go to your library and read the assist issues of Consumer Reports that rate insurance companies.

***HOW Powerful DOES IT COST?

Let’s say you are a 40-year-old woman. If you take no deductible, your rates will be around $200 a month but they go all the way down to $100 if you take a $5000 deductible. There are also co-pays running from 20% to 50%.

In other words, it ain’t cheap. If you are flat broke and have no income or assets-no savings, stocks or bonds, no little chalet in Vale-you can go to your local welfare office and get your state’s version of Medicaid.

***DO I REALLY NEED TEMPORARY HEALTH INSURANCE? I’M VERY HEALTHY.

You’re out job hunting and you’ve got on your classy pair of spike heels. Your feet are killing you but you bravely pound the pavement. Suddenly that little heel catches in a crack and you twist and drop. There is a sickening “thunk” as your head hits the pavement. Now you have a spiral fracture to the leg and a brain injury. The doctors have to operate on your leg and drain the fluid from your brain. You are now thousands of dollars in debt and your salary from any job you get will be used to pay off this debt. You decide. Do you need temporary health insurance?