Individual/Family Health Insurance Article

How to find Affordable Child Health Insurance

Finding affordable health insurance for your child can seem like a daunting task, but with some key information at your fingertips, it can be very doable. The majority of parents buy health insurance for their kids right after the infant is born. You may be surprised to discover that the rates are very high for newborns. This article will address some techniques get your child covered and save money.

Key Tips to Help You Save Money

1)  It is important to know that you cannot purchase health insurance until your baby is born.  The good news is that under the Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act, your infant can be covered under the mother’s current health plan for the first month after birth. Look to see if this is relevant to you before you give birth. This additional month of coverage gives you the chance to carefully search for a plan that fits your family’s requirements.

2)  While rates are typically very high during that first year of coverage, you will be glad to know that after age one, the monthly rate for the child lowers significantly. The trick is to make sure that your child is over 1 year old on the anniversary month of his or her new plan.  This is complicated but it’s very important to understand. Here is an example: Let’s say your child was born on September 13 and you purchase health insurance for him or her on September 29.  His/her health insurance anniversary month is September. The problem occurs because s/he will still be under 1 year of age on September 1 when the policy renews. You will then be charged another year at the higher under-1-year-old rate. Yes, the entire year!  This higher cost for the second year could be avoided if you started his new plan any time in October.

3)  The first years of life are important for your little one and a preventative health care schedule should be implemented.  You can accomplish this by selecting a good pediatrician for your baby and maintaining your baby’s schedule of well-baby visits. When looking for an affordable child health insurance plan, be sure to confirm that immunizations are covered under these well baby visits, as there will be plenty and they are critical to your child’s health and safety. Some plans do not offer immunization coverage until after the deductible is paid. Your savings on a so-called A>?,?_"low costA>?,?A_ plan my not be realized because such a plan will require you to pay for those vaccinations yourself and they can be expensive.

4)  Another method to save money is to not buy maternity coverage for your baby. Since your kid will not be having a baby for a long time, it makes sense not to buy this benefit.  If you are adding you child to your existing plan, but know this is your last child, you may want to remove maternity from your coverage as well.

5)  As you may know, health insurance plans have various coverage selections. Because most healthy kids do not often require taking costly brand-name prescription medications, it may be fitting for you to select a plan that has a high deductible for brand-name prescription drug coverage. This will save you money, yet still provide you with brand-name coverage in the event that you do need it.

There are many affordable insurance plans out there for babies and children. Your next step is to look for a quote for your child and use some of the methods mentioned above to help you save money once you select a plan. Visit our home page to get a quote for your child now (insert link to home page)