Health Insurance for individuals and Families

Selecting a health insurance plan is similar to selecting a cell phone plan—only much easier. If you’ve ever sorted through AT&T or Verizon’s cell phone plans offering thousands of variations on minutes, roaming charges and long distance options, you’re more than prepared for the task in front of you.

If you are researching health insurance for the first time, it’s best to start at the beginning: health insurance (also known as health coverage or medical coverage) allows you to pay a third party a monthly fee in return for reduced emergency care, doctor visits and prescription drugs.  You are not pre-paying for your medical costs with health insurance. Rather, you are paying a fee so your medical costs don’t get out of hand and force you to bankruptcy.

There are many major health insurance companies that offer individual and family health insurance plans such as Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Humana, United Health, and Aetna. You’ve probably heard both positive and negative things about each of these health insurance companies. While these insurance companies all have their pros and cons, one thing is certain: they are all large health insurance entities with enormous bargaining power and can negotiate much lower doctor, hospital and prescription fees than individuals can on their own.

What to Consider when Purchasing Health Insurance

The key to selecting the right plan is picking the right “extent of health coverage.” Just as some people are willing to pay for comprehensive cell phone plans that allow them to talk for hours on end, you can chose to pay higher health insurance premiums in order to receive more extensive medical coverage. You must determine what’s most important to you and what trade-offs make you most comfortable. For instance, some plans might offer an attractively low monthly bill, but in turn, they may only cover a portion of emergency medical visits and nothing else. Other plans have higher monthly fees but will allow you to visit the doctor and hospital whenever you want with very few additional fees.

Remember there are some important differences between cell phone plans and health insurance plans. Most notably, if you’re on your way to Hawaii and need to expand your cell phone coverage, it’s no problem. If you are own your way to the emergency room and need to expand your health insurance coverage, you’re out of luck. Your goal is to select the plan that’s right for you and your family before you need it!

Next Steps.Your next step is to get familiar with the six key health insurance terms on our Health Insurance Research page.  Or, if you are ready to get a health insurance quote now, go back to the top of the page, enter in your zip code and click the ‘get quote’ button.

Still have questions? Contact Medicoverage Here. Just don’t call us from the back of an ambulance.  We’ll be able to tell.