How to Compare Comprehensive Insurance

Comprehensive health insurance covers all illnesses and accidents, as opposed to limited policies that only cover specific accidents or illnesses. Most individual and group health insurance plans are considered comprehensive. In comparing insurance plans, you will want to compare plan designs, out-of-pocket costs, provider networks, benefit exclusions, benefit limitations and monthly premiums. You may also want to review any statistics and information provided by your state insurance department to help in your decision-making.

Instructions

• 1

  Create a table in a spreadsheet or word processing program to compare different insurance plans. Name one column "Insurance Company" and the other columns "Plan Type," "Premium Amount," "Coinsurance," "Deductibles," "Provider Network and "Benefits."

• 2

  Go to the websites of national and regional insurance carriers to view information about plans offerings. Educate yourself on the differences between plan types such as preferred provider organizations, health maintenance organizations and point of service plans. Note the type of plans each insurer offers and features such as co-insurance and deductible amounts for each plan.

• 3

  Complete a provider search on each carrier's website to ascertain if your doctor is in their provider networks. Search by provider name and note which of your providers are in the network and which are not. This may be a deal breaker for you when considering plans. You may also want to call your provider's office to inquire what insurance plans it accepts.

• 4

  Visit websites such as ehealthinsurance to obtain quotes and compare comprehensive insurance plans. Provide the requested data about yourself, such as age, gender, date of birth and your zip code. The site will display plans available in your area and allows easy comparison of plan types, deductibles and co-insurance amounts.

• 5

  Call the insurance companies to inquire about benefits for any specific conditions for which you may need coverage. Many insurers exclude certain conditions and diseases as well as pre-existing conditions. If the company does cover conditions for which you need services, ask about limitations such as dollar amounts limits.

• 6

  Go to your state's insurance department website to find "report cards" for health plans offered in your state. The state may gather consumer satisfaction results, complaint data and accreditation status of various plans and put them in document that compares each.

• 7

  Populate your table with the information you have gathered from the various websites and phone calls. Put each insurance plan on a new row of the table so you can review a side-by-side comparison of all of the comprehensive insurance plans you are considering. Select a few plans that meet your requirements and apply directly online or through a phone representative.