How to Compare Cost of Health Care Plans in Pennsylvania

Whether you get your health care coverage directly from your employer or purchase a plan on your own, you want to get the best possible coverage for the lowest possible premium cost. That means shopping around and comparing all the costs associated with health insurance coverage, not just the monthly premium cost but other out of pocket costs like deductibles and co-payments. Pennsylvania residents have a number of insurance options to choose from, including comprehensive coverage from national companies, catastrophic coverage plans and special coverage designed for low-income individuals.

Instructions

• 1

  Create a spreadsheet you can use to plug in the various costs associated with health insurance. Add a column for yearly premium cost, another for deductible, and a third for co-payments. Create a summary column that adds up all these costs to get the total out of pocket cost for the year.

• 2

  Review the open enrollment materials you receive from your employer if you get your health insurance coverage at work. Plug the numbers in to your spreadsheet to get the total costs of each plan. Multiply your per-paycheck premium costs by the number of pay periods to get your total annual premium.

• 3

  Find an insurance broker who is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to sell health insurance policies. You an start with the insurance broker you already have, or you can find a licensed broker at the website maintained by the National Association of Health Underwriters (See Resources). Enter your Pennsylvania ZIP Code to find an agent in your area.

• 4

  Contact several different Pennsylvania licensed insurance brokers and request information about the plans they offer. Talk to the agent about the type of coverage you need, i.e. high deductible vs. comprehensive coverage and HMO vs. fee for service.

• 5

  Plug the costs of each health insurance plan into your spreadsheet to get your total out-of-pocket costs. Check the provider network of each plan to make sure your health care providers participate in the plan. Follow up with each health insurer for answers to specific questions about each plan.

• 6

  Contact the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to determine your eligibility for low-cost health care plans like the Adult Basic program. These programs are designed for individuals whose incomes are too low to afford private health insurance. The phone number for the Adult Basic program is 1-800-GO-BASIC.