How to Compare Quality Health Insurance Plans

After researching several health insurance plans, you have narrowed it down to a few. Now it is time to make the final decision. Comparing the different plans will take a bit of research and asking yourself questions about what benefits are most important to you. You have a few options to keep your costs down and still get quality health insurance.

Instructions

• 1

  Check if the plan is an HMO or PPO. PPOs offer you the ability to choose a doctor outside the policy's network, but you will pay more for that doctor. HMOs require you to choose a doctor from its list of medical providers.

• 2

  Ask if the plan offers access to specialists. This is important if your family sees specialists to meet its medical needs on a regular basis. Some plans, although good overall, do not provide as much specialist office visit or service coverage as others. Find out if the plan offers good coverage for specialists you need, such as chiropractors. Alternative birthing center and provider coverage is another type of specialty that may be important to you if you are planning a family and do not want to give birth in a traditional hospital setting.

• 3

  Look at the out-of-pocket costs. See if they are more or less than the monthly premium you will pay for each plan. Young and healthy people may want to pay lower monthly premiums in exchange for paying higher out-of-pocket costs when they visit the doctor. Comprehensive coverage may be more important for those who go to the doctor regularly and want to pay higher monthly premiums instead of higher out-of-pocket expenses.

• 4

  Ask what each plan means when it says "emergency care." Each insurance policy may stipulate how much it will cover if you have to use emergency services. You may be restricted to a certain hospital, and it may not provide coverage for an emergency just because you felt it necessary to go to the emergency room. An official emergency diagnosis from a doctor may be necessary before the coverage will start with some health insurance plans.

• 5

  Find out how much you will have to pay each year on the plans before the insurance begins to cover you. Ask what services apply towards your deductible when you use them and if there is a lifetime or annual limit to what the insurance will pay for.

• 6

  Compare the plans' prescription coverage. Look at whether each plan covers generic drugs, if any medicines you use regularly are covered and what copay or percentage of each prescription you will have to pay for yourself.

• 7

  Check with the Better Business Bureau and your state's insurance commissioner to see if complaints have been filed against any of the insurers you are considering. Even if a company offers a quality plan, it may not be worth the money to purchase the plan if the customer service behind it is poor.