How to Compare Insurance Plans

Health insurance premiums are expensive. This leaves many Americans struggling to find insurance plans that fit their budget. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of 2006, 14.8 percent of Americans don’t have health insurance. When shopping for insurance plans, people have many choices. Understanding all of the available choices and choosing the option that fits your health situation and budget is important.

Instructions

• 1

  Evaluate the benefits of short-term health insurance. People struggling with unemployment may benefit from short-term insurance. With a short-term insurance policy, coverage is good for a defined period of time. Premium costs on these policies are usually lower than individual insurance plans. Once the insured lands a job, she can switch to an affordable employer-sponsored plan.

• 2

  Join a health-expense-sharing program. With a health-expense-sharing program, participants pool money to act like an insurance company. The plan is a good option if the buyer is in good health and needs health coverage for emergency purposes only.

• 3

  Contact your state's department of health and human services about insurance pools. People with a history of serious illness may have difficultly accessing affordable insurance policies. A health insurance pool is run by the state and provides individuals access to affordable health insurance policies. Premiums will be significantly reduced, compared to mainstream policies.

• 4

  Weight the benefits of insurance discount cards. People who are in good health may benefit from health insurance cards. A health insurance card provides access to reduced costs for doctor visits and prescriptions. A card may not be a good option for a person with health issues because of the limited coverage.

• 5

  Get access to reduced cost insurance through professional organizations. University alumni associations and other groups pool resources to provide affordable health care premiums. Depending on the organization, these plans may offer comparable premiums to employer-sponsored plans.