Where Can I Get Affordable Health & Dental Insurance?

If you don't have health or dental insurance through work, you'll find that it's relatively expensive if you purchase it on your own. Affordable health and dental insurance is available, but it takes some time and research to make certain that you get the best product for your situation and the best price. There are several things to consider when you're hunting for insurance. Once you know what you want, the rest is simply a matter of comparing rates.

Managed Care

• Decide whether you're willing to switch physicians and dentists for a more affordable insurance plan. One way to save money is with programs that have a preferred network of health-care providers. These preferred provider networks contract with the insurance company for a predetermined rate, thus saving the company money on claims. The insurance company then reflects the potential savings in the cost of the premium.

Restrictions

• Evaluate how much say you want in your health-care decisions. Managed care, the policies with preferred providers, always has a preferred provider list and less freedom to select, but normally has a lower price. HMOs, PPOs and POS policies are all managed care policies. If you simply want cheap coverage, normally an HMO is less expensive because it's more restrictive.

Probability

• Consider the amount of claims you had in the past. People who have few claims but want to make certain they have adequate coverage may benefit from a health savings account, HSA, and high-deductible insurance plans. Part of the premium goes into a health savings account that receives tax-shelter status on growth. The other part of the premium pays for a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) with the minimum deductible of $1,150 in 2009 for individual plans to qualify and $2,300 for families. The money put into the HSA pays for the deductible. If you have money left at the end of the year, it remains available for future years. This plan allows the user to continue to increase the deductible as the money grows in the HSA.

Dental

• Dental insurance works the same way as health insurance. The more restrictions you have placed on the payment, the cheaper the plan becomes. When you begin to look for dental insurance, you'll notice few true individual plans. Most individual dental plans, those not offered through an employer, simply are discount programs. Read the entire description of the plan before you purchase.

Compare

• Check several websites for the type of program you determined best for your situation. Some sites offer quotes from a large number of companies. Don't jump at the first cheap quote. If it's a managed care plan, make certain that the network contains doctors and hospitals near you. If you use the services of an out-of-network provider, you'll either lose benefits or have to pay more out-of-pocket for a claim. Also, compare benefits. Don't pay for types of coverage you're sure you won't ever need, but make certain the plans offer the services you think are important.

Short-Term

• Fill short-term needs with a short-term plan. If you're between positions and need fill-in coverage, use short-term health insurance. The plans normally are a lot less expensive than a regular major medical plan.

Children

• Look for government plans if private plans are still too expensive. All states offer Medicaid for those with low incomes. Check the Resources area for websites that show state health insurance subsidy programs. States also offer SCHIP plans for children of lower-income families that don't qualify for Medicaid. These plans are state supported to make the premiums affordable.