Getting Started on Finding Individual or Family Health Insurance
Ok, take a deep breath and realize that you are not alone on your health insurance journey. This site will allow you to sift through all the jargon and become an expert on health insurance in very little time. You should first start with the video below which does a good job of explaining how does health insurance work.
Why should I bother to buy health insurance anyway— isn’t it expensive?
Health insurance may not be cheap, but it’s a lot less expensive than being caught without coverage when something bad happens. As you are probably aware, the cost of health care in America is extremely high. One night in the hospital averages over $9,000. In 2010 the average cost of a simple appendix removal is over $20,000. Most of us know of at least one scary story of someone who returned from the hospital, only to be steeped in tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt. Expensive medical bills are the number one cause of personal bankruptcy in America. A key function of health insurance is to protect you from the extreme financial risk posed by the high cost of medical expenses.
Why are you promoting health insurance to me when I’m clearly already shopping for it?
True, most people probably know everything explained above, but often people lose site of why they really want health insurance in the first place. Some of you are used to corporate health insurance plans that have $10 office visits and plans with no deductible. Those plans are outrageously expensive and though you probably paid for a portion through a payroll deduction, your employer paid a lot more toward that plan. Remember, you are purchasing a plan to keep you out of bankruptcy should some major medical issue occur. Just like you don’t buy car insurance to cover your oil changes, you shouldn’t buy health insurance to cover every single health related issue. Your goal is to pick a plan that you can afford each month and will protect you should you have serious health issues.
