When your employer does not provide health insurance or you start your own business, you have to find health insurance for yourself and your family. It can be a very difficult and frustrating process. I have been through it myself so I can speak from personal experience. So when I saw this article in our paper I wanted to pass on the relevant information.

According to the article, a good place to start is a Web site run by the Georgetown Univeristy Health Policy Institute, www.healthinsuranceinfo.net Click on your state, and you can get summary information on consumer protections and what private insurers may and may not do. When considering the options for personal health insurance, experts recommend focusing on protecting yourself against ruinous medical expenses and worry less about having your routine expenses paid. It’s better to take the high deductible and get good coverage for the big problems, than get one that pays for routine visits but has limited coverage for major events like surgery.

You should also look for a policy that is renewable at your option. A lot people buy a temporary policy because they assume they will get a job and be able to drop the individual coverage. Experts say though if you don’t find a job or have permanent coverage by the time your 6 month policy expires, you could have a problem renewing. If you have no claims, you can renew but if something happens 3 or 4 months into your policy, you only have coverage for a few more months. Then, when you try to renew, you can’t. Temporary policy are a risk and should be avoided if at all possible.

You should look at internal caps and limits the policy may contain. What is the lifetime maximum the policy will pay? Experts say ideally there should be no limit, but $2 million should be the least you should accept. But then there is the premium. To get a sense of range of premiums for your particular profile you should go to a website that quotes insurance rates. I like  http://www.bestquoteus.com/best-individual-health.html 

Finally, if a policy looks good, you should find out if the insurer will sell it to you. In most states, that decision rests with the insurer. Different carriers have different rules so you should shop around. But according to the article, if you are refused coverage, ask your state insurance regulator if there are companies offering “guaranteed-issue” policies for which you can’t be turned down. The downside is that these policies are expensive.

As I mentioned finding individual health insurance  can be a difficult and frustrating experience. But this is a situation where you really need to persevere because there is nothing more important than your health.

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