Individual Health Insurance: An Overview When Purchasing PDF Print E-mail
Written by Melanie Lluch   
Thursday, 03 June 2010 19:08
Medical bills can be very expensive. Insuring yourself is a wise thing to do in the event of an onset of a medical problem. It is typical to buy individual health insurance if you are either unemployed, self-employed or part of a small company. Most medium-sized to large-sized companies offer group health insurance as, which is mandated by the law as well as an employee benefit for being an employee. Usually, employees are required to pay a portion of the health insurance.
by MelanieLluch


Medical bills can be very expensive. Insuring yourself is a wise thing to do in the event of an onset of a medical problem. It is typical to buy individual health insurance if you are either unemployed, self-employed or part of a small company. Most medium-sized to large-sized companies offer group health insurance as, which is mandated by the law as well as an employee benefit for being an employee. Usually, employees are required to pay a portion of the health insurance.

If you do not have company, health insurance, then buying individual health insurance of your own is necessary. Shouldering all your medical bills by the time you are rushed to the hospital with out insurance is expansive. Health insurance can be expensive but not as expensive as uninsured medical bells. There are several insurance companies that offer individual health insurance, including Blue Cross ? Blue Shield, Kaiser Permanente and ehealthinsurance.

Once you have contacted an insurance agent, you can discuss the insurance plan and coverage that best fits your needs. Usually, an insurance agent will assess your health risk by knowing your lifestyle, your work environment and your family history. When buying individual health insurance, you must truthfully answer the questions regarding these categories because this is what the agent will use to find the right individual insurance plan for you.

First, questions about your lifestyle will be asked and will include questions about your diet, smoking habits, drinking habits, the drugs that you have used in the past. The insurance company would also like to know what health problems you have had in the past and the health problems that you currently have.

The higher the risk you have of getting sick, the higher premium you would have to pay. If you have little possibility of becoming sick, then the lesser the premium that you have to pay. They would also like to know about your work environment. If you work in a place in a place that occasionally or regularly exposes you to hazards, like chemicals and radiation, would increase the likelihood of you becoming sick.

They want to know what illnesses or health problems struck your family members. This is how they can assess the likely health problems that you might have in the future. Once the agent assesses your current health condition, and have presented you with a possible health care plan, there are some things that you have to do as well. Go through the entire plan offered to you. You should look for the following items:

1. Amount of premium you need to pay.

2. Is the payment mode is bi-monthly, monthly, quarterly or yearly?

3. How much or how long you are required to pay before you can receive the benefits of the health insurance?

4. What health services are covered and what are not covered.

5. Health coverage limit. (annually or per incident)

6. Provisions regarding your pre-existing condition

7. Is your current doctor covered in the insurance company's network? If not, which doctors, clinics and hospitals are included in the health insurance company?s network?.

These are just a few of the things that you need to be aware of when buying individual health insurance for yourself or for your close family members.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

Melanie Lluch writes for Team God. She is aware of the importance of buying individual health insurance to be able to live without worries that you will have something to lean on for those times when you really need it.