How to Find Individual Health Insurance that Fits Your Budget?

How to Find Individual Health Insurance that Fits Your Budget

Are you on a budget?

You’re not alone. With the cost of living constantly increasing, it’s important to save money however you can. Aside from spending less money on things, you may not need like $5 lattes (maybe), focus on saving money on something you do need like health insurance.

It is common to receive health insurance through an employer, however, this is not always the best option financially or even an option. Group insurance may work for some people (families for example), but it does not always make sense for others. What if you’re a self-employed entrepreneur or independent contractor needing to purchase health insurance now for the best value when it comes to immediate coverage for you and your loved ones?

Consider an individual plan or a few individual plans that fit your budget. Once you find them, you can start parsing down plans based on the key things you need to look for when purchasing health insurance.

So How Much Is Health Insurance?

It depends! If you consider yourself to be in good health, there are many ways to keep your health insurance quotes low. Even if it’s temporary or just for catastrophic emergencies, there is peace of mind in knowing that you have coverage now.

Here are some ways you can make private plans more affordable.

• High Deductible
• High Coinsurance
• High Copay
• Short Term Health Insurance
• Compare Plans Online

Higher Deductible = Lower Premium

The deductible is the amount which you pay for health services before the insurance company does. You can adjust this amount when shopping for a plan, which is a good option for healthy people who rarely need medical services. A high deductible health plan usually means a lower premium.

Higher Coinsurance = Lower Premium

This is the amount you’ll pay after meeting your deductible up to your policy’s max out of pocket. If you won’t need health services, you should increase this percentage. The higher the coinsurance, the lower you pay on the policy.

Higher Copay = Lower Premiums

This is what you pay each time you visit a doctor or pharmacy, as a set cost separate from the deductible. If you don’t plan on using it, then you can adjust the levels of your copays when you’re signing up. The higher the copay, the lower you’ll pay monthly.

Short Term Health Insurance Plans = Healthy Alternative

 Individual Health Insurance 

You want to save money, but you still need health insurance. Short Term Health Insurance (also known as Short Term Medical or STM Insurance) plans are a great option if you’re on a tight budget.

Especially if you’re not likely to have many medical expenses, consider a Short Term Health Insurance plan. You’ll still be covered when you need it most, like if you break a leg and need to visit the emergency room. Or, if you come down with a sudden illness.

Not everyone knows about the benefits of STM plans and with recent health care reform laws, STM may be the more flexible, more affordable option for you.

Starting in the fall of 2018 in many states, you will be able to purchase an STM plan for up to three years. STM is different from Obamacare, you have to apply, but this also means the risk pool is generally stronger so premiums are lower, making it even more affordable for healthy individuals looking to save money.

Another benefit of STM plans is that you can purchase one at any time, as opposed to having a limited open enrollment period. You can also cancel anytime, so there’s no staying locked into one policy if you need to make a change.

Since the plans are based on individual factors of your physical condition, you can save money if you’re healthy and live a safe lifestyle. It’s like car insurance, safe drivers with a clean record pay less.

Compare Plans Online

The benefit of living in the digital age is that consumers have the power of information when it comes to shopping online. You can see numerous options before you buy so you can find the best price to fit your budget. The goal is to save as much money as possible but still keep you meaningfully covered. How much you pay out of pocket depends on your budget and what you can afford.

Another great tool is the power to choose your own provider, as opposed to being limited to a network. The plans offered here at Agile show you all the options and benefits included with each policy, and most do not limit you to a network.

With so many options available, you can choose a policy online that reflects what you’re looking for in health insurance and what you can afford.

Are You Covered?

It’s been almost 10 years since the Affordable Care Act was passed and many people, unfortunately, are still without health insurance. Politics aside, the consequences of not being covered are a recipe for disaster.

Do not think that not having health insurance is a good idea to save money. This is a dangerous decision, in more ways than one. It’s a calculated risk not worth taking, and one that potentially costs way more money down the line.

Not that you’d ever want this to happen of course, but let’s say you’re in a car accident and required to stay in a hospital for 3 days - it was unavoidable. You’ll recover in time, but now you’re left with a hospital bill of approximately $30,000. Without health insurance, this could financially devastate many of us for years - leading to debt or even bankruptcy.

You need to have health insurance to protect you from the unexpected. Your health insurance company would help pay your covered medical expenses and work with you on your path to recovery.

With health care reform opening up the products available to consumers, there’s a policy for everybody. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to know what’s right for you, since there is so much to chose from and so many factors to consider.

No one should go without health insurance though, so ask yourself this:

Do you care about your health?

Do you want to save money on health insurance?

Can you not afford to go uninsured?