The number one thing that you can do to make sure that you get the best price for your accident and health insurance plan isn't to shop around or to select the right policy.
The number one thing that you can do to make sure that you get the best price for your accident and health insurance plan isn't to shop around or to select the right policy. The most important thing is to stay healthy. If you can't qualify medically for a plan with a good rate,
the other important things become moot.
Your present health and accident insurance company cannot cancel your health plan simply because your health took a turn for the worse after you applied. However, chances are, you will need another health insurance plan at some point in the future. If you do and if that medical policy is underwritten the will look at your state of health and medical history very carefully before they decide whether or not to insure you.
Every medical insurance company has price increases, but not all the price increases are equal. The policy you have currently may have a larger percentage increase than the plan of another carrier. At some point you may want to switch to a cheaper medical care insurance plan, but may not be able to because of your health.
On a regular basis insurance companies will retire certain policy series to new clients. With no new healthy clients coming in to offset the older clients who are starting to develop medical problems, these retired policies go up in price faster than policies open to new clients.
Those clients who want to get another medical policy that is experience less steep price increases will need to be healthy in order to switch to a new policy.
The second most important thing is to shop around. You can compare plans from various companies by visiting multiple medical care insurance websites or you can find one that works with all or most of the health and accident insurance companies in your area.
When shopping around, the financial rating of an insurance company is more important than whether or not the company is a household name. Many of the well-known carriers are excellent, however, you shouldn't rule out lesser known carriers that are financially stable and if they offer good plans and have a network of doctors and hospitals that will serve you well.
Very often there is a major difference in price for similar plans offered by various companies. Some of the price difference may have to do with the method they use to calculate their rates. A health insurance company that charges a flat rate for families may offer a better rate to a large family than a company that charges more for each person. In many instances a difference in cost is not caused by a difference in coverage.
The third most important thing is to understand how each policy works so that you can compare them. You should know what a deductible is and what deductible each plan has. You should also know if there are co-pays or coinsurance and how each works with each medical policy.
Unless you understand the major parts of a policy, you cannot compare them well. Also it is important that you consider moderate deductible and possibly high deductible plans. Often these policies are priced low enough that it makes sense to pay the higher deductible.
Stay in good shape. This can mean that you pay less in premiums if you ever need to switch policies. Make sure you shop around either by looking at multiple options on your own or by working with an agent who will check your rates with different companies. Make sure you know how your policy works before you get it. These tips may allow you to keep some of the money otherwise spent on health care and medical care insurance
