Important Questions to Consider When Choosing Individual Health Insurance

Price  One of the most obvious questions to consider when choosing an individual California medical insurance plan is cost.  Monthly premiums have been rising in California for a decade and show little sign of slowing as medical expenses arise due to a multitude of factors such as an aging population, obesity, the uninsured, and medical technology advancements.  Monthly premium cost is simply a result of the medical claims against the plan plus the standard administrative and operations overhead a California medical carrier assumes.  A common mistake health insurance shoppers make is to grasp too tightly to a particular desired benefit, such as the demand for a $10 co-pay for a doctors office visit.  The math is typically pretty simple..if you are paying an extra $200 per month to obtain a $10 office visit co-pay, but you only visit the doctor 3 times per year you are losing money on monthly premiums.

Prescription Drugs   At www.plansforhealth.com we like to point to two main issues a new California medical insurance applicant taking prescription drugs should consider.  The first is what you know right now- what prescriptions are you currently taking.  The cost of the medication you are taking and the underlying medical condition will be factored into the monthly premiums.  Most people are looking for the plan to cover their drug cost, but if the prescription is already being taken the drug cost will simply be added to the monthly premium of the plan.  A decline for coverage can also result depending on the cost of the medication and the severity of the health condition. 

Access to Doctors   This question typically comes down to how you utilize healthcare.  People typically fit into one of two categories..1) they use their health plan all the time and want co-pays for medical expenses…therefore leading them to an HMO plan and less choices for doctors or 2) they never use their health plan except for an occasional physical or bad cold, and therefore gravitate towards PPO coverage thinking when they will actually need their plan they will want to see the best specialist possible.

Pre-Existing Conditions  A pre-existing condition works as a double edged sword when applying for a new individual insurance plan.  As an applicant you want the best coverage for the condition, but the condition itself may preclude you from coverage at the best possible price.  Remember, Individual and Family coverage in California is regulated the same way life insurance is..so medical condition and history are factored into the approvability of an applicant and/or the rate they will receive.  Many times folks are looking for lower pricing and better coverage than what they currently have in place, but the condition itself will raise the premium or cause the decline.