Rising health care costs have outpaced inflation in a dramatic fashion for many years and that trend is not expected to slow down anytime soon. With health insurance rates trending upwards right alongside of health care costs there are many who are seeing their monthly health insurance premium payments slowly eat into their discretionary income.
It is obvious to many that something needs to be done to keep health insurance costs under control. The alternative of not having health insurance coverage presents a graver risk than many are willing to admit. It is not unimaginable for a 3-4 day stay in the hospital after even routine surgery to approach a six figure total medical bill. There are services that are springing up to assist consumers negotiate lower medical fees from hospitals and doctors but even if a $100,000 hospital bill is negotiated down to $70,000 how many are willing to sacrifice their nest egg or teeter on the edge of bankruptcy?
In this day of skyrocketing medical costs health insurance is a necessity not a luxury. Here are 3 easy and practical ways to save on your monthly health insurance expense:
1. Take the free money! If your employer will pay all or a portion of your health insurance premium through a group plan then enroll! However, note that many employers will only pay the premium for the employee and not the employee’s family members. This is where you will want to compare individual health insurance plans because individual health rates are much cheaper than group rates because of the differences in underwriting (it boils down to the fact that generally speaking in a group health plan everyone is accepted into the plan even those with major health issues while on the individual side only people that are for the most part healthy are accepted).
2. Review your coverage annually. Health insurance rates are constantly changing. You will want to review your coverage on an annual basis to be sure that the company and plan that you have is competitive with what is on the market. You and your family’s health insurance needs will change as well so be sure and add or remove options and benefits to customize the plan to best fit your needs.
3. Compare different company’s quotes. It is quite amazing to see some people just accept the first plan that they happen to come across especially if they have never even heard of that particular health insurance company before. With the ease of the Internet you can do what used to be a days worth of research in about half an hour. You will want to go with a well known and dependable (probably nationwide) health insurance company but be sure and compare health insurance quotes from top companies in your zip code to get an idea of what is available.
