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- 1). Compare the policies of different health insurance companies to see which one best meets your needs. Several companies and organzations have websites that allow you to review different insurers' policies. One of them, eHealthInsurance, has a free online comparison tool that allows United States residents to compare the different policies available in different areas of the country.
- 2). Go to eHealthInsurance.com (see Resources) and choose your insurance type by selecting the "Individual & Family" option under the drop-down menu located under "Insurance Type," and enter your five-digit ZIP code.
- 3). Click on the "Go" button, and on the next page provide more details about yourself and anyone else who would be covered by the plan, including date of birth, gender, tobacco use and student status.
Generally, health insurance premiums tend to be a little higher for individuals who smoke or have smoked in the last 12 months. Conversely, they tend to be a little more affordable for students. - 4). Choose your preferred start date for your health insurance coverage by selecting a date from the drop-down menu located next to the "I want my coverage to begin on" phrase, and select the "Get Quotes" button. You will be routed to another page containing various insurance options based on your situation.
- 5). Consider the different policies and note how they differ. You may be able to customize the health insurance options based on the monthly premium you can afford, the deductible amount (an amount of money you must pay each year for health care before the insurance coverage begins paying) and the size of the copay. Generally, the higher the deductible amount, the more affordable your monthly premium will be.
You can also compare plans according to the number of the doctors or hospitals within their networks.
Note also that there is a difference between a PPO (preferred provider organization) plan and an HMO (health maintenance organization). According to eHealthInsurance, in an HMO, "you will need to choose a primary care physician ('PCP') who will provide most of your health care and refer you to HMO specialists as needed. Some HMO plans require that you fulfill a deductible before services are covered."
With a PPO, eHealthInsurance says, "you will probably not be required to coordinate your care through a single primary care physician, as you would with an HMO, but it's up to you to make sure that the health care providers you visit participate in the PPO." - 6). Choose a health insurance option by clicking the "Apply" button. You will be redirected to a page where you will need to complete an application for the health insurance plan you selected.
Complete your application. When you are done, eHealthInsurance will direct it to the health insurance company offering the plan. You should receive an approval notice within five business days.
Note that eHealthInsurance is a broker that receives incentives from the health insurers to which it forwards applications.
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