Quickly And Easily Lower Your Health Insurance Costs

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The fact that millions of people lack access to quality, affordable health insurance coverage is easily the biggest domestic crisis facing our nation. With overall premiums for insurance on the rise and employers pushing more of the expense onto employees, insurance costs for individuals are projected to jump 10% this year. The average employee already pays $694 in annual premiums for individual coverage, and $3,281 for family coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health-care nonprofit. Tack on co-pays, deductibles and prescription drugs and the bill gets even larger.

Seeking out a less expensive plan is obviously the fastest way to cut your insurance costs. But if you're not cautious, you might end up sacrificing some important benefits. You have to be certain that if the worst-case scenario happens -- you become seriously ill -- that you are adequately protected.

One of the best ways you can keep your health insurance costs down, besides being young, is to keep your body fit and healthy. Here are a few quick things to consider as you make your lifestyle choices. Regardless of whether you have individual health insurance or employer-provided coverage, there are some steps you can take to lower your health insurance costs (co-pays, deductibles, premiums, etc).

Here are ten fairly easy ways to help lower your health insurance costs without lowering your standard of health care:

1) If you chew tobacco or smoke cigarettes, you may want to consider quitting. Not smoking usually results in lower premiums and fewer direct healthcare expenses.

2) Look into healthcare related federal income tax deductions you may be eligible for (unless you already have as many deductions as you can use).

3) Changing to a health plan with a higher deductible will lower monthly premiums. However, costs will be greater if you need treatment.

4) Safe regular exercise and healthy eating help to prevent various illnesses, which reduces insurance costs in the form of deductibles and co-pays.

5) Obtain quotes from other Colorado individual health care providers to see if a lower rate is available. Many insurers now supply free quotes online or by telephone.

6) Avoid going to the emergency room unnecessarily, especially by ambulance. Emergency room treatment costs are particularly high.

7) Consider having the health ins. premiums automatically withdrawn from your bank account. This will lower your average monthly costs in postage stamps and checks.

8) If you receive Medicare coverage, consider purchasing supplemental Medicare insurance to cover costs that Medicare doesn't pay for.

9) Avoid using your credit cards to pay for co-pay fees or monthly premiums. Otherwise, try to repay the full amount owed before any interest is incurred.

10) Look at the different costs in your dental insurance options; separate companies, your health insurer, or your employer may offer dental coverage at lower prices.

About the Author:
Rickey Pearce is an insurance guru, and enjoys researching the types of health insurance plans available to both groups and individuals. He finds a large part of his infomation at Rocky Mountain Health Plans. RMHP provides group, supplemental Medicare, and individual coverage options.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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