Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Compare Low Cost Health Insurance In Iowa

There are a number of companies that offer low-cost health insurance in Iowa and it can be overwhemling to choose one that fits your needs. However, doing extensive research on these low-cost plans is the best way to find the one that fits your needs. Here are some tips to help get you started.


Instructions


Research, research, research


1. Do extensive research online. There are several sites dedicated solely to identifying insurance options for residents of Iowa, including iowahealthnetwork.com and hipiowa.com. These sites, among others, list insurance companies with a variety of plans to suit just about every type of health insurance need. Submit a request for a quote from those insurance companies that have a plan that interests you. While most companies will list quotes online, it is best to get a real-time quote from an agent as the information list online can be outdated.


2. Pay attention to important aspects like deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance amounts and prescription coverage options. Each plan has different features and choosing one depends on what is important to you and what you can afford. For example, you may be interested in a plan with a low monthly payment only to find that the deductible (which is the amount you must pay before insurance kicks in) is extremely high. Alternatively, you may find a plan with a lower deductible and monthly payment, but it does not provide any prescription coverage. You just decide which aspect of low-cost health insurance in Iowa is most important to you and then choose a plan based on that determination.


3. Consider monthly premium payments versus deductibles. Many people choose low cost insurance based on the monthly premium amount. However, the deductible should be just as big a consideration --- if not more of one --- than the monthly payment amount. The deductible amount on any given insurance policy is the amount that you will be responsible for before insurance kicks in to cover any medical services that have been rendered to those listed on the policy. Therefore, you may have an affordable monthly payment, but that means nothing if the deductible amount is much more than what you will be able to afford to pay. One way to combat this is through enrollment in a heath savings account, which allows you to save money towards payment of your insurance deductible. If this is not an option, then you may consider going with a higher monthly payment in exchange for a lower deductible.


4. Get real-time quotes from the top five companies with the lowest deductibles. Getting real-time quotes are important because often times, prices quotes on web sites can be inaccurate. For this reason, once you have identified a company with a plan that you think would be a good fit, contact an insurance agent and ask them to get you a quote for low cost health insurance for that company. You will be required to provide the agent with some preliminary personal information to get the most accurate quote possible. By narrowing the field down to the top five companies and comparing every aspect of their plans, you can then make the most informed decision on your health care coverage.


5. Don't feel pressured or rushed to make a decision. Many insurance agents work on commission; therefore, it is their job to try to get you to purchase a plan. However, take your time comparing different policies and their various features to make the decision that not only provides the best coverage for you, but also a price you can really afford.







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