If you have ever searched for affordable family health insurance, you may soon realize that the words "affordable" and "family health insurance" rarely go together.
In fact, most of the time you will discover that health insurance for an individual is very reasonable, but when you try to insure a family, the cost skyrockets beyond what most can afford.
There are a lot of families who may not be able to qualify for Medicaid because they make too much of an income but then can't afford a full benefit plan that is offered by a major medical insurance company that is similar to what is offered in an employee benefit package.
You may also find yourself working for a company that may not offer family coverage and only offers individual coverage, which is great for you, but leaves your family vulnerable.
And of course there are also people who are self-employed who have to find there own coverage.
With more and more people being laid off every day, the COBRA option that is available may be much to expensive for someone who cannot find work and is only drawing on unemployment benefits.
So what is the best option? It is important to really sit down and evaluate what your needs are and if you have a family what the needs are there as well.
If it is just you that you are trying to get individual health insurance coverage for, then it will be a lot easier and cheaper than trying to cover your whole family.
However, there are still plenty of good options available to your family that doesn't have to be expensive.
Put down on paper what is important to you and your family as far as coverage is concerned.
Can you afford a higher deductible? That will reduce your rates dramatically.
Sure it is a lot easier to come up with a $500 deductible than a $2000 deductible.
But the rates will be much higher for that $500 deductible.
And depending on the insurance provider, you could cut your family health insurance rates in half by having a large deductible.
The other thing to keep in mind is that it is better to have some insurance even with a high deductible, than having no insurance at all.
If you have an accident, or a serious illness, that large deductible will be nothing compared to what it could be without having the health insurance coverage.
When seeking affordable family health insurance, keep your options open and consider that having some coverage is better than having no coverage.
By being flexible, knowing what you need, and doing some comparison rate shopping, finding the right health insurance plan can actually be affordable.
In fact, most of the time you will discover that health insurance for an individual is very reasonable, but when you try to insure a family, the cost skyrockets beyond what most can afford.
There are a lot of families who may not be able to qualify for Medicaid because they make too much of an income but then can't afford a full benefit plan that is offered by a major medical insurance company that is similar to what is offered in an employee benefit package.
You may also find yourself working for a company that may not offer family coverage and only offers individual coverage, which is great for you, but leaves your family vulnerable.
And of course there are also people who are self-employed who have to find there own coverage.
With more and more people being laid off every day, the COBRA option that is available may be much to expensive for someone who cannot find work and is only drawing on unemployment benefits.
So what is the best option? It is important to really sit down and evaluate what your needs are and if you have a family what the needs are there as well.
If it is just you that you are trying to get individual health insurance coverage for, then it will be a lot easier and cheaper than trying to cover your whole family.
However, there are still plenty of good options available to your family that doesn't have to be expensive.
Put down on paper what is important to you and your family as far as coverage is concerned.
Can you afford a higher deductible? That will reduce your rates dramatically.
Sure it is a lot easier to come up with a $500 deductible than a $2000 deductible.
But the rates will be much higher for that $500 deductible.
And depending on the insurance provider, you could cut your family health insurance rates in half by having a large deductible.
The other thing to keep in mind is that it is better to have some insurance even with a high deductible, than having no insurance at all.
If you have an accident, or a serious illness, that large deductible will be nothing compared to what it could be without having the health insurance coverage.
When seeking affordable family health insurance, keep your options open and consider that having some coverage is better than having no coverage.
By being flexible, knowing what you need, and doing some comparison rate shopping, finding the right health insurance plan can actually be affordable.