How Does CobraHealthPlans.com Help Me Compare Health Insurance Quotes?
CobraHealthPlans.com has been helping people save money on health insurance since 2002. Why have thousands of consumers shopping for health insurance turned to us to help find cheap rates on health insurance? We save time and money by eliminating the need to visit multiple websites and call company after company to find great health insurance policies. CobraHealthPlans.com does not sell insurance, instead, you fill out one fast, easy form and we match you up with local insurance agents who can help you find the best, most cost-effective health insurance plan to meet your needs. With agents competing for your business, you can be certain you are finding the best premiums on the right health insurance plan for you.
How Can I Lower My Health Insurance Premiums?
There are many ways you can help to lower your health insurance premiums. First is to shop around before enrolling in a health insurance plan. You can make lots of phone calls or fill out forms on a bunch of websites and hope that you can compare health insurance rates that way. Or you can use CobraHealthPlans.com, where you fill out one easy form and local health insurance agents compete for your business.
A second way of lowering your health insurance costs is to increase the deductible and/or co-pays in your plan. A higher deductible – usually anything over $1,000 a year -- means that you will be paying more out of your own pocket for any expenses you incur. But when paired with a Health Savings Account, a higher deductible may be a more cost-effective option.
Finally, and most important, you will receive lower rates on health insurance plans if you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Quitting smoking may have the most immediate impact, as will lowering cholesterol and keeping a healthy body weight for your height. Remember, health insurers consider healthy people to be much less of a risk than those who do not maintain a healthy lifestyle. That higher risk results in higher premiums.
6 Questions to Ask Your Health Insurance Agent
To help you have the most productive conversation with your health insurance agent, we’ve created a list of 6 questions you should ask to ensure that you are as comfortable as possible with the plan you’re being offered.
These questions, of course, are just the beginning of the conversation you’ll have with the agent. You may want to ask specific questions about emergency care, preventative treatment, or specific illnesses. Remember, the agent will try to be as helpful as possible, but only you know what features are most important to you in a health plan.
- Do you represent one insurance company or are you a broker selling many companies’ products? It’s important to understand the range of insurance products the agent is selling.
- What if I need medical care and I’m out of town? Whether you travel every week or once a year, it’s important to know how your policy will cover emergencies out of town.
- What is the co-pay percentage and annual deductible? What is the prescription drug coverage? And does it kick in right away or is there a deductible?
- Be sure to ask about limits of the coverage: What is the maximum out of pocket expense? Is there a per illness maximum each year? What is the lifetime maximum benefit? Is there an annual maximum benefit? Is there a limit to the number of doctor copay visits in a given year? If multiple members of my family fell ill, is there a cap to the number of deductibles we need to pay? What are the benefit caps on outpatient treatment, if any?
- Will my premium increase if someone on the policy becomes ill? Can the insurance company cancel my insurance or increase my rates if I become ill?
- Until when are my children covered? After they move out of the house? Graduate from college? Get a full time job?
Can I Get Health Insurance If I Have Lost My Job?
You can absolutely get health insurance if you have been laid off. If you were covered under your employer’s health insurance plan, you will be able to extend that coverage under through a program called COBRA. However, many people find that they can lower their health insurance premiums by finding their own health insurance plans. That's where CobraHealthPlans.com can help. We will help match you with a local health insurance agent who can find you a great plan – whether you are employed or not.
What Is a Health Savings Account? (HSA)
A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a government-approved plan to give consumers more choice and control over their health care needs. The main benefit of the HSA is that consumers can put away savings using pre-tax dollars into an account that can be used to cover health care expenses. Only consumers with high-deductible health insurance plans are eligible for an HSA (that is, plans with $1,100 annual deductibles for individuals, or $2,200 for families). However, funds in HSAs can be used to pay off deductibles, as well as other health-related expenses over the course of a year. And unlike other pre-tax health accounts, unused HSA funds carry over to the next year, earning interest. Consumers interested in lowering their health insurance premiums through a high-deductible plan should consider pairing it with an HSA to help lower the impact of the out-of-pocket expenses.
