Health insurance is critical to protecting you from possible financial catastrophe. Even if you’re young and healthy, you can still get sick or have an accident. Because health insurance is so important, you want to make sure you choose the best health insurance provider, one that will cover your health needs, provide good customer service, and offer reasonable rates.
Your Health Needs
Your health insurance needs are unique, and you need to make sure the insurance company you choose meets those needs. For example:
* Do you need short-term or long-term health insurance?
* Do you have any pre-existing conditions that need to be included in your coverage?
* What kind of coverage do you need – comprehensive, major medical, vision, dental, etc.?
* Do you have a particular doctor or hospital you prefer?
Good Customer Service
In addition to meeting your health care needs, you want to choose a provider that offers good customer service. Are you able to get answers to questions easily? Are claims paid promptly? Are customers happy with their services? To check on the customer service of potential insurance companies …
* Visit each company’s website and see how easy it is to navigate and whether it provides answers to simple questions.
* Check the number of complaints lodged against an insurance company each year by visiting your state’s Department of Insurance web page.
* Go to J.D. Power & Associate’s website (jdpower.com) to get insurance company ratings and customer reviews.
Reasonable Rates
Many health insurance providers let you apply for insurance online. To make it faster and easier for you to get and compare quotes from different health insurance providers, your best choice is to go to an insurance comparison website. On such a website, you complete one simple and easy form and get fast quotes from multiple A-rated health insurance providers.
