Five Ways to Save Money on Your Health Insurance
1. The best way to save on the cost of health insurance is to use the plan that is provided through your employer. Obviously this is not an option for everybody, especially with all of the companies that are dropping health benefits, but if the plan is available to you take advantage of it. It is very unlikely that you will find a cheaper option out there anywhere.
2. In the event that you can't get insurance through your employer, or if they plan that they offer doesn't provide you with enough coverage you are going to want to make sure that you shop around for health insurance. The cost of policies can vary dramatically so you should definitely make sure that you are getting the best deal you can. That being said you do need to make sure that the plan that you choose actually does provide you with enough coverage to meet your needs.
3. It is usually a good idea to go with a health insurance plan that has high deductibles; it is usually cheaper in the long run. Most people try to choose the plan that has the lowest deductibles because they don't want to have to pay out of their own pocket any more than is necessary. In most cases this is not a good idea since the higher premiums will cost you more than you save from the low deductibles. Obviously whether or not this is a good plan for you will depend on how frequently you visit the doctor.
4. A related way to save money is to try to limit what you use your health insurance for things that are actually necessary. In general you should be trying to only use your health insurance when you need medical treatment. It is not usually a wise move to use it for health maintenance. Again over the long term you will save money paying for these things out of your own pocket since you will get a much lower premium on your health insurance.
5. In general it is best to try to avoid the emergency room if you can. Most people will go straight to the emergency room whenever they have any kind of health issue. This really isn't what it is intended for. The problem with going to the emergency room is that it is the most expensive way there is to get medical care. That cost is going to be passed on to you in the form of very high co-payments. Unless you have a real emergency you are better off waiting and going to see your family doctor the next day.