Browse the following articles to learn more about health insurance in general.
Guidelines & Tips for Choosing a Health Insurance Policy
State Regulators for Health Insurance Policies
Georgetown Univ: Health Insurance Policy Terms by State
Understanding Your Health Insurance Policy Choices
Health insurance is a complicated subject and is unfamiliar territory for many consumers. If you're like most people, you've received your previous health insurance coverage under an employer's plan sponsored by your employer or by the employer of someone else in your family. With this type of group coverage, there are no medical underwriting requirements, you cannot be restricted from coverage based on your individual health condition, and you will pay reasonably low premiums while receiving a relatively high level of coverage and medical care.
If, however, you've lost or left your job, your COBRA coverage has expired, and you have even a minimal level of health concerns... well, then, you may be in for some surprises! While you may find a good number of health insurance policy choices that are available to you, it will be essential for you to read the fine print. Each type of policy may include various waivers, restrictions and pricing options that will affect how well the policy should serve your individual and family needs.
It's also important for you to know that health insurance companies and their offerings are regulated at the state level. Each state may have significantly different requirements that will apply to your situation, and these regulations may change a health insurance provider's offerings from one state to another. Each state also provides their own state programs that may be beneficial in your search for a health insurance policy. For example, in your home state, there may be one health coverage program for eligible children and another program for self-employed individuals. Be sure to visit the website of your state insurance regulatory agency to see what's available in your region.
The Health Insurance Guides network of websites has been created to help consumers find the health insurance policy information they need to make the all-important decisions of choosing health insurance for themselves and their families. This website, and the links in the left hand column of this page, cover general issues and questions associated with researching and purchasing a health insurance policy. In addition, you can click on the link below for your home state to learn about specific issues, requirements and programs available to you in your region.