7 Smart steps to reduce your health insurance cost

Health insurance costs are ever rising. Many people have gone without health coverage in the given market situation. But you can still stay covered but at a reduced rate by following some simple tips of cost reduction. This write-up has discussed the ways one can reduce the cost of health insurance without sacrificing the coverage aspect.

Few tips to lower the expense on health policies

Check the coverage type: Check if you really need the coverage that you have. Some policies can have expensive riders which are redundant and can be dispensed off.

Switch to manage care plan: If you are currently on an indemnity plan, you may consider switching to a managed care where the cost would be much less even for the same level of coverage.

Consider a high deductible plan: Increasing the amount of out-pocket-expenses by increasing the deductible level can help in cost reduction. Look for Health Saving Account (HSA) qualified High Deductible Health Plans (HDHP). It is also said that high deductible plans would encourage people in using their health plans more wisely.

Look for state programs: States often have subsidized health programs to help with income constraints to receive health care. See if you too can get benefited from some of these programs.


Join group health insurance: Group health policies are cheaper than individual health plan. Also, group health policy providers can’t discriminate amongst the enrollees based on their health status thus making it particularly beneficial for people with health issues.

Join the wellness programs: Some health carriers would give incentives in terms of lower prices to people joining the wellness camps.

Adopt healthier lifestyle: Smokers and obese are required to pay more than the standard rates. Hence, by adopting a healthier lifestyle you can keep your health insurance costs under control.

Apart from these above points, one should also shop around for lower rates. Compare the costs of different carriers before deciding on the health policy. You can also contact an agent who can get you quotes from different health insurance providers.

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When you can’t get health insurance

If you or a family member for whom you’re responsible has a health condition for which you can’t get insurance (in other words, you’ve been rejected for individual coverage), you need to broaden your way of looking at the problem. Very few people can’t get health insurance for a medically uninsurable condition if they’re willing to make some life changes. Over the years, I’ve read numerous horror stories about families who have suffered financial ruin because of one family member’s medical expenses. I remember one story in particular about a family who lost their insurance because of a job change. The new job didn’t offer group insurance, and their son was uninsurable. He had an ongoing condition that required years of treatment and thousands of dollars of expenses. According to the story, this family sat helplessly while their life savings dwindled to nothing. You want to know the truly sad part? I believe that their financial ruin could have been prevented if they had considered some other choices.

Getting paid to work out
How would you like to get paid cold hard cash to work out regularly? It would certainly be a little easier to crawl out of the sack at 5:30 a.m. on those cold winter mornings, wouldn’t it? Many health insurance companies are starting to give monthly credits of around $20 per month toward your health club membership if you can document that you work out at least 12 times a month. Check with your insurance company and see if it offers this deal, or just check with your club to see if your insurance company participates.
If you’re willing to take one or more of the following actions, you can prevent a financial catastrophe from happening to you because of an uninsured family member:
✓ If your employer doesn’t offer group coverage, talk to them about starting to offer a group plan. Enlist the support of your coworkers. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requires insurance companies to accept all members of a group, regardless of health. If your employer adds group health insurance coverage, the worst-case scenario is that the condition won’t be covered for the first 12 months.
1.Change employers. Get a job with a company that offers group medical coverage to its employees and their families.
2.If you’re in a state that has a major medical insurance plan for uninsurable people, sign up immediately. Call your state insurance department to find out.
3.Move to a state that offers catastrophic individual major medical coverage for uninsurable citizens. Minnesota, where I live, has such a plan, and so do many other states.
You may balk at the idea of doing something as seemingly drastic as changing jobs or moving to a different state in order to get health insurance for yourself or a sick family member. But from my perspective, those are far better alternatives than complete financial ruin.
Dread disease insurance: Just say If this story happened today instead of a few years ago, the new HIPAA law have guaranteed this family — at the time the group coverage at the
prior job was ending — the right to an individual policy regardless of health. And if certain conditions were met, the insurance would have covered their son’s preexisting medical condition immediately.

Taken from: Insurance for Dummies:Jack Hungelmann's

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