Many people think it's impossible to get health insurance that doesn't cost a lot of money. And it's not hard to see why, since more than half of all New Jersey families say that paying for health insurance is a huge strain on their budgets and almost 17% of all New Jersey residents don't have any kind of health insurance because they can't pay the monthly premiums.
There's no denying that health insurance is expensive. However, if you have children under 18 who don't have health insurance, there's a good chance that they (and maybe even you) can get super cheap health insurance through a state programme called New Jersey Family Care. http://www.njfamilycare.org/ has more information.
For the rest of us, it's a good thing that there are steps you can take to help lower the cost of your health insurance and maybe even make it affordable.
We'll start with the two things that are hardest. Don't smoke, and you'll lose weight. If you smoke or use any kind of tobacco, like chew, you will never be able to get really cheap health care in New Jersey or anywhere else. This is just a simple fact that can't be changed.
The same is true for being fat. Even though it may be harder to lose weight than to quit smoking, overweight people have one advantage over smokers: if they lose a little bit of weight, they may drop into a lower price bracket for their insurance, which could save them hundreds of dollars each year.
If you can find a group health insurance plan that doesn't exclude smokers or people who are overweight, you might not have to lose weight or quit smoking. When you think of a group health plan, your employer is probably the first place that comes to mind. However, if your employer doesn't offer group health coverage, you may still be able to get it through an organisation you belong to, like Kiwanis, Key Club, the Elks, the Masons, or even your church. Look around and start to ask questions.
Don't do any kind of sport or hobby that is dangerous or extreme. You can't expect to get the cheapest health insurance if you go out of your way to hurt your health.
If you have other types of insurance, like life insurance, home insurance, or auto insurance, put them all with the same company. If you do this, you should get a nice discount on your health insurance called a Multi-Policy Discount.
Ask about a Long-Term Policy Deduction if you've had health insurance with the same company for at least 5 years. The little things add up!
What is your co-payment percentage right now? When they go to the doctor, many people have to pay a 20% or 25% co-payment. If you can raise your co-payment to 50%, you'll save a lot of money on your monthly health insurance premium. People who don't see their doctor very often are the best candidates for this plan.
When was the last time your deductible was changed? Changing your deductible is a big decision that you should think about carefully. However, if you can afford to increase the amount of money you are willing to pay out of pocket each year for your health care before you call your insurance company, you can save money on your monthly premium payment.
So, you now know how to put together a health insurance plan that will save you the most money right away. We're almost done, but not quite.
Now you need to take that "super" policy you just made and compare the prices of that policy from every New Jersey health insurance company. Take your time and compare prices on at least three different websites that help people in New Jersey find the best price for health insurance.
If you compare prices on at least three different websites, you can be sure that you've seen prices from as many different insurance companies as possible. You can then take the lowest price and know that you really did get the most affordable health insurance in New Jersey.
