Costs of health insurance are a big deal right now. The problem is being talked about at the highest levels of government, so maybe one day a solution will be found. In the meantime, it is up to each of us to do whatever we need to do to find ways to lower the cost of our own health insurance.
There are ways to cut down on the cost of your health insurance, and we'll look at a few of them here.
If you really want to cut the cost of your health insurance, we need to start with how you live. Do you smoke? Do you chew tobacco or use any other form of tobacco? If so, you aren't doing anything to help your cause. People who smoke pay 30% to 50% more for health insurance than people who don't smoke.
If you smoked when you signed up for health insurance but have stopped since then, you should let your insurance agent know. This could cause your monthly premium to go down.
How much do you weigh? Health insurance costs more if you are overweight as well. Most Americans find it harder to lose weight than to quit smoking. If you can lose even a few pounds, you may move down one rung on the insurance company's weight chart, which could save you hundreds of dollars every year.
If you regularly do any kind of extreme or dangerous sport or hobby, you won't get the best health insurance rates in Alabama or anywhere else. Driving a fast sports car or most muscle cars is the same way.
Your health insurance costs will go up if you do anything that puts your life or health at risk.
You can save a lot of money by getting health insurance through a group. If your workplace doesn't offer group health insurance, ask around at all the clubs, organisations, or groups you belong to. A surprising number offer their members group health insurance. Ask your friends if they belong to any groups, clubs, or organisations that offer health insurance for the group. If so, you might want to join.
Ask where you usually worship. There are a lot of church groups that give their members discounts on health insurance.
Make smart use of credit cards. You might not believe it, but your credit report does affect how much you pay for health insurance. Your health insurance will cost less if your credit score is good.
When was the last time you looked at how much your co-pay was? When they go to the doctor for the first time, many people have to pay a co-payment of 20% or 25%. If you can afford to raise your co-pay to 50%, you will save a lot of money on your health insurance premium every month. This method works best for people who don't usually go to the doctor.
Can you pay for your deductible to go up? This is a very important question, and you should really think about it. The higher your deductible, the lower your monthly health insurance premium. On the other hand, the higher your deductible, the more money you have to pay out of your own pocket or purse each year before you can ask your insurance company for help. Don't offer to pay more than you can easily afford.
Now it's time to go online and find at least three websites that let you compare the prices of different health insurance plans from different companies.
If you want to see prices from every insurance company in Alabama, you'll need to fill out the form on at least 3 websites. You'll need to be careful to enter the same information on each form so that you're comparing the same policy each time. Once you're done, all you have to do is find the company with the best rate and you're done!
