How To Get Affordable Health Insurance In Florida

Health insurance is one of the most talked about and difficult-to-afford types of insurance that the average American is faced with buying. In fact, health insurance has become so expensive that approximately 17% of all residents of Florida are without health insurance coverage of any kind.

Florida, like most other states, has a program designed to provide health care to children. Florida’s program, called KidCare, is designed to provide health services to children 19 years of age and younger. There are income eligibility requirements as well as other qualifications, but if you are having troubling finding health insurance for a minor for any reason it may pay you to check out Florida’s KidCare program at: http://www.floridakidcare.org/

For most Floridians there are things you can do that will help keep the cost of your health insurance in check.

Start with a healthy lifestyle. The healthier you are the less your health insurance is likely to cost you in a number of ways. That means eating right and getting exercise each and every day. Walking, biking or other forms of simple exercise do not have to cost money or be terribly taxing on your body. One study in England suggested that simply walking to the end of your driveway and back each day could have a health benefit.

A healthy lifestyle also includes such things as not smoking or using any tobacco product (such as chew). Non-smokers pay a lot less for health insurance than do smokers. If you already have health insurance and you were a smoker when you first signed up but have since quit, you need to speak with your agent as you could be due for a substantial savings on your monthly premium.

Being overweight will cost you when it comes to health insurance. Being overweight is not healthy and so health insurers are going to charge you more for health insurance the more overweight you are. The good news is that if you can lose even a few pounds you may slip into a lower-cost category and that could save you a ton of money over the course of a year.

Don’t participate in extreme or dangerous hobbies or sports. Anything that puts your health at risk is going to cost you more money in health insurance premiums every single month. If you have a dangerous profession you can also count on paying more for your health insurance.

Do you have other insurance policies such as homeowner’s or auto insurance with the same insurance company? If so ask for a Multi-Policy Discount.

Have you been with the same insurance company for at least 5 years? If so, ask for a Long Term Policy Discount.

What is your current co-pay? Many people have a 20% or 25% co-pay each time they visit the doctor’s office or have other medical care. If you are able to increase your co-payment to 50% you can save a great deal on your monthly premium payment. This suggestion works best for people who do not see their doctor on a regular basis.

Your deductible can be the fastest way of reducing your monthly health care premium. The higher your deductible the lower your monthly premium. Obviously you must consider carefully how much money you can really and truly afford to pay each year for your health care before you ask your insurance company to begin paying for your treatment.

Now you are armed with the information you need to construct a health insurance policy that provides as much coverage as possible and yet is still affordable. That means it’s time for you to get online and find at least 3 websites that permit you to make head-to-head comparisons of health care prices among a variety of different insurance companies so that you can truly get affordable health insurance in Florida.

Don’t short-change yourself. You need to make your comparisons on at least 3 different websites if you want to feel absolutely confident that the low price you are seeing is actually the lowest price that you can find.