The cost of health insurance here in Alabama is of great concern to many people. Right now approximately 16% of all residents of Alabama don’t have any health insurance due primarily to cost and of those who do have health insurance fully 50% report that the cost of their monthly premiums are a severe financial burden.
It can seem as if there isn’t even a way to get cheap health insurance online in Alabama, but things may not be quite as dark as they first appear.
To begin with, Alabama has a rather liberal state-sponsored low-cost health insurance for children, college students, pregnant women and others as well. To see if you or a member of your family might qualify for this low-cost insurance simply go to: http://www.adph.org/allkids/
Fortunately there are other things you can do to help keep the cost of your health insurance within reach. Obviously group health insurance is going to be cheaper than individual health insurance. If your place of employment doesn’t offer group health insurance check with any clubs, organizations or associations that you belong to. Sometimes a group that you would never think of will offer low-cost group coverage.
Ask family, friends and neighbors if any of them belong to any groups or clubs or organizations that offer group health insurance. If so, consider joining. Even some religious organizations offer group health coverage – ask.
Have you considered joining an HMO or a PPO? While the savings can be tremendous you sometimes have to give up seeing your trusted doctor. This is more true with HMOs than it is with PPOs, but it is not always necessary to switch doctors; ask your doctor if he or she is a member of an HMO or approved by a PPO.
If you have a home business it is sometimes possible to get group health insurance even if your only employee is your spouse. Even if you cannot get group insurance it is quite possible that your individual insurance premiums can be written off of your taxes – figuring in your tax savings can make even individual health insurance affordable in many cases.
Don’t smoke and don’t use chew. If you currently use tobacco products, quit. If you used tobacco products when you first signed up for health insurance but you have since quit, let your agent know and you could get a serious reduction in your monthly insurance premium.
If you are overweight you are going to pay more for your health insurance. Insurance companies have a sliding premium scale that is based in part on your BMI (Body Mass Index). The good news is that even a small reduction in your BMI may move you down a notch on the insurance company’s payment scale and could save you hundreds of dollars a year on your insurance. Every pound you can drop helps!
Don’t participate in extreme sports or hobbies and if you drive a fast sports car, give it up if you are serious about getting cheap health insurance.
How much of a co-payment do you make when you see your doctor? If you can possibly afford to make a 50% co-pay you will save a lot on your health insurance every month. If you don’t see your doctor very often each year this could be a way to save quite a bit of money.
Can you afford to increase your deductible? Again, this is an important question and you should give it some serious thought because your deductible represents cash that you have to come up with every year to pay for your own medical care before your insurance company will begin to pay. Don’t promise to pay more than you can actually afford.
Now get online and find 3 websites that allow you to compare the costs of health insurance from different insurance companies. Using the tips you have gotten from this article enter the exact same information onto the form on at least 3 comparison websites and then simply pick the best price you can find. That’s how simple it is to get cheap health insurance online in Alabama!