California Dreaming - If Only Health Insurance Was That Easy
In California we have many activities we can choose to do at any time. Surfing, skiing, hiking, golf, tennis, swimming, and just plain relaxing on the beach or at the pool. Most of these activities can be done at any time of the year. So Californians tend to be a healthy group, and for that reason, our health insurance rates are lower than what people in other states pay. But that doesn't mean that getting health insurance in California is easy. In fact it can be time consuming to research all the options and get the plan that fits what you need. So we'll go over some simple steps to help streamline the process and get you in the right plan quicker and with less hassle.
There's 3 primary steps to getting a great health insurance plan
1. Determine what medical benefits you need and will use in an insurance plan.
Figuring out what benefits you need will only take a few moments, and it's the most important step because you can't find the right plan unless you know what the plan needs to offer. Determining the right plan is based on how many times you typically see a doctor during a normal year, whether you need prescription coverage, and if you have any existing medical conditions. If you see the doctor 3 times during a typical year, once for an annual physical, and 2 other times for colds or injuries, then you'll want a plan that provides 2 or 3 office visits for a copay. If you have no prescriptions you take, then a plan that offers generic prescription coverage will be good enough (and will save you some money). If you don't have any preexisting medical conditions, then you can go ahead to step 2 because you now know what benefits you need in your health insurance plan.
If you have a preexisting condition then you should probably talk to an independent California health insurance broker that can help you determine which insurance companies will treat your condition most leniently.
2. Get quotes showing all the major insurance company plans that are available where you live.
The second step is to get quotes from all the major insurance companies so you can compare all the options to get the right plan. This can be accomplished by visiting each of their websites, or by finding an independent insurance broker that can provide all these quotes in a single file for easy comparison. A good source for health insurance quotes in California is SPF Insurance.
Stick to using the major health insurance companies at this point, because some of the smaller insurance companies will not survive once Health Care Reform rolls out. This way you won't be forced to go through the process again because your insurance provider has shut it's doors. Plus the major carriers have a much larger number of members in their health insurance plans. So the plan costs are spread out over a much larger number of people, and the premium costs to you will be lower.
3. Pick the plan that meets your requirements and is offered at a price you can afford.
Now that you've got the quotes and you know what benefits you need your plan to offer, you can scan through the quotes and pick out the plans that match what you need. There should be about 80 to 130 plans depending upon where you live in the state. Most California health insurance quote websites offer the ability to compare plan benefits side by side, and that is the easiest way to decide which plan is right for your needs. Just click on the plans you want to compare and then determine which of the plans offers the right benefits for the lowest cost.
So now you know how to easily determine what your health insurance plan needs to have, how to get a set of quotes from each of the major insurance companies, and how to compare the quotes to get the plan that is right for you. By following this 3 step process you can reduce the time and effort needed to get great insurance. If you find that you need some help, or just want to get some free assistance, then call a local health insurance broker and they will be happy to help you.
SPF Insurance Services is an independent brokerage that has been helping people get the right health insurance for over 9 years. Using our experience in health insurance California residents will find it easy and quick. So go ahead and contact us today to get your health insurance plan.
