Insurance Guides And Tips

Insurance is a necessary evil. Until and unless the government overhauls the healthcare system and begins to offer universal health care for all citizens, health insurance is a bill that most of us will never be able to do without.

To make matters more complicated, the health care system in the United States isn't a one-size-fits-all solution for everyone. There are literally thousands of different health insurance options. However, when you really begin to analyze each one and compare them side by side, you begin to realize that they are all really nothing more than variant permutations of the same basic health plan: Whether you pay the insurance companies or you pay your doctor, one way or the other, you will end up paying the same amount of money overall, per annum.

It is not a question of how much money you can save overall. I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Nor am I merely being cynically pessimistic. I am merely telling it like it is: No matter which health insurance plan you go with, unless you are one of the rare few who never gets sick, has never been hospitalized, and you have never had and never will have children, then you end up paying out of your pocket one way or the other.

The question really comes down to whether or not you anticipate your monthly healthcare expenses to be a fixed cost. It's kind of like living in a state where your local natural gas company has a "fixed budget" plan option. If you do, then you know what I'm talking about. Rather than paying your gas bill for your previous months' usage, you pay the same amount every month, year round, no matter how much you natural gas you use. This way you can offset the higher costs of heating your home in the winter.

It's the same idea with health insurance. If you know that you will be spending a certain amount throughout the year and would rather pay a fixed amount every month by paying a higher premium, rather than paying a lower premium, but being hit with unpredictable and variable medical bills throughout the year, then you would want to go with a higher premium which means a lower deductible, and vice versa.