Ten Tips: When You Lose Your Health Insurance

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Copyright © 2009 Rickey Pearce


Here are ten tips you can implement when you lose your health insurance:

1. You may be offered a "COBRA" insurance policy, especially if your job has been lost. This enables you to gain easier acceptance, but doesn't necessarily provide the best rate or coverage available.

2. When your doctor prescribes a medication, ask him or her if a generic prescription could be substituted. Generics cost less, partially because they aren't heavily advertised.

3. If you lose your medical coverage and become injured, most healthcare providers are willing to offer a long-term payment arrangement when asked.

4. Try not to forgo relatively inexpensive preventative measures, such as flu shots and vitamin supplements. These can help prevent more costly illnesses.

5. If your spouse is employed, find out if his or her employer offers discounted medical insurance coverage for employees' spouses.

6. People can use the Internet to conveniently request quotes from one or more Colorado individual health insurance providers, sometimes instantly. Quotes are free and require little information, so there is nothing to lose.

7. Until you acquire insurance again, try to avoid recreational or other non-essential activities which pose a risk of injury - such as horseback riding or skiing.

8. When you lose health insurance or only have a high deductible policy, consider using a lower-cost healthcare provider such as Concentra Urgent Care for problems which aren't imminently life-threatening.

9. Don't assume that your income is too low to afford any medical insurance. In Colorado, a relatively young person may be able to obtain a high-deductible policy for under $100 per month.

10. Be sure to look at the extra features of different health plans when comparing them. Even high-deductible plans may include eye care discounts, health savings account access, or other benefits.

Applying these tips when you lose your health insurance will help decrease costs and enable you to access as much health care as possible.


About the Author:
Rickey Pearce is an insurance agent as well as a part-time author. Rocky Mountain Health Plans offers a variety of affordable Colorado Individual Health Insurance plans, as well as group and supplemental Medicare coverage. Learn more at: http://www.rmhp.org/