How To Get The Best Rates On Health Insurance In West Virginia
- By Alexis Jensen
- Published 02/26/2008
- Family Concerns
- Unrated
Of all the different kinds of insurance that the majority of people are faced with buying, health insurance has become one of the least affordable. In fact, fully 16% of all West Virginia residents report that they can no longer afford to pay for health insurance at all.
Let's hope you're not among that 16%. With any luck we'll find ways in this article for you to lower the cost of your health insurance to the point where it no longer makes you sick just to pay your monthly premium.
Eating healthy and developing a healthy lifestyle should be one of your first goals. The fewer times you have to see a doctor each year the less you'll pay for health care. Cut out fried foods, cut fast food down to no more than once or twice a week.
Get at least a little exercise. Walk around the block or join a group that walks in the Mall every morning. Ride a bike or swim half a dozen laps every day. Some exercise is better than no exercise and will help to keep you out of your doctor's office.
Speaking of doctor's offices, can you afford to increase your co-payment to 50%? If you can this will save you money each month on your premium. Increasing your co-pay is an especially good idea for people who do not see their doctor on a regular basis.
Don't smoke and don't use chew. You already know the facts. If you smoke or use chew you will pay more for your health insurance than you will if you don't. If you're truly serious about getting the best rates on health insurance in West Virginia then you'll stop smoking.
The same goes for your weight. Insurance companies use what they call a Body Mass Index (or BMI) to help determine how much of a premium you'll pay for your health insurance. The good news is that if you can shed even a few pounds you might drop down on your insurance company
's BMI scale. If you can drop down even one or two notches it could potentially save you hundreds of dollars a year.
Can you find a group health insurance plan you can join? If one isn't offered through your work try checking with any organizations or associations or clubs that you or anyone you know belongs to. Lots of clubs and organizations offer their members low-cost group health insurance.
If you have a home-based business it's possible you can qualify for group rates no matter how small your business is. But in any event you should ask your tax advisor if there is any way to make your premium payments at least partly tax deductible. A tax deduction could make your health insurance much more affordable.
Pay your premium automatically from your checking account. If your insurance company does not have to bill you every month there is a small savings to you.
Don't take part in any organized extreme sports and don't drive a fast sports car.
Review your deductible. If you can afford to increase your deductible then you'll pay less each month for your health insurance. But don't increase your deductible any more than you can honestly afford to pay.
Finally, buy your health insurance online. Don't make the mistake of just looking at the results of one health insurance price comparison website. If you really want to find the lowest health insurance rate available in West Virginia then you'll need to take the extra time to make price comparisons on a minimum of 3 different websites.
Also, it is important that you enter the same information into the form on all 3 websites so you are comparing the same health insurance policy each time.
But once you've taken the time to make comparisons on 3 different sites then your work is done. Just look at the results and choose the lowest-priced policy. This is really all you need to do in order to get the best rates on health insurance in West Virginia.
Let's hope you're not among that 16%. With any luck we'll find ways in this article for you to lower the cost of your health insurance to the point where it no longer makes you sick just to pay your monthly premium.
Eating healthy and developing a healthy lifestyle should be one of your first goals. The fewer times you have to see a doctor each year the less you'll pay for health care. Cut out fried foods, cut fast food down to no more than once or twice a week.
Get at least a little exercise. Walk around the block or join a group that walks in the Mall every morning. Ride a bike or swim half a dozen laps every day. Some exercise is better than no exercise and will help to keep you out of your doctor's office.
Speaking of doctor's offices, can you afford to increase your co-payment to 50%? If you can this will save you money each month on your premium. Increasing your co-pay is an especially good idea for people who do not see their doctor on a regular basis.
Don't smoke and don't use chew. You already know the facts. If you smoke or use chew you will pay more for your health insurance than you will if you don't. If you're truly serious about getting the best rates on health insurance in West Virginia then you'll stop smoking.
The same goes for your weight. Insurance companies use what they call a Body Mass Index (or BMI) to help determine how much of a premium you'll pay for your health insurance. The good news is that if you can shed even a few pounds you might drop down on your insurance company
Can you find a group health insurance plan you can join? If one isn't offered through your work try checking with any organizations or associations or clubs that you or anyone you know belongs to. Lots of clubs and organizations offer their members low-cost group health insurance.
If you have a home-based business it's possible you can qualify for group rates no matter how small your business is. But in any event you should ask your tax advisor if there is any way to make your premium payments at least partly tax deductible. A tax deduction could make your health insurance much more affordable.
Pay your premium automatically from your checking account. If your insurance company does not have to bill you every month there is a small savings to you.
Don't take part in any organized extreme sports and don't drive a fast sports car.
Review your deductible. If you can afford to increase your deductible then you'll pay less each month for your health insurance. But don't increase your deductible any more than you can honestly afford to pay.
Finally, buy your health insurance online. Don't make the mistake of just looking at the results of one health insurance price comparison website. If you really want to find the lowest health insurance rate available in West Virginia then you'll need to take the extra time to make price comparisons on a minimum of 3 different websites.
Also, it is important that you enter the same information into the form on all 3 websites so you are comparing the same health insurance policy each time.
But once you've taken the time to make comparisons on 3 different sites then your work is done. Just look at the results and choose the lowest-priced policy. This is really all you need to do in order to get the best rates on health insurance in West Virginia.
Alexis Jensen
My recommended sites here: Best Rates on Health Insurance in West Virginia Cheapest Medical Insurance Companies
View all articles by Alexis Jensen