Buy affordable health insurance online without an agent

Within minutes you will be able to shop for affordable health insurance online using the same technology employed by insurance companies and industry insiders. This free online tool will allow you to compare health insurance premiums in your city. Easily sort by insurance deductible, insurance premium or insurance benefits. Stop paying for benefits that are not important to you and design an affordable health insurance plan without an agent or broker. Once a plan is selected, you can often apply for coverage online or download a paper application.

Coverages offered include; Health Insurance for Individuals, Health Insurance for families, Small Group Health Insurance, Health Savings Accounts, HSA's, Dental Insurance and Term Life Insurance.

This service is free at http://www.quotebroker.com

When it comes to buying health insurance, practice using this software and you can potentially reduce your health insurance premiums by 30 - 60%.

Choosing a health plan can seem like a daunting task. Depending on your region, there may be dozens of carriers offering hundreds of policies. Which is the right plan for you? Quotebroker's online quoting tool allows you to quickly and easily compare the various benefits of the policies available to you. The following tutorial will help you as you navigate the online quote engine, defining the numerous acronyms and benefits for you so you can make a well informed decision about your potential coverage.

To access the quoting tool, first visit Quotebroker.com. Select the type of insurance you are interested in. You will then be brought to the information survey which allows the engine to compile a quote based specifically on you. First, enter your zip code and the type of coverage you require. On the following page, there are spaces provided for your demographic information, such as name, phone, email but most important is the family survey. In this section, enter your age and the ages of any family members you wish to be with you on the quote. Note that children ages 18-22 may be enrolled as a part of your policy as long as they are a full-time student, a requirement usually met by being enrolled in 12 units of secondary education. If they are not full time students, they may be insured on their own policy. Once you have the family survey completed, choose your maternity options- either show both types of policy or show maternity policies only. If you are currently insured, it may be helpful to enter your current monthly premium so as to make it easier to shop for lower rates on your quote, as those policies that are cheaper than what you are paying will show up in green.

When you are ready to proceed, click "Show Plans." This button will take us to your actual quote, personalized just for you. By default, the plans will be sorted by monthly premium; however you can filter your results in any number of ways by using the filter checkboxes on the left side panel. Filter by Deductible, Plan Type (PPO, HMO, or HSA), Price Range, or Carrier. Some general rules to keep in mind when sorting through policies:

1) As deductibles rise, premiums go down, and as deductibles fall, premiums go up. They are available anywhere from $0-$10,000, however most people choose deductibles in the $1,000- $5,000 range.
2) PPOs are generally cheaper than a HMO, PPO plans usually will offer lower premiums, however the services they provide may be at a higher rate than HMOs. HMOs often require higher monthly premiums, but will often provide their various services at a lower cost.
3) If you are looking to save money, consider a "Value" plan. These policies are the exact same as traditional health policies, however with one twist. They limit your office visits to the doctor to between 2-5 times yearly, depending on the plan, and in accordance with that will lower your monthly premium. This can be a great way to save for those of you who see the doctor only a few times a year for a checkup or two, but would still like to be able to visit should something unforeseen arise. Some of these plans will also even offer additional visits for OB-GYN or Physical Exams. There are several such plans to choose from.
4) When you are considering a particular policy, there are a number of benefits listed. The first is your deductible. This is the number your carrier expects you to pay before they will begin providing benefits. Many people see a 2,000 deductible and misinterpret it as needing to pay two thousand dollars before anything is covered. This is not the case. Any services in your policy that are denoted with a "$" sign are NOT subject to the deductible, unless otherwise noted. This means that if your office visits are covered at "$30" all you must pay is thirty dollars and your portion of your office visit is paid for. You need not meet that $2,000 deductible. Unless otherwise noted, the deductible only comes into play with services marked with a "%" sign. These are usually more complicated procedures: inpatient surgery, ambulance rides, hospitalization, advanced labwork and radiology, etc. If you just want to see the doctor, have a physical exam, fill a generic prescription, see your OB-GYN and other such preventative services, most of the time you are just going to be paying a flat fee that doesn't require meeting the deductible. Knowing this, you can feel safe going with a deductible in the $2,500 range to keep your premiums lower than they would be on some of the more advanced no deductible policies.

The other benefits of note:
1) Dr Copay- this is the amount you are responsible for when you see your physician.
2) RX Card- if this section lists "Yes" then prescription drugs are covered. Click "View Details" to see the specifics, as some plans only cover generic, while other plans cover all forms.
3) Maternity- this is a big reason why many people are paying too much for their insurance. Either they are enrolled on a maternity policy without knowing it or they once required it but have now moved beyond the phase in their lives where this is a requirement, yet still carry maternity coverage on their health policy. Maternity coverage is very expensive, and a comparable plan without it can often save you a great deal on your monthly premium.
4) OOP- this stands for Out Of Pocket Maximum. This figure represents the most you can pay out in a given year. Usually it is a hard cap, but sometimes it is in addition to the deductible. This figure protects you in the case of a major medical emergency. If, for example, you were to get into a $100,000 car accident or need $500,000 worth of chemotherapy, the most you could pay in a given year is your OOP max. This is why you should not get hung up on small differences in hospital copay percentages. Whether you choose a policy with 20, 30, 40 or 50 percent hospitalization copay, your responsibility ends when you have paid up to your OOP max. So using the previous example, if you had a 30% hospitalization copay policy with a 7,500 OOP, your $100,000 car accident would cost you only $7,500, not 30 thousand dollars. This is also a rolling total, so any additional services used that year would be covered by the carrier, as your OOP has been satisfied already.

Once you have settled on a policy, simply click "Apply Now." This will take you directly to the online application for your chosen plan. If you would prefer the more traditional paper application, you can return to the homepage at www.quotebroker.com and choose the "Applications" link in the upper right corner. Make sure to choose your correct state and carrier, then simply print and follow the step by step instructions on the cover page.

If throughout any of this you become stuck, frustrated, confused, don't understand a particular benefit or would just like someone to walk you through the process, you can always call the toll free customer service line at 800-783-0802 and choose option 2 to speak with an insurance specialist. They will be able to help you choose a plan designed specifically to fit your individual health insurance or family health insurance needs.

Vinceny Kody
QuoteBroker Insurance Services
http://www.quotebroker.com