21 Secrets To Discovering Affordable Health Insurance, Part 2

No doubt about it, finding health insurance has become much more difficult in the last ten years than ever before. That said, if you follow the advice in this multiple part series, you will discover many low cost health insurance options. This is part 2 of 4.

Talking To Your Primary Doctor First Is One Way To Affordable Health Insurance

One of the knocks on many affordable health insurance plans is that they require you to see a primary care doctor first. A lot of people are annoyed by this as they feel that this wastes time. But this is not necessarily true.

Having your entire family and you talk to your primary care physician can actually save a lot of time and money. Many problems that people think are specialized can actually be taken care of by your primary care doctor. They can effectively handle many problems such as allergies or back pain. If they can't, they will refer you to someone who can.

I hear a lot of people in HMOs complain about having to go to their primary care doctor first. Sure, people always like to have choice rather than being forced to do something. That said, you should look at why your HMO does this because, the reality is that your HMO management has done the research and determined that this is the least expensive way to provide quality health care (as long as you picked a high-quality company.)

Cutting Back On The Booze Will Lead To More Affordable Health Insurance

If you want lower rates then cut back or even completely stop drinking as drinking alcohol increases your health risk. Many health conditions can be traced right back to heavy drinking.

Of course this does not mean that you can't drink at all. In fact, there are many studies that show that a glass of red wine every day can improve your health. Note: this is not an "average", meaning that you can't drink a bottle of wine on Friday night and benefit. It means exactly what what it says... a glass of red wine a day.

Now, how much alcohol is safe for you to drink? I can't advise you on that since I'm not an expert on such matters. Plus, it's common knowledge that a 100 pound woman can't drink as much as a 225 pound man. However, what I do know is that avoiding alcohol abuse helps create more affordable health insurance rates in addition to reducing the development of certain diseases.

Also, I have heard that it is more difficult to drink in moderation than it is to totally give it up. If you want to stop drinking then get help from organizations that help alcoholics (or even non-alcoholics) stop drinking.

That said, if you're like me and do not want to stop drinking then be sure to drink responsibly.

Research + Research + More Research = Affordable Health Insurance

Do your homework. Of course, if it's an emergency then get yourself to the nearest ER. However, if you need to have a routine or nonurgent test or procedure performed such as a knee scope or colonoscopy then talk to your doctor to get advice. Where do they have special deals set up? Who do they recommend? Be sure to get two or three recommendations at least.

Then call those places and find out how much they charge. Next, call your insurance company to find out how much they will cover. One thing that many people do not consider is the fact that some "out-of-network" options can actually provide bether service, cost less overall or even both.

It is also important to keep in mind that more expensive is not always better. In fact, many studies have determined that, overall, younger doctors provide better care than older doctors. Why? Well, first of all, they are generally more up to date with new procedures or treatments. And secondly, since they have fewer patients and have a greater need to establish a larger patient base, they provide more thorough care.

Personally, I have used this advice and it has worked wonderfully. I discovered my current doctor this way:

1. I checked US News & World Report to find the top medical schools in the country.

2. I found out which top graduates were in the top 10% of their graduating class for each school over the past five years.

3. I just kept going down the lists until I found a doctor in my area that had completed their residency and was in my plan's network.

Sure, this simple process did take quite some time but now I have an excellent young doctor that really listens to me and knows her stuff. Of course, she's really smart so there will probably come a day that she will choose a specific field of medicine. However, until that day, I have an excellent, smart and caring doctor that costs half as much as a "more experienced" doctor.

I don't know why but the vast majority of people think older is better when it comes to doctors but it's just simply not true. And think about it, in almost every field of expertise, most innovation comes from those that are younger.

Incidentally, a recent experiment was conducted that compared new, inexperienced nurses with older, more experienced nurses. What was discovered is that across the board, both groups made the same amount of mistakes. The difference was in how they made their mistakes. The younger nurses made mistakes caused by stress and the older nurses made mistakes because of overconfidence.

Finally, with regards to this point, all young doctors are part of teams that are overseen by more experienced doctors. So, you do not really need to worry that your doctor is going to misdiagnose something as it will be reviewed before action is taken (and also means that you are really get the more experienced doctor as well.) However, what is important to know is that many young doctors know about new procedures so they are able to provide additional options that the older doctors may not know about.

Inquire About Less Expensive Options

A lot of doctors simply assume that their patients want the most current or the absolute best treatment. So, you get charged for an expensive MRI over the much less expensive x-ray even though x-rays have been extremely effective for the past 75 years. So, if your doctor suggests a potentially pricey test, emphasize that you want the best care but you also want to save money. Ask him if he can make a diagnosis using in a less costly manner.

Another great question to ask is whether it needs to be done right away or if you can wait and see if your condition improves on it's own. Frankly, a lot of medical conditions can be cured in non-medical ways. For instance, back pain can often be dispelled by strengthing the midsection by losing weight and doing crunches which would probably be much better for your overall health in the long run anyways.

Find Out If You Can Qualify For Medicaid

I have absolutely no experience with state run insurance. It's not my area of expertise and I just don't have any time to figure out this complex beast. And that's not even taking into account that every state has different rules for eligibility. However, if your family income is low enough they can be an affordable health insurance option because it might even be free. Plus, being currently employed does not disqualify you.

An important factor to keep in mind is that even if you do not meet the eligibility requirements, another family member might. In this case, signing them up for Medicaid will ultimately create much more affordable health insurance for your family. Just check with your state's Medicaid program to see if you qualify.

Go To 21 Secrets To Discovering Affordable Health Insurance, Part 3