I’ve Been Diagnosed With a Persistent Medical Condition and I’m Shopping For an Individual Health Insurance Policy. Will I Be able to Find a Plan That Will Cover the Treatment I’ll Need?

The short answer is “yes.”

The longer answer is: If you happen to be self-employed, an independent contractor or enrolled at a university—you may qualify for an individual healthcare policy. Individual Health Insurance is available from a variety of major health plan carriers.

Unfortunately, all those choices make finding an individual health plan sound easier than it is most times. The differences between a traditional fee for service health plans and an HMO aren’t as clear as they used to be.

Large numbers of fee for service plans have adopted the practices common to managed care plans (utilization reviews, etc) as a way to control costs and provide preventive healthcare services. On the other hand, HMO Plans have begun to offer you more freedom to choose your doctors, making them more similar to individual health plans.

By studying your medical insurance options carefully, you’ll be able to choose a plan that can provide you with the health coverage you need, regardless of what it’s called.

Here are a few general tips to give you a better idea of how to go about buying an Individual Health Plan:

• Find out if your group-sponsored health insurance plan can be converted into an individual healthcare plan. The price, co-payment rates, and quotes may be higher and some of the health insurance benefits may be reduced slightly, but a group health insurance program usually offers better service and medical protection than your average individual health insurance plan.
• Find out if you’re eligible for membership in either . . . your local chamber of commerce, or any professional trade organizations that provide their members with a group health insurance plan at a reduced rate.
  
  Note: Don’t forget that many major credit card companies are now offering group health policies to users.
  
• If you can’t find a way into group health insurance coverage look into Individual Health Insurance policies. The quotes for Individual Health Plans will be higher and certain medical services may not recognize the plan, but individual health coverage can provide you with the financial security you’ll need if you suffer a major injury.
  
  Note: Don’t forget that Individual Health Insurance expenses are tax deductible if you are self-employed.