When looking for a new Individual Health Insurance Plan it’s important to know what your looking for in your plan.

Such as what doctors are in their plans network. You’ll want to make sure that your doctor is included if you have one.

The difference between in-network providers and out-of-network providers.

Insurance companies work with a select group of clinics, doctors, and pharmacies call in-network providers. They have agreements with these providers that state that they’ll only charge you so much for a procedure or. prescription. This helps the insurance company keep its cost down.

If your doctor is in their network and lets say you have a standard doctors visit the doctor may have a set cost that they can charge you- say $100. The insurance company knows that’s all they will charge you or them.

However, If you had the same visit with an out-of-network doctor, they could charge $150 for the same visit. Costing the insurance more money.

However, the insurance companies rarely pay the extra cost, it’s normally passed on to you. They do this by charging you a higher co-pay or increase the percentage you pay with your coinsurance payment. Normally they get you with both.

Make sure when shopping for your new plan that your current family doctor is included in the plan. Start by contacting your doctor to see what insurance companies they work with, then check with those companies and see if they have a plan that meets your needs. If not you may have to find another doctor. If so I’d see if your current doctor would be willing to provide you with a recommendation for a new doctor.

As with any major decision be sure to take your time and shop around to find the best deal. I always recommend working with a broker or talk to several representatives from multiple companies. What’s nice about brokers is that they work with several insurance companies so they can offer your multiple quotes.

These are my top choices for assisting you in selecting your new Individual Health Insurance Plan. Insuranceagents.com, ehealthinsurance.com.