Orange County, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/20/2011 -- Health insurance quotes comparison site, HealthCompare is helping consumers understand how to find, choose and purchase affordable medical insurance. As more Americans find themselves without access to employer sponsored group health insurance plans, it’s important for them to learn the ins and outs of how to purchase their own private policies.

To assist consumers, HealthCompare has released multiple articles and videos via their website and releases to the press. Consumers who wish to learn more can visit HealthCompare’s website located at: http://healthcompare.org/.

Find Health Insurance that Fits Perfectly With Your Lifestyle

If you’re trying to find health insurance it’s important that you look for policies that fit with your lifestyle. Do you rarely get sick, rarely travel, and are currently single? Then catastrophic health insurance might be the wisest choice for you. Do you like to go whitewater rafting, travel often, or are starting a family? Then a group health insurance plan with more robust coverage features might better suit your lifestyle.

The first step to find health insurance that its your lifestyle is to figure out what kinds of health expenses you are likely to need coverage for, and determine your budget for healthcare related expenses. This can be done by taking a look at your current lifestyle with consideration to where you want to be five to ten years in the future. Will your needs or your lifestyle change in that time frame? If so, you may need to determine when the best time to switch from a high deductible plan would be, and when you should start saving up for your increased healthcare costs.

Health Care Coverage Needs

People in different stages of life have different healthcare needs. A young unmarried man, a family with young children and an elderly married couple all have different needs and will need to find health insurance policies that suit their current stage of life. When choosing the right health insurance plan, it is a good idea to make a list of the types of health care you and your family will need. Physical check-ups and vaccinations are a great starting point for a family with children, while making sure prescription medications are covered with low copays would probably be a priority for an aging couple.

Single people will have different health care needs such as annual exams and treatment for injuries, while married couples will often have family planning concerns. Make a list of coverage options that are important to you before you set out to find health insurance plans. When taking a look at your lifestyle, determine what your risk factors are for serious illness or injury. Do you engage in contact sports, travel often, have a sedentary job, eat poorly, or consume alcohol or tobacco on a regular basis? If so, you can most likely anticipate an illness or injury that would require more than a single physician evaluation for treatment, and should opt for a more robust health insurance plan. If you are single (without children to cover under your health plan), travel rarely, take decent care of your body, and do not engage in high-risk activities that could lead to bodily injury, your lifestyle might be better suited to a catastrophic health plan.

Budget Considerations

Between premiums and deductibles, health care can get expensive. Another factor to address when choosing the right health care plan is how many benefit features you can afford. A higher annual deductible means your premium will be lower, but you need to make sure you will be able to pay that amount out-of-pocket as well. Deductibles must be paid before your insurance company will cover the full coverage percentage of services billed. Find health insurance where you can afford both the premiums and any deductibles and co-pays.

If you are thinking about keeping your premium rates low, you might consider a managed-care health insurance plan. This type of plan will limit your choice of health care providers but you will spend less for your health care coverage.

Compare Different Health Care Plans

Once you have determined what you are looking for and what your budget will be for health insurance, you are ready to start to find health insurance quotes. It will be extremely helpful in the long run to obtain hard quotes from each company you talk to about health insurance quotes. These details can either be sent to your email, to a fax machine, or hard copies mailed to your home. This will make comparing plans easier, giving you a readable summary of the quote and plan details to review. These quotes are usually valid for 30 days from the date the price is quoted, but be sure to inquire about a valid time frame from each company. It is not easy to find health insurance that is a perfect fit but once you do, you’ll be glad you took your time.