Tips for Finding Family Health Insurance

Family Health Insurance may require many more considerations than if you were to look for health insurance for yourself alone. Families, especially young ones, tend to grow and change quickly – and you don’t want to have to find a new health insurance plan every time that happens. Therefore, it is important that you consider any changes that your family may go through for the next few years and make sure that that your health policy will work through these changes. Below are a few things you should consider when looking for a family health insurance plan.

1. Know all the specifics of the policy’s maternity coverage. Can you have an elective cesarean section? Can you birth at a birth center or at home? Can you hire a doula during your delivery? Can you see a midwife instead of an OBGYN? Is your OBGYN included in the policy? These are all important questions to ask before you purchase a policy.
   
   
2. Find out if all childhood immunizations and well-baby checkup visits are covered under the policy.
   
   
3. If you have younger children consider a lower deductible because you may use it a lot. Between well-baby checks, childhood immunization, and the many illnesses and falls that happen to young children, you may be paying a lot out-of-pocket for the first 5 years of your child’s life if you have a high co-pay and deductible.
   
   
4. Consider joining a managed care plan, if you have a lot of family members on your policy, so you can pay smaller co-payments. This will save you and your family many costly out-of-pocket expenses.
   
   
5. Make sure emergency services are covered no matter which hospital you go to. There are times when you may not be with a family member when an ER visit is warranted and will not be able to give instructions on which one to go to.
   
   
6. Know the prices of adding additional family members or how much you will save by taking members off of your plan as the years go on. This will help you financially plan and prepare for the future.
   
   
7. If you have older children, consider going with a higher deductible since they often see a physician much less than younger children. You may also want to see about raising your deductible once your children have reached age 5.
   
   
8. Find a plan that covers medications and prescriptions, especially for long term medical conditions. You never know when a family member will need to take advantage of this benefit.