It is tempting for many Utahans to forego health insurance as health insurance is expensive. It can be tempting to go without insurance, but the repercussions can be costly. While you no longer need to pay a tax penalty for not having insurance, you still need to consider finding some type of health insurance coverage. Younger people often try to skip health insurance benefits as they are in good health and do not find themselves going to the doctor often. However, one simple broken arm could turn into thousands of dollars in medical expenses. It is essential to have some form of health insurance to help pay for the costs associated with a serious illness, accident, and other health issues. Plus, health insurance is designed to provide health coverage benefits for your loved ones that are enrolled in their policy. While you may not think health insurance is a must-have item for yourself, it is wise to consider it for your children.

Medical Emergencies are Expensive

Many people feel that they are okay without health insurance, only to regret this decision when there is a major medical emergency that appears. What appears to be a blocked tear duct could be a symptom of an underlying condition like wegener’s granulomatosis. Rare diseases do happen, and it is vital to protect yourself by purchasing health insurance. If you end up undergoing treatment for a medical emergency without health insurance, you can find yourself dealing with thousands of dollars in medical expenses, which could financially ruin  you. Not only does it cost a lot of money for treatments, you also need to take into consideration that you could have additional costs such as lost wages.

Preventative Medicine

One of the main components that does make health insurance effective and important is due to preventive medicine. Preventative medicine is designed to check on your current health condition, provide immunizations and other treatments that can prevent a serious health condition from occurring. If you have insurance, you already know that you can receive yearly flu shots and other treatments.

How to Find Health Insurance

Many people purchase health insurance through their employers, but there are others that do purchase it individually. It pays to work with a qualified health insurance agent to assess your situation, and find the health insurance that is best for your needs. Here are some pre-screening questions you can ask yourself that can assist in finding the right health insurance plan for your needs:

1. How often do I visit the doctor? When is the last time you went to the doctor? Do you spend hundreds or thousands of dollars yearly on medical expenses? Not only should you include the costs of doctor visits, but prescription drug costs as well.
2. What is your current state of health? How has your health been over the years? If you have experienced irregular visits to the doctor, or you are engaged in risky activities, there is an increased risk in needing health insurance that includes a higher amount of funds towards preventative care and prescription medical expenses.
3. What are your health priorities? If you find yourself seeing the doctor on a regular basis, and your children need to see the doctor often, you should consider working with an insurance agent to find the best health insurance policy. Plans with lower premiums are often better for individuals that are already on a tight income. Others find lower high deductible plans are better as it gives lower premiums and they do not visit the doctor that often.

Health Insurance Plans

Working with a health insurance agent is the best way to know which plan is right for your needs. There are multiple health insurance plans available, here are some to consider:

• Traditional health insurance or fee-for-service plans.
• Managed Care insurance plans.
• High-deductible insurance plans.

We recommend scheduling an appointment with our Kaysville insurance office to discuss the different types of insurance plans that are available, and meet your needs.