Could someone advise me on getting the best health care insurance for a soon to be college graduate?

You need a trusted adviser to help you through the process of purchasing health insurance so that you understand what you are purchasing. Some may suggest going on line to get a quote but you probably already know that there is much more to health insurance than price. Some might even suggest a discount plan which is not insurance at all.





Ultimately, you are the one who will determine the affordability of your health insurance plan by deciding how much you will participate in sharing the cost of your health care with your insurance company.





If you choose a plan that covers everything i.e. doctors office visits, prescription drugs, preventative health benefits, maternity coverage as well as low deductibles, low copays and optional vision and dental benefits your monthly premiums will be significant.





On the other hand because you are young, presumably healthy and probably use the health care system rarely you could consider a plan that covers only the major health catastrophe which will result in a relatively low monthly premium. You then can use the monthly premium savings to pay for the occasional doctor visit and still come out ahead.





Check with the agent that writes your or your parents home or auto insurance he/she can provide you a health insurance proposal that takes into account your budget and health situation. They can answer questions as to what is and is not covered by the policy, explain deductibles and copays and show you the hospitals and doctors that participate in the network.





If you are seeking employment they might suggest a temporary insurance policy that is intended to cover you for a few months until you are hired by a company that offers group benefits.





Use the Internet to educate yourself but use an agent to purchase the coverage.Could someone advise me on getting the best health care insurance for a soon to be college graduate?
There are two basic options.





Buy short-term insurance - low quality and low priced.





Buy permanent insurance - higher priced and higher quality.





You can cancel either policy at any time. The ';permanent'; plans are generally month-to-month contracts from the insured's perspective. The insurance company however, can only drop you for certain reasons.





A short-term policy will have the advantage of having a lower price, but will probably have several disadvantages. You cannot renew the policy. Pre-existing conditions won't be covered. Preventative care won't be covered.





A permanent policy will be more expensive, but you can typically keep a permanent policy as long as you need to. Short-term policies usually have a term of under 6 months. Some may cover you for a year.





If a permanent policy fits comfortably in your budget, that is the way to go. However, short-term plans are much less expensive and therefore may be your only option if money is tight.Could someone advise me on getting the best health care insurance for a soon to be college graduate?
If you are in college, you may want to check out health insurance programs that are written through your school. United Healthcare has a plan available at many US schools. These student injury and illness plans provide wide ranging coverage and are designed to be affordable for college students. To check if your school is participating, go to www.UHCSR.com and enter your school name in the search box. You might also be interested in joining the American College Student Association (ACSA), a national organization for college students. They have lots of member benefits, including student health insurance. Their membership fee is affordable. Perhaps one of these programs will carry you past graduatiuon until you can get an employer plan.
If you live in an area served by Kaiser Permanente, they have good coverage for the lowest prices for real coverage.





My daughter is outside the Kaiser area and she is happy with her Blue Cross plan.
Blue Cross Blue Shield - High deductible - cheap but covers the big stuff. Then maybe your future employer will have a good plan.