In Minnesota, like in other states, you can usually get health insurance through your employer, if it is offered. However, if you are seeking health insurance on your own, which is often called private insurance, you have your choice of insurance companies and policies. While the choices can be a bit overwhelming, you can compare the various policies and companies to select the health insurance that is best for you and your family.
Get health insurances quotes from insurance carriers in Minnesota, if you haven’t already done so. You can get quotes from multiple carriers at once on sites such as Minnesota Health Network, eHealth Insurance, Health Insurance.org and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Healthcare.gov. You can also visit or call local agents in your area. Insurance companies you will find in Minnesota include PreferredOne, BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota, Assurant Health and HealthPartners.
Go through the quotes that you got and put them in order according to the rate, which is also called the premium. This is the monthly amount that you must pay each month for the insurance. Once you do this, you can get rid of any quotes that are over your budget, which will narrow down the quotes you have left to compare.
Remove any quotes that do not provide the coverage you need. For instance, if you plan on getting pregnant, you need an insurance that covers that. Or if you need counseling or chiropractic visits, you need to have that covered as well. Not all health insurance policies cover the same things.
Check the doctors or hospitals network for the quotes, if you have a specific hospital or doctor in Minnesota that you want to continue seeing. Some insurance companies are affiliated with specific hospital or doctor networks, and you may not be able to see your normal doctor with some of the companies.
Look at the copay, deductible and coverage limit amounts on the remaining quotes. These items can vary widely among insurance companies and policies. The copay is the amount you must pay each time you make a doctor or hospital visit. The deductible is the amount you must pay before the insurance covers all of the charges. This is typically referred to as your out-of-pocket costs. Coverage limits you will see include a lifetime benefit limit and limits for certain items, such as psychiatric services. Both the deductible and coverage limits are yearly, with the exception of the lifetime coverage limit.