Health Insurance

If you need to purchase health insurance on your own, it can be quite expensive. Unlike group plans, in which the costs and risks associated with health care are spread among many people; individual health policies are "medically underwritten" to take into account your personal health history. Any "pre-existing" condition such as heart disease, diabetes, and even pregnancy, can nix your chances of acceptance or boost your premiums. Some states require individual health insurers to offer everyone a plan, a mandate known as "guaranteed issue."

Some of the larger health organizations are: Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, PacifiCare, Sloans Lake, Rocky Mountain Health Plans and United Healthcare,

• Health Insurance Basics