You should first determine the type of Washington health insurance plan that will best suit your health requirements and budget. Since you're self-employed, and will be paying your premiums in full, you should research carefully before buying the health plan that you think is best for you. There are basically two kinds of health insurance: managed care and fee-for-service. Essentially, managed care plans reduce the costs of patient care by partnering with health care providers and medical facilities. Fee-for-service plans, on the other hand, require you to pay the entire costs for doctors’ visits or prescription medicines. Before getting a Washington health insurance plan, you should ask yourself if the health plan covers the services you will likely use. To get quotes and research various health insurance packages, you can search online insurance companies. You can also search for a local health insurance agent who can present you with insurance plan options. Remember to research on how the deductible or co-pay works, Consider also the provisions for pre-eisting conditions which might be ecluded in the Washington health insurance plan that you have chosen. You might also want to ask about any ta deductions that are available to you, or for self-employed health insurance premiums. This way you'll also be able to save money. - June 17, 2009 @ 8:03 am