To buy health insurance for you or your family, you must first determine whether you need an individual plan for yourself or for your whole family. There is a range of health insurance plans being offered by several organizations and associations to its members. You can start by checking whether your organizations are offering insurance policies. If you already have insurance coverage from your employer then you don’t need to buy health insurance for yourself. If you are insured through your employer, then premium payments are deducted automatically from your monthly compensation. If you are a student, then you might already have coverage through your university, which will require you to pay for it through your tuition fees. But if self-employed, then you must buy health insurance for yourself. If you are unemployed, you may benefit from health insurance coverage through the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1985 which allows for health coverage during unemployment periods. You must gather sufficient information before you decide to buy health insurance. It is best that you check out as many insurance websites as possible. You should be able to compare various policies from several companies, the types of coverage available, and their quotes and prices. You should also consider monthly premiums and payments and in-network physicians and other health care providers before you buy a plan for you or your whole family. -- June 26, 2009 @ 2:50 pm