This guide contains:

Overview of health insurance
Different types of health insurance
How to find the best health insurance for you

This independent guide was created to help you understand the basics of health insurance and to help you choose the right health insurance policy for you. We do not sell any health insurance ourselves, so you can be confident that all of the information in this guide is unbiased and independent.

Overview of health insurance
Health care and health insurance is a major political, economic and social topic in America today. The costs of health care keep rising and companies and individuals struggle to keep up with the rising costs. Many millions of Americans simply cannot afford any health care, and are at risk to injuries and disease. This site was created to give you a basic understanding of how health insurance works so that you know what to look for when searching for health insurance for you and your family.

Different types of health insurance
There are basically two kinds of heath insurance - Indemnity/Fee-for-Service and Managed Care. Although these plans differ, they both cover an array of medical, surgical and hospital expenses. Most cover prescription drugs and some also offer dental coverage.

Indemnity/Fee-for-Service
Until about 30 years ago, most people had traditional indemnity coverage (these days, it's often known as fee-for-service). Indemnity plans are a lot like auto insurance: you pay a certain amount of your medical expenses up front in the form of a deductible and afterward the insurance company pays the majority of the bill. Under this type of health coverage, you have almost complete autonomy when it comes to selecting doctors, hospitals and other health care providers. You can refer yourself to any specialist without getting referrals, and the insurance company doesn't get to decide whether the visit was necessary.

On the down side, fee-for-service plans usually involve higher out-of-pocket expenses. Most of the time there is a deductible, usually between $200-$1,000, before the insurance company starts paying. Once you've met the deductible, the insurer will kick in about 80 percent of any doctor bills. Fee-for-service plans often include a ceiling for your out-of-pocket expenses, after which the insurance company will pay 100 percent of any costs. You might have to pay up front and then submit the bill for reimbursement, or your provider may bill your insurer directly. Under fee-for-service plans, insurers will generally only pay for reasonable and customary medical expenses, taking into account what other practitioners in the area charge for similar