Although everyone's individual needs are different, there are key factors that you should look at when making a fully informed choice for one plan over another. Here are several key questions you should ask yourself when looking over your healthcare options.

When looking over your healthcare options, ask yourself:

• How all-inclusive do I want coverage of healthcare services to be?
• How much am I willing to spend on premiums?
• What type of healthcare plan is this, ie. a medical discount plan, limited benefit plan, or a full featured plan?
• Is it a group plan or an individual health insurance policy?
• Is this plan considered to be continuous credible coverage under HIPAA?

You should also make separate checklists and see what type of benefit coverage each plan offers for the following:

• Preventative Care
• Care by Specialists
• Hospitalization
• Emergency Care
• Prescriptions
• Mental Healthcare

For each one, find out how much is your responsibility to pay or what circumstances, if at all, apply, before the plan begins to cover for each type of care or treatment. For instance:

• What co-payments must you pay for certain types of services?
• Are there any deductibles that must be met by you before the insurance starts to cover the cost?
• If the deductible is met, what portion of the cost is paid by the plan?
• How much will you have to pay if you go out-of-network?
• Are there any limits to how much the insurance company pays over a given benefit period, for instance over a year or a lifetime?

After you’ve done that, you are now ready to ask yourself: Is there a complimentary fit between what is provided under any particular plan and what you think you’ll need?