However, health insurance policies are a bit tricky when it comes to signing the contract. As you’ve no doubt noticed by now, the fine print may state some interesting details, like:

• No compensation for self-inflicted injuries or ailments – now as obvious as this is, questions arise when it comes to defining self-inflicted injuries. Is, for instance, falling down a pair of scissors a self-inflicted injury? According to the dictionary, no, because self-inflicted injuries are intentional by nature. However, many contracts fail to mention this, and compensation is refused based on this inadvertence in definitions. Such an example, however, is usually not covered by health insurance, but by insurance against accidents, however, extrapolating, there have been cases (especially in the US) in which the claim was refused on these grounds after it was found out that the claimant had visited an ill relative at the hospital


• No funding for experimental procedures – while experimental procedures are fully supported in specialized insurance policies (such as cancer insurance), most health insurance policies specifically refuse to cover them


• No funding for cosmetic surgery – naturally, since this is not a health issue. Exceptions here are usually in the form of cosmetic surgery after an intense injury, such as burning or car crashes, surgery which is mandatory for the correct healing of the tissue


• Inclusive / non-inclusive plans – it is best to see exactly what type of plan the health insurance package offers. Many companies offer inclusive plans, meaning that your underage children will be covered by the insurance policy as well (and, depending on the company, perhaps your spouse as well). Inclusive plans are generally cheaper while giving you the opportunity to insure your whole family, rather than purchasing a non-inclusive separate plan for each member

With nearly half of small- and mid-sized enterprise bankruptcies filed because of health problems and medical bills in the US in the year 2007, health insurance has indeed become somewhat of a compulsory standard. That especially, since in the same year, approximately $4.1 billion had to be paid for uninsured health-related medical expenses.
So, what are the few tips that one must follow to get the best out of his/her policy?

• Prices vary widely with location and with the natural health hazard that certain places pose. With the newly-declared pandemic of swine influenza, health insurance prices have gone a lot higher in high-risk places such as towns next to the Mexican border. Even without that, compulsory inclusions in plans, mandated by individual state or country law, differ from place to place, thus also varying the price. An example for the US is New York, where, thanks to the state-mandated inclusions in the policies, health insurance has become one of the most expensive in the entire country.


• If you are satisfied with your current doctors and medical workers, make them top priority on your policy. Insurance companies will feel slightly more at ease knowing that, as much as possible, they will only have to deal with a determined and finite group of individuals.


• Brokers will get you the best out of your policy. That’s what they’re trained to do, and that’s what you pay them to do. Consider paying a broker as an investment into the future and don’t regard brokers as people only out for your money, desperate to make a sale. They are generally paid on a per-hour or per-day basis anyway.


• Yes, it’s possible to take your insurance plan for a “test drive”. Many companies will have a complete or near-complete refund policy, should you not be satisfied with their services. All you have to do is strictly adhere to the guidelines and, when time comes and you decide that the plan is simply not for you, you can have your money back.


• A Health Savings Account is possible and recommended in case of insurance policies with high deductibles and low premiums. And it doesn’t only work in the US, as UK, Germany and Italy also have such accounts implemented nation-wide. The advantage is that when the coverage period ends, whatever is deposited in your savings account is yours to keep, and you can use whenever you wish.


• Do not be surprised if your condition isn’t covered. Read the coverage policies and try to understand exactly how far they go. Do not expect rehabilitation to be included.


• Negotiating will be the only way to get your policy to a lower monthly payment.

Follow these tips and hope that you will never need this insurance in anything other than regular check-ups that show a healthy body springing a healthy mind.