Health insurance is a basic need of most American families today: After all, a medical emergency can strike at any time, no matter how healthy you are, and without medical insurance, the results can be financially disastrous. Fortunately, in California family health insurance is generally affordable if you know how to shop.
When looking for family health insurance in California, you'll generally find it categorized under "Individual and Family Health Insurance". Some health insurance companies' family health insurance plans allow consumers to tailor their health insurance plan to the specific needs of each family member.
For example, Blue Cross of California offers the Family Elect Program. The Family Elect Program allows families to choose the best health insurance coverage for their family under one application. Each individual family member can choose a different health insurance plan. For instance, mom and dad can opt for PPO coverage while the children are enrolled into HMO plans.
Such flexibility is often ideal for families because each family member tends to have different and specific health insurance needs, so you may want to opt for a plan like the Family Elect Program that gives you more freedom of choice with family health insurance in California. To find the best deal, you must be proactive. Sit down and make a list of your family health insurance priorities. For example, how much can you afford to pay in monthly premiums? Do you want a low or a high deductible?
In addition, how important is it that you retain the current doctors you see? If you must stay with your current doctors, you're going to have to shop for a family health insurance plan in California that will allow you to continue to go to them. If you're open to going to another doctor, you may have more options.
If you or any member of your family has a preexisting medical condition, find out whether or not there's a waiting period before coverage with your family health insurance plan goes into effect for that preexisting condition. Many health insurance companies have a mandatory six month waiting period for coverage of preexisting conditions unless you and your family have had continuous health insurance coverage.
Some experts recommend that, when shopping for family health insurance, you consider opting for a plan that is eligible for a Health Savings Account (HSA). The catch is while you'll have lower monthly premiums for your family health insurance plan; you'll have a higher deductible. You can use the funds in your HSA to pay for most medical expenses not already covered by your family health insurance plan.