Health insurance is a must have in this era. But healthcare costs may give you a little heartache, too, because of the rising costs. However, a few people go without it simply because they can’t afford the expensive monthly premiums. Top healthcare sharing plans can help you save some costs, so people are looking for alternatives to health insurance.
If you are not eyeing traditional health insurance, we can suggest some alternatives and tips to help save money on health insurance. In this post, we shall share those, so keep reading.
Count on Employer’s Insurance
Employers can provide insurance to employees, which is one way to save money. But don’t think it comes for free, there will be a little charge that you might have to pay. However, the charges paid will be cheaper than individual health insurance plans.
In many cases, group health insurance also covers the children in the family or the spouse. Getting group health insurance will be a great plan for you and the entire family. You could ask your employer to provide insurance as that is an additional yet useful perk. This way you will be able to save the premium.
Start at a Young Age
Health insurance premiums rise with age. The older you are, the higher the premium will be.
Insurance is not just for older people – that’s the biggest myth. You should invest now to reap the benefits as soon as you start aging.
Speak to the insurance agents about the monthly premium based on the coverage you need and your age. The sooner you start, the better it will be.
Think of Low-Cost Solutions
Cheap insurance policies do not need to be a good investment. If you need a policy, you can think of different investment options. There are health care sharing plans wherein the traditional system does not work. Although there is no guarantee about getting coverage, health care sharing plans work on the belief that you will be covered.
The health-sharing plans are mostly faith-based. In these plans, you get to join as a member, and every member gives a monthly contribution towards medical expenses that may come up for any member of the organization or group. The premiums or monthly payout is lower than traditional health insurance plans.
This plan will work well for you if you enjoy good health. Otherwise, you need a plan covering different diseases and illnesses.
The group also ensures that they follow a healthy lifestyle so that only emergencies require members to pay medical bills.
Create an Emergency Fund
You can save some money towards medical emergencies. This can be a separate bank account. Ideally, start saving money early. If you are in your 20s, you have to start with some amount in your emergency medical fund.
This ensures you have some money to spend when someone in the family gets sick or is admitted to a hospital.
You could take out money from this fund anytime and not have to ask anyone for approval. It works if you have been saving for quite some time. So, ideally, you should start saving in your 20s.
Let this account go untouched so that nobody can use the funds for other expenses.
Take Care of Your Health
You may have noticed that cigarette packs have an advisory against smoking. Then still, people tend to smoke, and some even empty two to three packs a day.
Whether it is smoking or excessive drinking, both should be avoided. Even eating too much junk can cause obesity. You need to take better care of your health so that you don’t reach that stage where you need thousands of dollars just to pay medical bills. While a health-sharing plan is the best option for those who don’t have too much money to spend on insurance premiums, we suggest taking better care of your health.
It’s fairly easy – you can walk 10k steps daily, eat healthy home-cooked meals, sleep 7 to 8 hours daily, and drink enough water. These are simple things you can embrace to take care of your health.
Comparing Health Insurance Plans
If your heart is set on a health insurance plan, you must be prepared to pay high premiums. But don’t let that disappoint you. You will be surprised when you compare the pricing of different health insurance plans.
Ideally, you must compare and sit with different insurance agents and then choose a plan.
Use the above-mentioned tips to save on health insurance. If you can’t afford the traditional route, opt for health care sharing plans to save more and have an emergency fund in place.
