Finding Affordable Health Care Online in New Jersey

Everyone knows that health insurance costs are rising rapidly, to the point where many people cannot afford to buy health insurance on the open market. In the state of New Jersey, nearly 17% of residents do not have any kind of health insurance. If you are one of them, or if you are trying to find a more affordable plan, read on to find out what resources you have.

First, if you have children age 18 or younger and cannot afford insurance for them, you might qualify for the New Jersey Family Care Program, a state-sponsored insurance program that covers low income residents. In fact,

you might qualify for coverage under the Program as well. You can apply online at http://www.njfamilycare.org/. The site also has links explaining what NJ Family Care covers, how much it costs, and what to do if you need help filling out the application.

If you have insurance but are dismayed at the seemingly never ending upward spiral in premium costs, there are things you can do as an individual to help bring those premiums down. A warning, however: some of these steps require hard work and discipline on your part.

1. Start by making lifestyle changes. You've heard it a million times before, but stop smoking. Smokers pay much more for health insurance on the open market. You need to give up other tobacco products as well. Sure, it's hard, but it makes an enormous difference. Your pocketbook will thank you as well.

2. Keep your weight within the normal range for your height and body type. A body mass index, or BMI, that is too high can also cost you more in health insurance premiums. You may not have to lose drastic amounts of weight, just enough to bring down your BMI to a level that is healthier. You can calculate your BMI online at the National Institutes of Health website at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/.

3. Have a reasonably high credit score. You're probably wondering, "What? I thought this was an article about health insurance." Well, believe it or not, your record of paying back money you borrow affects health insurance premiums. This is one more good reason to get the free FICO credit score from each of the three credit reporting bureaus once a year. That way if there is a mistake on your credit report causing a lower score, you can get it rectified as soon as possible. Information on finding out your FICO score can be found online at http://annualcreditreport.com.

4. Find out if you can consolidate insurance plans, such as homeowner's, health, and automobile policies under one provider in order to qualify for a multi-policy discount. If you have had health insurance with the same company for five years or more, you should ask your insurance company if they offer a long term policyholder's discount.

5. Find out if you qualify for a group health plan. Even if insurance is not offered by the company you work for, you may have access to other groups that qualify for group health insurance rates. Professional societies, clubs, groups, even some churches offer group health insurance, which is much less expensive than paying the "rack rate" for your own individual policy.

6. Consider raising your co-payment. If your co-payment is less than half the cost of a doctor's visit, you may want to increase it. Sure, it will cost you more out of your pocket up front, but it may result in a lower premium every month. This works out well if you do not see your doctor very many times in a year and are reasonably healthy.

7. Can you get a plan with a higher deductible? Your deductible is the money that you pay for healthcare up front. It has to reach a certain limit before your health insurance kicks in. While it may seem counterintuitive to offer to pay more before your insurance starts covering you, in the long run, the larger your deductible, the lower the monthly premium you'll have.

The state of New Jersey has a website, http://www.state.nj.us/health/aids/keepins.shtml, that offers information about how to obtain health insurance, and how to keep insurance even if you lose your job. This is a good starting place for finding out your options for saving on health insurance in New Jersey. And in many cases, you can apply for insurance right online, which could save you time, money, and frustration.