The stress and strains of everyday life takes its toll and, sooner or later, everyone ends up visiting the doctor for the mandatory health check-up. The doctor could diagnose a disease that requires treatment and, to compound the problems, you are presented with an inflated medical bill. When you face this situation you realize that health insurance is no longer a myth and individual health insurance may be exactly what the doctor ordered.

Health insurance becomes all the more necessary if you are self-employed or an employee of a small company that is not in a position to meet all your medical expenses. Deciding upon the health plan that is just right for you is no easy task. The factors that you need to consider are the diseases that the plan covers, the benefits that accrue and the deductibles that you would have to pay. So, what you need to do is to study the plans and then decide which is the best for you and your family. The two major health plans can be categorized are the managed care plan and free-for-service health plan.

Let us first focus on the managed care plans. Also known as a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), Individual Pacific Association (IPA), or Point of Service (POS) plan, these managed care plans offer moderate coverage at low prices. They cover most of the doctor