Health Insurance What are my options for buying health insurance for myself or my family? By Insure.com | Posted on December 7, 2009 Why you should trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing honest and reliable information so that you can make the best financial decisions for you and your family. All of our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. We maintain strict editorial independence from insurance companies to maintain editorial integrity, so our recommendations are unbiased and are based on a comprehensive list of criteria. The best way to get health insurance is through your employer as part of a “group health insurance” plan. You’ll often have broader benefits than if you were to buy a plan yourself on the open market. Another option is to buy an “individual” health plan. Despite its name, an individual health plan can cover your whole family. Individual health plans will be priced based on your medical history and can exclude pre-existing conditions from coverage. Read tips for buying individual health coverage. See if your state’s insurance department has a health insurance shopper’s brochure that lists health plans and comparative costs. Also, if your state mandates “guaranteed issue” plans, you’ll be able to buy an individual health plan no matter what your medical conditions are. The Kaiser Family Foundation tracks which states mandate guaranteed issue health plans. Related Articles Can my parents kick me off their health insurance By Shivani Gite How to add a spouse to your health insurance plan By Huma Naeem Does my deductible start over if I change jobs? By Shivani Gite When does health insurance start at a new job? By Shivani Gite Can I drop my spouse from my health insurance at any time? By Nupur Gambhir When does health insurance expire after leaving your job? By Casey Bond