Health insurance shares your burden of paying the thousands of dollars for serious illness. You will have to pay the whole sum out of your pocket if you do not have a medical cover. Insurance protects you financially. Health insurance extends a helping hand in protecting you and your family when you need medical care that are very expensive. Medical bill are unpredictable. So, it is best to prepare for the worst. There are two ways by which people obtain their health covers.

They are:

-> Group Healthcare Insurance Plans
-> Individual Healthcare Insurance Plans

Group Healthcare Insurance Plans:

Many people get healthcare insurance cover because their family member has insurance at work. Group insurance healthcare plans are least expensive and the most beneficial. The employer pays a part or all of the cost. Some companies offer only one healthcare insurance plan. Whereas others offer a wide choice of plans: a preferred provider organization (PPO, a health maintenance organization (HMO), or a fee-for-service plan. By law employers who employ 25 or more workers are required to offer them the chance of enrolling in an HMO. The insurance cover will be valid as long as the employee stays with the organization. It can be retained only if you wish to pay the premium all by yourself. Not every employer chooses to provide healthcare cover for its employees. If you work part-time or for small business you might not get a medical cover. In this case, contact a labor union, club, professional association or other organization to get group insurance.

Individual Healthcare Insurance Plans:

If you work for an organization that does not provide a group healthcare insurance cover you can purchase an individual health insurance policy. If the insurance offered by your employer is limited, you can choose to purchase an individual health insurance policy. But compare the options that are available with different companies. Though individual health insurance plans are narrower that group healthcare insurance plans, it's better to have one than none.

Here are a few tips that will help you while shopping for an individual healthcare insurance cover:

Research: There are different companies that offer these policies. Therefore there are plans available for everyone. Look out for the one that is easy on your pocket and the most fruitful one.

Coverage: Make sure that your insurance plan will be helpful at the time when it is most required. Read the policy thoroughly and recheck the fine prints.

Waiting period: There are plans which have waiting period before the coverage begins.

Free look clause: Many companies offer a 10 days for you to look over your policy from the time you receive it. You can return it if you feel it is not the one you need. After which your premium will be refunded.