INTRODUCTION

If you want to spark a spirited debate at your next social gathering, just try

bringing up the subject of health insurance. You will undoubtedly set off a

firestorm of opinions.

Years ago, acquiring your first health coverage was almost a right of

passage. You began your career and you were automatically enrolled in your

employers health plan after your first 90 days of employment.

That still takes place today but the health care industry has

metamorphosed into a gigantic monster gobbling up resources everywhere it

travels. Rates keep going up at an astounding pace and more employers are

cutting back on their plans or doing away with their health benefit packages

entirely.

Naturally, no one document will tell you everything you ever wanted to

know about health insurance. When it comes to health insurance there is no “one

size fits all.”

However, what will do is provide with enough knowledge to weigh the

options and make informed decisions regarding your own circumstances.

The most important tool you can have when looking for good health

insurance is knowledge. Unfortunately there aren’t too many places where you

can obtain that knowledge without having to spend months wading through the

small print.

So, before discussing the various plans that are available, we must first

grasp an understanding of the complex nature of health insurance. Therefore,

our first chapters are written specifically to help you understand the terminology

and different components involved so that you can make those informed

decisions and present it in plain English. Let’s get to it!