Yin and Yang come to mind, when I’m pondering health insurance. Two separate parts that are opposite, but cannot exist without one another. With that said, it is extremely important that you stay healthy and are protected, should you need medical attention. This is pretty much inevitable, as at one point or another you are going to get sick and I can guarantee it’s going to whack you when you least expect it.

Paying your health insurance premium each month may be enough to keep your policy in-force, but there are other steps you should take in order to keep the policy affordable year after year and to make sure you use it to its fullest.

There will come a time when you need to contact the customer service department of your health insurance company, whether it is because you have a question about what your policy covers or because you need a precertification for a medical procedure. But having all your ducks in a row before you call is a good idea because it will help your phone call go smoother and ensure that you get the information you need in just one phone call – because calling an insurance company 2 or more times in one day probably isn’t on anyone’s list of fun activities.

When you leave your job, and your group health insurance plan, you have the option of taking COBRA coverage or buying your own, individual health insurance policy. Before you do, you need to determine which option is best for you.

The new healthcare reform bill may have had an unintended side effect. Because the new laws allow children to stay on their parent’s insurance plans longer, allows people with pre-existing conditions to get coverage (starting in 2014), allows children with pre-existing conditions to get coverage now, and allows some people to avoid the system altogether and take advantage of Medicare, insurance companies are complaining that they need to raise rates in order to cover the additional costs and possible lost premiums.

Health Savings Accounts are often spoken of with reverence, as though these $5,000-per year contributory accounts are the saviors of the U.S. healthcare system and can be an adequate substitute for many health insurance plans. While a $5,000 a year contribution will hardly help pay for transplants and heart surgery, these accounts should not be overlooked as a helpful tool. They do provide many benefits, if you simply know how to utilize them.

If you’ve been inside a Walgreens drug store lately, you may have noticed a little office peeking out from the wall around the pharmacy. A glance inside this office will have shown you a person in a white jacket doing things suspiciously similar to those that a doctor routinely does.

When you work for a traditional employer, there are some perks. There is vacation days, sick days, access to corporate training events, educational reimbursement, and of course, group health insurance. Group health insurance offered by traditional employers has many benefits. There is no individual underwriting so if you have pre-existing conditions you won’t be denied coverage (although they can impose waiting limits and exclusions for limited periods of time).