When you are shopping for a health insurance quote one of the things you might consider is a group health insurance policy. But you should know that there are many drawbacks to group health insurance policies that can adversely affect you and your family.

Your current and past health history is the most important consideration to a health insurer’s underwriting department when determining what to charge you for your policy and whether or not to issue a policy at all. That means that the illnesses you have suffered, injuries you have endured and medications you are taking will affect your health insurance quotes. But why should your health affect the rates for your health insurance policy?

Two of the most commonly purchased forms of health insurance are Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans and Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans. Both employers and the private health insurers offer this choice. But to the average consumer, these words and letters don’t accurately describe the differences between these two insurance types. Before you get your next health insurance quote, you need to understand the differences so you can determine which plan is best for you and your family.

If you learn nothing else about health insurance before you look for health insurance quotes online, you should learn the following three things.