Flying Solo - Taking On Individual Health Insurance

Up until recently, most people got their health insurance through their employers. The company they worked for chose a provider and a set of options within that company, and it was provided for their employees. Fewer people have group coverage today due to economic reasons and growing costs of health care and medical procedures. As more companies cut their health care programs, more people are finding their own individual health insurance plans. While it requires a little more time and research, there are many advantages to choosing your own plan.
Options
With an individual plan, you are able to choose the provider, options, and details that work best for you and your family. There are seemingly infinite options offered by numerous organizations, and many people who may or may not qualify for their company's medical insurance are forced to find their own providers that meet their needs.
Freedom
The ability to switch plans and companies is important for many people, as trying out different options may be part of the process of finding the right one. In addition, when you have your own health insurance, you don't have to worry about losing coverage if you switch jobs or lose your job. This allows you to choose your job based off of your needs and goals, not based off of the benefits you receive.
Independence
When you go with group insurance, you allow your employer to have control over your health care options. For example, many women would like access to birth control but are under group insurance that does not cover birth control. With an individual plan, you're able to cater your coverage to your own values and priorities.
Doctors
Many group plans only allow you to see certain doctors; with individual coverage, you can see the doctors you trust and visit the hospitals you already know.
Who Gets Individual Health Care?
As mentioned above, fewer employers today offer group insurance than in the past. Traditionally, individual plans were reserved for people who were between jobs, self-employed, fresh off of their parents' coverage, or who just worked for a company that didn't offer coverage (whether they didn't offer it at all or certain employees didn't qualify). Today, the number of people working for companies without coverage is growing, as are the numbers of self-employed individuals.
Group health insurance generally has the benefit of being partially or fully funded by your employer, but it can keep you in an unsatisfying job for fear of losing coverage and can also get you stuck in a situation that doesn't meet all of your needs. Many people feel overwhelmed when presented with the mass array of providers and the various plans that each one offers. When considering moving to an individual plan, it may be worth trying to work with a local agency to find one that meets your needs, both medically and financially.

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