According to U.S. Census figures more than 15% of all Missouri residents do not have any health care coverage – and that number is rising at an alarming rate each year.

Families without health care insurance run the very real risk of a catastrophic accident or illness wiping out everything they have worked their whole life to accumulate, all in the blink of an eye.

Don’t let that happen to you. If the cost of health care insurance is preventing you from getting coverage, here are a few simple tips that may help you find the means to protect yourself from the worst that a major illness or accident could do to you and your loved ones.

If your work offers a group health insurance you should seriously consider it, especially if you or any member of your family has a pre-existing condition, smokes or is overweight. State law here in Missouri prevents an insurance company from excluding an individual or charging any individual more under a group policy, regardless of their risk factors.

Unfortunately the same is not true if you purchase an individual policy. If you need to purchase an individual policy then make sure you are in the best health possible. Don’t smoke or use any tobacco product. If you already smoke, now’s the time to quit. If you’re overweight, let this be your clarion call to finally make the commitment to drop those extra pounds. It’s not easy – in fact for most people it almost seems impossible – but if you succeed the payoff is a healthier life and a lower health care bill for years to come.

If your job is considered dangerous, or if you drive a fast, sporty car, consider making some permanent changes in your life. Anything which puts your life at risk is going to increase your monthly heath insurance costs.

Many families who can just barely afford health care do so by purchasing a policy with a very high deductible. They no longer think of their health care in terms of paying (or even partially paying) for routine doctor office visits or other run-of-the-mill health costs. Instead they count on their high-deducible insurance to protect their assets in case of a catastrophic accident or illness that would otherwise wipe them out financially.

But whether you buy a policy with a super-high deductible or buy a policy with a more moderate deductible, the more you are willing to pay out of your own pocket for your own health care – in other words, the higher your policy’s deductible – the lower your monthly health care insurance premiums will be.

So now it’s time for you to get online and start comparing prices and policies. There are several websites which will allow you to compare health care costs here in Missouri; just keep in mind that in order for you to truly compare low cost health insurance in Missouri, you will need to make your comparisons on at least 3 different websites. If it sounds like a lot of work, that’s because it is – but the money you will save will make whatever time you spend searching out the lowest cost health insurance well worth the effort.

My recommended sites here:

Low Cost Health Insurance Quotes in Missouri
Free Instant Health Insurance Quotes Online