Affordable Health Insurance

By Deanna Fené
First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- For many families, finding affordable health insurance can seem almost impossible, especially for those who recently lost a job or are self-employed. One local family turned to the internet for help.

When Becky Sosa stopped working for the Duval County school system her family suddenly found themselves without health insurance. Becky says, "It was a bit of a, 'yikes! I don't know what we're going to do.' at first." Her husband, Oscar is self-employed so they had always used her work benefits. Oscar says, "It scared me to death. My biggest fear was something would happen to someone in my family."

The Sosas have three kids who are very active and at first they thought health insurance would cost them $1,400 a month. Oscar says, "It was really hard to find an insurance plan that we could afford that could meet all of our needs."

They turned to the internet for help and a website called eHealth Insurance. The site lists different insurance plans, the costs, and it's available to buy online.

Bob Hurley is the Vice-President of eHealth Insurance. "We are a broker of health insurance. I like to think of us as a clearing house of the leading health insurance companies. The key is we present it to families in an easy to read way."

The Sosas now pay a total of $500 a month for health insurance, with a deductible of $5,000.

Becky says, "It sounds high and it is, but it's cheaper then paying $1,400 a month."

They're frustrated health insurance is so expensive, but relieved they were able to find something they could afford. Oscar says, "That was a good way for us to see what was out there."

Hurley has some advice for those looking for health insurance. He says first, make sure you look at and compare different insurance companies because each one is different and the price is different. Second, buy only what you need. He says if you don't go to the doctor very often then you don't need a plan with a $10 co-payment. And third, if you're between jobs or if you just graduated, consider a short term policy which can be very affordable.