When is the Best Time to Get Health Insurance?

That sounds like a weird question. It sounds like we want to know if we should get it in the Winter after a case of winter flu? Or maybe in the Spring when our allergies kick in? Or perhaps on a Friday after a long week at work? No, that's not the point. The best time to get health insurance is when you are healthy.

We are an insurance brokerage, and get hundreds of calls every year asking for insurance, both international health insurance and domestic health insurance. Often their great motivating factors: I have an ulcer. I am pregnant. I can't pay for my prescription medication. I need to go to the doctor.

The worst time to try to get insurance is when you are sick or need to see the doctor. Sometimes a person will say, "I just don't know what is wrong with me." That is worse than having an ulcer, and it will be a certain decline on an insurance application. Insurance companies want to always know what the health problem is, i.e., what they are insuring.

The best time to get insurance is when you are healthy. Usually young men don't think that they need insurance. They will say, "I never get sick." If you are certain one hundred percent that you will never get sick, then you don't need health insurance. But who knows that?

Someone will say, "I am 52 and have never been sick and have never had insurance." You have been very fortunate. However, you may get sick tomorrow. And the odds of you having major medical problems increase with age; and over the age of 50 the odds increase dramatically.

If you develop a medical condition, it is going to be very difficult to get insurance or good insurance with a pre-existing medical condition.

If you are now healthy, this is the best time for you to get insurance. Insurance brokerages such as ours can skillfully navigate you through health insurance plan options.