the Price of Health Insurance from a PPO

This is for catastrophic health insurance. Meaning that routine items like checkups or glasses aren't covered but catastrophic things like broken limbs or cancer are. The price represents the monthly premiums for a non-smoking male in his late 20s, athletic and in good health, with no known family history of chronic disease. Other policies from basic coverage to comprehensive coverage are available to suit the needs of the customer, with prices varying based on coverage desired and the risk it's necessary for the insurance company to accept.

Although I pay for my own contact lenses, teeth cleanings, and prostate exams (when they become necessary), the insurance more than paid for itself in the money I saved when I was hit in the face with a baseball, broke a tooth, and needed a root canal and crown. I was quoted a grand total of $2000 for the both, and my insurance covered it without a hiccup, a copay, or a hike in my premiums.

There's a trend toward comprehensive health insurance coverage, but the fact that everything, even the routine things, is covered means you don't have a choice but to pay more. A dentist's visit you know you're going to have over and over, like the twice a year checkup, will actually cost you more with comprehensive coverage since the insurance company is definitely going to charge you full price for services you're definitely going to use, and add on a little extra for using the insurance company's services in the process.

Consider your needs when looking for health insurance. If you're young and healthy, you probably don't need comprehensive coverage, and the potentially thousands of dollars a year you save might be better spent elsewhere.