Healthcare can be really pricey, especially if you’re the one responsible for getting your own insurance. You want something affordable, but it still needs to cover the essentials—because, let’s face it, that’s the whole point of having insurance. Here are some tips to help you find a plan that fits your needs and budget.

**Think About Your Specific Needs**
Just like any other insurance, there are tons of different health insurance plans, each with its own coverage options. Start by thinking carefully about what you need. Are you mainly interested in coverage for severe illnesses that might land you in the hospital, or do you also want to cover regular office visits? Are you generally healthy or do you have conditions that require frequent doctor visits? Do you need expensive medications covered?

**Increase Your Out-of-Pocket Costs to Lower Premiums**
The more you’re willing to pay out of pocket, the lower your monthly premiums will be. For health insurance, this might mean opting for higher co-pays for office visits and prescriptions. The biggest way to save is by choosing a higher deductible—the amount you’ll need to pay before your insurance kicks in. But be careful: don’t choose a deductible so high that you wouldn’t be able to pay it if you needed to use your insurance.

**Set Up a Health Savings Account (HSA)**
A Health Savings Account (HSA) can be a great way to lower your insurance costs. It offers tax benefits and lets you save money for medical expenses like deductibles and co-pays. This can help you afford a plan with a higher deductible, which typically costs a lot less than standard health insurance plans. Essentially, this kind of policy is designed to protect you from really big medical bills, which is often what worries people most about health insurance. There are many plans tailored to work with an HSA.

**Check the Maximum Benefits**
Most insurance plans have a cap on how much they’ll pay out over the life of the policy. Make sure you know what that limit is. Some very low-cost plans might also have very low maximums, which can be used up quickly if you face a serious illness. Look for plans that have an “add back” feature, which adds a certain amount of coverage back each year as it’s used.

**Buy Insurance When You’re Healthy**
The healthier you are when you buy insurance, the more affordable your policy will be. Plus, if you develop health issues later, you’ll already have coverage. Health insurance isn’t like car insurance, where you only buy it when you need it. Getting an affordable health policy after you’ve developed a health problem can be really tough, if not impossible.

By following these tips, you can find a health insurance plan that meets your needs without breaking the bank.