When it come to choosing health insurance it is vitally important that you begin by looking at the 'basics' of a health insurance plan, before moving on to 'secondary' considerations.

The basics of any health insurance plan, whether it is for an individual, a family or a group of individuals, means the cost of the plan, what is covered by the plan and how much the plan pays towards covered services.

Secondary consideration will then cover a host of extras and options which an insurance company might offer and could include such things as vision coverage, dental coverage, long-term care, and cover for a range of disabilities. Secondary considerations will also include and requirements of the insurance company that you seek treatment from hospitals and doctors on the insurance company's approved list. Finally, secondary considerations will include the standing of the insurance company and its ranking amongst consumer groups, together with such things as its reputation for customer care and the speed and efficiency with which it deals with paperwork and settles claims.

Many people become unstuck when it comes to choosing a suitable health insurance plan, either for themselves or their family, because their attention is diverted towards the secondary considerations and they end up with a plan that provides them with dental cover or vision cover but which does not then provide them with the necessary range of basic medical services or ends up costing them an arm and a leg. So, whatever plan you choose, make sure that it covers all of the basics, even if it then provides no cover beyond that.

Once you've narrowed your search down to several possibilities, all of which cover the basics, then is the time to start looking at secondary considerations and deciding just what is important to you and your family. This is something that you need to think about carefully and it is important to evaluate each aspect carefully.

For example, it might be very nice to have a policy that offers dental care but, if the price you pay for this is that the company has a poor reputation for processing paperwork and is slow to settle bills, this might not turn out to be such a good choice. Similarly, dental coverage might seem to be appealing but if you've just got your kids over their fear of the dentist, which is often quite a feat, you may not be too happy to find that the family dentist you've been using for the past five years is not on the insurance company's list of approved dentists for your new policy.

The secret to choosing health insurance is not to rush into a policy in response to some clever advertising or in response to a fast talking salesman, but to sit down and think carefully about just what you can afford to pay for health insurance and exactly what cover you must have and what would be desirable. Then carefully sift through a number of policies from a range of different companies and match what they are offering to what you need and want.