The Consumer Game

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Insuring your Health

Challenge: Chose a health insurance policy that is a good match for you and your budget.

Getting Organized:

STEP 1 Some employers provide health insurance as part of their benefit package--sorry, not yours.

STEP 2 Consider what are your (and maybe even your future family's) health care needs?


Gathering Information:

STEP 3 Read the article "Choosing a Health Care Policy for You and Your Family". This article discusses the health insurance issues you'll need to know in order to speak with a sales representative on the telephone:

    Coverage

    Choice

    Convenience

    Costs

As you read consider how each issue applies to insuring your health given your circumstances and your budget. These issues will also be the points used by your instructor to evaluate satisfactory completion of this stage in the game.

STEP 4 Use the Insurance Glossary as you do the next steps to look up "words and phrases insurance people use, but the rest of us don’t really understand."

STEP 5 Talk with at least three persons you know who have health insurance. Get three recommendations of three different reliable and reasonable insurance companies.

STEP 6 Prepare a script. Call the companies and ask questions that will give you information about the discounts you are entitled to have. Make sure you also find out how much the premiums are. You may find this worksheet helpful.


Sorting and Analyzing: Do you have enough samples to make an informed decision?

STEP 7 Organize the information you have gathered on to a chart. Use the information obtained by examining the health insurance issues (Step 3) as well as the information gathered on the "Health Insurance Worksheet".

STEP 8 Now you are ready to analyze. Arrange the criteria in order of importance to you. Label each criterion as essential preserving your health or not essential, as a potential for reducing costs or over spending?


Creating the Final Answer: Selecting the best policy for you

STEP 9 Explain to your instructor in a brief written summary, or verbally, what was the best policy for your budget.

Evaluation:


STEP 10 Explain to your instructor in a brief written summary, or verbally, how you approached the health insurance issues (step 3) to arrive reasonable health care at the lowest possible premium.


Be sure to revisit your monthly budget and adjust the monthly health insurance payment figure.  

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