Health care insurance does not need to be as expensive as you may think. Everyone is different, so the key to saving money is selecting the plan that accurately reflects the historical health status of you and your family, yet still provides enough coverage in case of accident or major illness.Are you or will you soon be shopping for health care insurance? Do you know the questions to ask or what to look for to get the best policy for you and your family’s needs? Asking the right questions of yourself and the various providers who offer health care insurance is critical to getting the kind of plan you need and can afford. Here are some questions to guide you as you review your options:1. Do you need short- or long-term health care insurance? If you are between jobs, for instance, but planning to seek another position with a company that most likely offers good insurance, you may only need a short-term plan. But if you are self-employed, you may be looking for something more long term.2. Do you want basic coverage just in case of an emergency like surgery or a major illness like cancer or are you looking for more comprehensive coverage such as annual physicals or ongoing care for a chronic condition?3. Are there any women or girls in your household of childbearing age? Are any of them physically able to have children? Even if one or more of the girls are minor children you don’t expect to have a child, you can’t be absolutely certain an unplanned pregnancy won’t become an issue in the future. If so, you may want to be sure maternity coverage is included because prenatal care and delivery of a child can be quite expensive without it.4. Do you have young children? Young children usually require frequent doctor visits for well baby exams, immunizations, and school physicals for sports, and they are also more apt to require walk-in or emergency care for illnesses like ear infections or strep throat, scrapes or broken bones, falls, and other injuries. If these kinds of things aren’t covered by your policy, they can really add up over time.5. How often do you anticipate you and/or your family members will use medical services?6. Are you or any family members taking any prescription medications on a long-term basis? If so, how much do these prescriptions cost if you need to pay for them entirely out of pocket?7. How much is the most you can afford to pay for uncovered medical and/or prescription expenses over the course of a year? You want to be sure your deductible, along with your co-pays, is less than this maximum amount. At the same time, you need to be sure your insurance premium is affordable for you and your family.8. How much can you afford to pay for a monthly premium for health insurance? How much coverage will this provide?9. What are the different cost scenarios if you consider different deductible levels? For instance, higher deductibles usually come with higher co-pays, too, but they also have lower premiums.10. Which combination of deductible, co-pays, and health care insurance premiums best meets your family’s medical and financial circumstances?By answering these questions, you can make a thorough assessment of you and your family’s health care insurance needs and also compare various health care insurance options or plans to select the one that best meets those needs.