Whether you have lost a job that provided health insurance or you are just in a position where you need to buy your own individual insurance in Tennessee, it is something that you can do on your own. According to the Insurance Division of the Tennessee State Department of Commerce and Insurance, there are more than 1,700 insurance companies that are licensed to do business in the state of Tennessee as of June 2010. Of course, not all of those companies sell health insurance.
Instructions
1. Get free quotes for Tennessee individual insurance on the NetQuote and eHealthInsurance websites (see Resources). Just enter in your Tennessee zip code and fill out the coverage questionnaire to see the quote results. Tennessee individual insurance companies that you will get quotes from include Aetna, BlueCross and BlueShield of Tennessee, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna.
2. Review the quotes to see what is and is not covered by the plans you have been quoted. For instance, some plans may not offer maternity coverage. Make sure that the coverage that you need is listed on the plans with quotes that are in your price range.
3. Take a look at the deductible and co-pay amounts. Typically, the higher the deductible, the lower the monthly premium. Just keep in mind that the deductible is the amount you have to pay for medical services before your insurance starts paying anything at all. Eliminate any plans that have deductible and co-pay amounts that do not meet your needs.
4. Contact your doctor and ask if he accepts the Tennessee insurance that you are considering purchasing. If you have a doctor in Tennessee that you want to keep, then you should make sure that the doctor is in the network for the insurance plan you are thinking about buying.
5. Call the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance at 800-342-4029 to make sure that the insurance company you are thinking about buying from is licensed in Tennessee. Also, check to see if there have been any complaints made about the insurance company.
6. Buy the Tennessee insurance plan after checking it out by selecting "Apply" on the insurance quote website that you used. When you do this, your application will be sent to the insurance company for review. Typically, you must enter your checking account number on the application so that the insurance company can process your payment once it is done reviewing the application.
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