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When you’re trying to find health insurance, it often helps to have a selection of resources readily available so you cut down the time you spent meandering around online (or in the phone book), trying to find an appropriate health insurance provider. With that in mind, why don’t you the look at the following 7 essential resources that should be found in every smart health insurance buyer’s guide.

Here they are:

1. About.com: Health Insurance

http://healthinsurance.about.com/

This web resource, a entire guide dedicated to helping visitors make informed health insurance buying decisions, is a popular stop on About.com. Be sure you stop here and browse through this dynamic and comprehensive resource when you get serious about finding good health insurance coverage.

2. EHealthInsurance.com

http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/individual-health-insurance/resources/buyers-guide/

Created by the top-ranking website, eHealthInsurance.com, this buyer’s guide can be viewed online or downloaded straight to your computer for later viewing. It provides a five-step approach to finding affordable health insurance. It’s packed with useful and well-organized information relating to the insurance buying process.

3. Know the State Insurance Laws http://www.healthinsuranceindepth.com/individual-state-guides.html

When you start looking at insurance, you should find out soon enough that the health insurance industry is heavily regulated at the state-by-state level. Therefore, there are differences in insurance laws and related policies that you should take into account when you’re ready to buy coverage.

4. Online insurance quote calculators

http://www.insure.com/articles/healthinsurance/individual-health-coverage.html

Insurance quote calculators come in a variety of styles and may incorporate a wide range of features. The one included here allows you to browse and compare insurance rates in multiple states. It’s not unusual to find these calculators on insurance websites or other forums that are committed to equipping buyers with as much information as possible about the health insurance industry. Cost calculators provide a valuable short-cut to the process and are definitely an essential resource that should be a part of any health insurance buyer’s guide.

5. National Association of Health Underwriters http://www.nahu.org/consumer/healthcare/index.cfm

Created by the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), the Health Access Database was compiled as a resource to aid the millions of Americans across the country trying to find health insurance coverage they could afford. The database is split into different components, each on catering to specific needs related to finding and purchasing health insurance. You can find more about employer-based health insurance coverage, coverage options for individuals, getting assistance in obtaining the coverage, as well as a quick reference list of important insurance contacts.

6. Contact the State Department of Insurance

You should be able to get reasonable customer service at one of the state department of insurance bureaus. Most are well informed about the different types of insurance products available in their individual states. As a resource, they can help you avoid those companies that aren’t good matches so you are concentrating your buying efforts on the best-suited companies and products.

7. Work with a broker or an insurance agent

Finally, you may want to get the advice or assistance of agents or brokers. They are great resources when you want to know the available health insurance products in the market. They help buyers to locate affordable health insurance deals.

These are some essential resources, but you might discover others along the way. Go ahead and add them to your guide. They might come in handy.

Shaun Kilgore writes about how to become a medical lab tech online.