In most cases large metropolitan areas have a big advantage over smaller rural towns because of the competition between doctors. Everyone wants your business and they're willing to sacrifice a bit in order to get it, however, you still get a better deal from a small town country doctor. A lot of these guys just appreciate the business. I know this is true because we recently moved from the Phoenix, Arizona area to a small town in Oklahoma where we can now see a doctor for only $30 per visit. However, doctor visits are not the primary reason for having health insurance.

The main purpose of health insurance is to make certain that you're covered in case of a hospital visit or stay. The cost of a hospital stay for any amount of time will just about bankrupt most families without insurance. Some costs exceed $1000 per day and that's being generous. Also, that could be just the cost of the room alone and doesn't include ambulance, physician costs, medications, etc. and on, and on. Without some type of medical insurance you are just about dead in the water if you have to go for a lengthy hospital stay.

You can usually save a substantial amount of money on health insurance by just carrying a higher deductible. I know, I know. That means you have to pay more out of pocket when you see the doctor, but if you think about it this really isn't true, it only seems that way. How many times per year to you actually visit the doctor? Once, twice? That's actually about the average per person to visit the doctor. Most people go once for an annual checkup and then they'll actually get sick about one-time per year and go and get a prescription for cold medicine or whatever the case may be. This being the case, this really shouldn't cost you all that much out of pocket as long as you're prepared for it.

The moral of the story here? Don't be afraid to carry a higher deductible, just make sure that you have a few dollars put away to see the doctor a couple times a year. You should easily be able to put that way because of the amount of money that you're saving each month on your premiums. Check it out for yourself. I think you'll see that I'm right.