Many people think the very idea of affordable health insurance is an impossibility. And it's small wonder when over 50% of all families in New Jersey admit that paying for health insurance is a severe burden on the family budget and almost 17% of all New Jersey residents are without health insurance of any kind because they simply cannot afford to pay the monthly premiums.

There's no denying that health insurance is expensive, however, if you have children 18 years of age or younger and they are not covered by any health insurance there is a good chance that they (and possibly even you) can qualify for super low-cost health insurance through a state program known as New Jersey Family Care. You can learn more at

Fortunately for the rest of us there are several steps you can take to help reduce the cost of your health insurance and possibly bring it down to an affordable level.

We'll start with the two most difficult things first. Stop smoking and lose weight. If you smoke or use any form of tobacco (such as chew) you will never get truly affordable health care in New Jersey - or anywhere else for that matter. This is simply a fact and there is no getting around it.

The same goes for being overweight. While it may be even more difficult to lose weight than it is to stop smoking, if you are overweight you have one advantage over the smoker - all you need to do is to lose a little bit of weight and you may slip down into a lower price-bracket for your insurance coverage and that could save you hundreds of dollars each year.

There is one possible way around losing weight and stopping smoking and that is if you can find a group health insurance plan that doesn't exclude smokers or people who are overweight. Obviously your employer is the first place you think of when it comes to finding a group health plan, but even if your employer doesn't offer group health coverage you may still be able to qualify through an organization you belong to - such as Kiwanis, or Key Club, or the Elks or Masons or even many churches have a group health insurance plan for their members. Start looking around and asking questions.

Don't participate in dangerous or extreme sports or hobbies of any kind. If you go out of your way to put your health at risk you certainly can't expect to get the most affordable health insurance.

If you have other insurance policies, such as life insurance, or homeowner's insurance, or auto insurance combine all your policies with the same company. Doing so should give you a rather nice Multi-Policy Discount on your health insurance.

If you've had a health insurance policy with the same company for at least 5 years ask about a Long-Term Policy Deduction. Every little bit adds up!

What is your current percentage of co-payment? Many people pay a 20% or 25% co-payment each time they visit a doctor's office. If you can increase your co-payment to 50% that will save you a considerable amount on your monthly health insurance premium. Obviously this strategy works best for people who do not see their doctor on a regular basis.

When was the last time you adjusted your deductible? Obviously changing your deductible must be a careful decision and must weigh many considerations, but if you can afford to increase the amount of money that you are willing to pay each year out of your own pocket for your health care before you bother your insurance company to kick in, then you can save money on your premium payment each and every month.

So now you know how to put together a health insurance policy that will save you the most money possible right from the start. But were not quite finished yet.

Now you need to take that "super" policy you've just created and compare the cost of that policy from every insurance company that offers health care insurance in New Jersey. Take your time and make your comparisons on at least 3 different online websites dedicated to finding the best price for health insurance in New Jersey.

If you'll make your comparisons on at least 3 different websites then you can feel certain that you have seen prices from as many different insurance companies as possible and you can take the lowest price and know that you really have gotten the most affordable health insurance in New Jersey.