According to statistics from the Oregon Department of Insurance, more than half the people in Oregon either cannot afford health insurance or find paying for health insurance a hardship each month. For almost a quarter of all people who have health insurance, their premiums eat up almost twenty-five percent of their monthly spendable income.

This means finding affordable Health Insurance is a necessity for tens of thousands of Oregon families.

The best way for many families to begin their search for affordable health insurance in Oregon is online. Many sites exist which allow consumers to directly compare health plans from a multitude of insurance companies side-by-side.

But no matter which plan you ultimately choose, there are a few things you can do to help bring the cost of health insurance down.

First and foremost – don't smoke or use tobacco products. Tobacco users are charged considerably more for health insurance than non-smokers.

Next, sit down and carefully think about your family's health needs. What kinds of health services are most important to your family. For example, do you have lots of prescriptions? Do you make frequent visits to the doctor's office? Do you anticipate any hospital stays in the coming year? Does anyone in your family have a special medical need?

Once you know what health insurance benefits are most important to you and your family then you can get online and begin tailoring policies to fit your specific needs – and easily compare prices.

Keep in mind that one way families have of controlling their health insurance costs is by increasing or decreasing the amount of their policy's deductible. The deductible is the amount of money you have to pay out of your own pocket before your insurance policy begins to pay for your medical needs.

The higher your deductible the lower your monthly premium payment.

Finding the perfect health insurance policy at a price you can afford may be an impossibility – but if you are willing to make trade-offs and compromise here and there, it should be possible to find affordable health insurance for you and your family.