Obviously if you are offered health insurance at work or if you can obtain health insurance at group rates through some organization that you belong to, then you should probably look into such coverage since group insurance rates are almost always lower than individual rates ? plus a group insurance may accept pre-exiting conditions more readily than an individual policy will.

For more and more people, especially those working out of their homes, group insurance rates simply aren't an option. Fortunate there are still a few things you can do to keep your rates on the low side.

First and foremost, do not smoke. If you already smoke then you need to stop. You need to stop using chew, snuff or any other form of tobacco product. Period. People who do not use tobacco products pay far less for their health insurance.

Everyone knows how difficult it is to lose weight, but if you are overweight you are considered a greater health risk and so you will pay a higher monthly health insurance premium. Losing even a little weight may bump you down into a lower payment bracket, so anything you can do may save you money for years to come.

Don't participate in dangerous or extreme sports or hobbies. If you routinely participate in dangerous activities then you will either have to pay a higher insurance premium, or your extreme activity will be excluded from your coverage.

Similarly, driving a high-powered car or a sports car can also increase your health insurance premiums each month. Anything that increases the chances of your filing a health claim will increase your monthly premium.

The percentage of your co-pay will greatly influence how much your premium is. Every time you visit a doctor's office or have other health care you are expected to pay a certain percentage of the bill in cash at the time of your visit. If you increase the amount of your co-pay then you will reduce your monthly premium. This can work out especially well for people who do not see a doctor on a regular schedule.

One of the biggest determinants for the cost of your monthly health insurance premium is your deductible ? the amount of money that you will pay each year out of your own pocket before you trouble your insurance company to begin making payments. The higher your deductible the lower your monthly premium. Again, this works best for people who are generally healthy and rarely require medical care each year.

An extreme form of this is to purchase a health insurance policy with a super-high deductible of $2,000 or even $3,000. Such policies are very inexpensive and are designed to protect your home or other assets in the event that you suffer an unexpected catastrophic accident or illness that racks up medical bills in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in the blink of an eye.

Now that you know what some of your money-saving options are it's time for you to go online and start comparing different health insurance polices from a variety of different insurance companies so you can find the one that's right for you at a price that you can afford.

Take your time and make comparisons on at least 3 different websites. In this way you can be certain that you are seeing the best prices from all the companies operating in Iowa and you can be absolutely sure that you have saved money and gotten the best discount health insurance available in Iowa.