Your starting point has got to be to define precisely what your particular requirements are. For instance, do you need insurance cover for just yourself or do you need a plan to cover yourself and your spouse or your entire family? Of course this is a fairly simple question to answer but the next one is a bit more difficult. What precisely are your health insurance requirements? Are you and the other people who have to be included in any plan fit and healthy or are there any pre-existing conditions that will need to be taken into consideration? Is there anybody with special medical requirements or will they require treatment by specific medical specialists or in special medical institutions?

Next, you must know the options that are available to you if you are arranging cover through a group health scheme set up by your employer. Here your options will be limited to those that are provided under the plan the company is offering and this might or might not make your decision simpler. If you're not in a position to consider cover under a company's group plan then you will need to have at least a basic knowledge of the difference between a managed care plan and an indemnity plan.

An indemnity plan provides you with the freedom to select where and when you go for medical treatment. This freedom will usually be at the price of high out-of-pocket costs though in many instances this can be a good trade-off. Managed care plans, by contrast, are far more restrictive and will require you to seek treatment from practitioners and in facilities within the managed care plan's network. For any treatment that is beyond what might usually be classified as basic care you will also usually have to get prior approval. Costs within managed care plans are lower than those experienced within indemnity policies and if you're not especially concerned about where and by whom you are treated, or have to keep a close eye on medical costs, then a managed care plan could be a good choice for you. Obviously this is a very basic comparison and you would need to investigate this in more detail depending upon your own particular circumstances.

Having decided upon the sort of plan you require, the next question is how to go about selecting the best insurance provider. There are many companies offering health insurance policies today from quite small independent firms to the corporate giants with household names. As with any large purchase, and health insurance today certainly falls into this category, you have to do your research before making a final choice.

A good starting point could be to enquire of friends and colleagues or indeed your own family practitioner. The Internet will also provide a wealth of information on the huge range of health insurance companies.