But without health insurance one catastrophic accident or illness can wipe out an entire generation of savings in the blink of an eye.

Health insurance costs a lot because healthcare itself costs a lot. All of our modern medical miracles are certainly amazing – but each one of them comes at a price. And, ultimately, it is the purchasers of health insurance who pay the bulk of the cost.

That's one reason so many people in Nevada are doing everything they can to find affordable health care right here in Nevada. It's not just enough to want affordable health care, or to complain about the lack of affordable health care, ultimately it comes down to taking action to find that affordable health care.

So what can you do to find affordable health care? Start by determining what kind of health coverage is most important to you and your family. Next, decide how much you can afford to pay each year for your own health care, over and above any premiums that you must pay for your health insurance.

For example, if you have very young children then you may want an insurance that pays for frequent doctor office visits. If you have very old people in your household you may want insurance that gives the best hospital coverage, or the best prescription coverage.

In other words, make a list of the kinds of health coverage that are most important to you and place them in order of importance.

And knowing how much you can afford to pay for your own medical care out of your own pocket gives you a good idea of the deductible you can afford to pay – the higher your deductible the lower your monthly premiums will be.

Now, when you go online to compare health plans and prices among various insurance companies you can more easily and quickly design a health plan which accurately reflects your family's health needs.

There may actually be a few things you can do ahead of time to help keep the cost of your health insurance as low as possible. If you smoke, stop. Smoking endangers your health and increases the cost of health insurance substantially. Likewise, if you are over weight, do whatever you can to lose weight.

Don't expect to find a health insurance plan that's absolutely perfect for you and your family at a price you can afford to pay. Such a plan may not exist. Compromises are bound to be necessary. But if you begin your search knowing ahead of time what is most important to you and your family, you stand a better chance of finding affordable health insurance right here in Nevada.