Cooter, Health insurance can be very tricky. Since I live in Illinois I’m not sure about California regulations, so I recommend you contact a nearby health insurance agent. They should be able to help you.

~~We have an agent we use through Costco health insurance, however she sells all types of health insurance too (just found this out).
There are several BX/BS plans that have a huge network and can be very inexpensive, depending on your medical history.

My son is signing up for one and it is going to cost him $54 a month.
It is mostly major medical but he will have rx coverage and some doctor visit coverage. He is 25. We live in California too.

Our agent is Lisa and give her a call at 1-800-611-9057 ext# 2206

She is a super nice girl and has sure done a great job for us!~~

Check with the agent that writes your home or auto insurance he/she can provide you a health insurance proposal that takes into account your budget and health status. They can answer questions as to what is and is not covered by the policy, explain deductibles and copays and show you the hospitals and doctors that participate in the network.

You need a trusted adviser to help you through the process of purchasing health insurance so that you understand what you are purchasing. Some may suggest going on line to get a quote but you probably already know that there is much more to health insurance than price. Some might even suggest a discount plan which is not insurance at all.

Ultimately, you are the one who determines the affordability of your health insurance plan by deciding how much you will participate in sharing the cost of your health care with your insurance company.

If you choose a plan that covers everything i.e. doctors office visits, prescription drugs, preventative health benefits, maternity coverage as well as low deductibles, low copays and optional vision and dental benefits your monthly premiums will be significant.

On the other hand if you are young, healthy and use the health care system rarely you could consider a plan that covers only the major health catastrophe which will result in a relatively low monthly premium. You then can use the monthly premium savings to pay for the occasional doctor visit and still come out ahead.

Use the Internet to educate yourself but use an agent to purchase the coverage.