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Health insurance plan costs can be a little bit complicated if you are not familiar with them and many people are surprised that, having paid what they consider to be an enormous premium, they then get stuck with a bill the first time they try to make a claim. So, before you are hit with a large medical bill, it is worth just taking a moment to understand what sort of costs you can expect to incur on your health insurance policy.

Premium. The first and most obvious cost is the plan premium which is the amount you will pay monthly (or occasionally quarterly or annually) for the benefits covered under your health insurance plan. If you are a member of a group insurance plan arranged by your employer or a union then you will normally only be required to meet a percentage of the premium.

The Deductible. Most health insurance policies will includes an annual deductible and it is very important that you understand the details of any deductible applied to your policy. A deductible is a sum of money that you will have to find yourself before the insurance company begins paying out on any claims. In other words, if your annual deductible is $1,000 then you will need to pay the first $1,000 in medical bills each year before the insurance company will start paying out. As with other forms of insurance, such as car insurance, the higher the deductible on your policy the lower your premiums will be. A family health insurance plan will typically include multiple deductibles for the various members covered under the plan.

The Co-payment. A co-payment is a fixed sum of money that you will have to pay on each medical bill. The amount of the co-payment differs according to the type of health insurance plan you have and is typically lower on an HMO plan than it is on an indemnity plan. The co-payment can also vary for different types of medical service and, if you are a member of an HMO plan, will normally increase if you seek treatment outside of the HMO network.

Co-Insurance. Co-Insurance is the sum of money, expressed at a percentage, that you will be responsible for paying on each medical bill. A common policy ratio is 80/20 which means that the insurance company will pay 80% of a claim and you will pay 20%. This percentage will often increase if you are a member of an HMO plan and go outside of the HMO's network. In addition, where a claim exceeds what the insurance company considers to be "reasonable and customary" for the treatment undertaken you may be required to meet the additional cost.

As you can see comparing health insurance plans is about much more than simply comparing premiums and it is vitally important whenever you request a quote, particularly if you are asking for a quote online, that you fully understand the range of costs involved.

To keep costs low in an HMO plan always try to stay within the HMO's network and, if you go outside the network, then be careful to compare the actual cost of treatment against what the insurance company considers "reasonable and customary" before undergoing treatment. You can also control costs by raising or lowering the deductible on many policies and by selecting higher or lower co-insurance. Be careful though to balance these against the likelihood that you will need to claim on the policy.

To find a suitable family health insurance quote or a low cost health insurance plan then there is no better place to start your search than right here on the Internet.

If you have a website about a topic you enjoy, you can make money from discussion forums. Talk, post links to your site, get traffic. Traffic means money, right? If not, try different affiliate programs or Google Adwords. The worst sites should get a couple cents per visitor. Now here's how to talk and make money.

Search "forum" plus the topic of your site on Google or Alta Vista. For my first site, I searched "backpacking + forum" and in the pages of results I found several good forums. I also searched related topics like "hiking" too. You can also check about.com, and other sites that have forums on many topics.

Registration is usually giving your email address and choosing a password. Some forums allow guests to post without registering. Once registered, browse the forum topics, and post a response to anything, just to "learn the ropes".

Income From Discussion Forums

The point of posting in forums is to get readers to come to your web site. Sure it's fun to give advice and discuss things of interest to you, but that's secondary. With that in mind, do the following:

1. Always link to your site. If they don't allow any links, find another forum.

2. Don't "spam." Sales pitches will be removed. Offer honest advice, or express an opinion, then sign off with your name and the link to your site.

3. Ask for help from others. This is an effective and acceptable way to "advertise." Enter a topic like "Can I get some advice?" and post something like, "I just started a meditation site. If some of you would visit and tell me what you think, I'd really appreciate it." Have a link to the site. People love to help, and to give opinions, and they'll click on those ads while they're at your site.

4. Look at total "views." Many forums show the total times each "thread" has been viewed. When you see some with many more than others, get in on those, or start a new thread on the same topic. Go where the traffic is, and get some of it.

I didn't like the idea of forums until I made a few posts, and saw my traffic and revenue climb for days afterwards. That convinced me. Just be polite, offer some value to others, and always have a link to your site. Many other secrets of using forums are covered in my newsletter, but this should be get you started. Talk and make money today.

Steve Gillman writes on many money-related topics. To learn more, and to subscribe for FREE to "Web Site Optimization Secrets," go to: http://www.TheMoneyMakerSite.com