Almost all insurance providers are now making the switch to online quoting. The first major sector of the industry to make the jump was car insurance, followed shortly thereafter by home insurance providers. Now, even health insurance quotes can be obtained online simply by providing some basic details about yourself and your family. Often, these online health insurance quotes seem too good to be true, with low rates and high coverage plastered all over company web pages. Sadly, these online health insurance rates rarely translate well into real life, leaving many customers confused about where all of their online savings went, and how they ended up with health insurance rates so different than what they were promised.

There are typically two reasons for this. The first is that any online quote will represent the absolute lowest price that a company can offer for health insurance. This means that the advertised quotes assume healthy individuals or families that rarely use medical services, have no pre-existing conditions and are in no way out of the ordinary in any aspect of the their medical history. While many of these online health insurance quotes may include large yearly values for their coverage, they may also require substantial co-payment amounts, or have a deductible which is substantially higher than average. In either case, the true rate of the coverage will end up being far higher than advertised and can leave many consumers frustrated.

The second reason for a rate that does not match that advertised by a health insurance provider is add-on coverage. These begin adding up the moment you call a provider to start setting up a policy. What began as a simple PPO or HMO can suddenly include extra prescription drug coverage, therapy coverage for a child with ADD or a behavioral disorder, or enhanced hospital stay coverage to provide for things like extra pillows or food. Often, the health insurance agent you speak to will not specifically mention the changes to the originally quoted rate that will happen as you add coverage on to the policy. Once an agreement has been reached and the papers signed, many families can be in for a shock when their first monthly bill arrives in the mail.

In order to avoid this as much as possible, make sure you know what kind of basic coverage your family will require before you go quote hunting. Don’t be fooled by low rates and high deductibles, and don’t add coverage you don’t need. Any company that will not let you add coverage at a later date is not worth your time, and any “limited time” health insurance offers should be avoided. Good service and up-front communication is key.