If you're about to be booted off your parents' insurance policy, don't fret if you are young and healthy. You probably will not be bankrupted by insurance "coverage" yet. It is not a good idea to have no health insurance.
If you are still in school, look into a school-promoted insurance policy. Universities in our state now automatically enroll students and bill them for coverage (about $600 a year) unless the student opts out.
If you are out of school, look for insurance companies that do business in your state (just do a general search or go to your state insurance department). You are looking for coverage for hospitalization, medical, dental, psychiatric (we all need this dealing with insurers) and whether there is a prescription plan for reimbursement. Ask these companies for quotes on the same.
Remember, you are in a better position now as a young healthy person to purchase insurance, statistically, you are the dream customer so ask each company what it offers young people.
If you've gone around your college town, you've probably seen signs for pretty cheap physicals offered by some of the Doctor kiosks, like the urgent care centers. This is relevant because you aren't interested in the fluff stuff like a reward of a rebate (not much compared to premiums) for using dietitians and reporting on your gym attendance, you are interested in medical insurance coverage in case you get sick.
If you are lucky enough to find a job that provides you with health insurance, compare prices, but this is still often a good bet.
Find out how you submit claims--if your insurer is a PPO, then before you see a doctor you will find out if he/she is a Participating Provider, if yes, you will pay a copay and paperwork will be filed by provider. If the provider is NOT a participant, you will be given a receipt for payment in full and you will have to submit that paper to your insurer (on a separate form) for reimbursement. Reimbursement will be about nothing (if amount goes towards deductible) to about a third.
Get ready to change insurance during the fall of each year. Do not automatically renew your policy, there are too many changes each year.
If you can, get a copy of your insurance plan, not just the insurance card, the plan is your contract.
Be well and welcome to the world of health insurance.
As a side note, you are also a prime target for life insurance. Most of this insurance is now term life insurance, it covers you for a specific time period and then lapses. Whole life insurance used to be marketed as an investment, you're probably better off investing your money for investment and buying life insurance if you need life insurance.
