Online Health Insurance Inexpensive Option

Many people who've lost jobs or gone to work for themselves in this recession, are finding they can't afford medical insurance. One option is buying insurance online.

Adrian Lipinski quit his job at a sign company a year ago to start his own sign business at home.

"I decided it was time to move on and try to get my own product in the market," he said.

Even while employed, Lipinski found he couldn't afford the $700 a month to insure his wife and two children under his company plan.

"I mean the cost for health insurance for a full family was prohibitive," he said.

But recently, he discovered he could insure his family after logging onto e-health insurance. It's an online store for health insurance with scaled back plans that may skip coverage such as maternity and radiation. Companies include big names like Aetna and Humana.

Lipinski bought a policy with a $5,000 deductible that covers major medical and two doctors visits per year with a $30 copay. The key was making the deductible high, to get lower premiums.

"I'm paying $290 for a full family, and I have full coverage," he said.

Sam Gibbs is a vice president with E-health Insurance.

"There's a total of 97 different plans to choose from," he said.

He said online plans can offer relief to laid-off workers struggling with high cobra coverage.

"The message is for people who have this big cobra payment is to do some research. Go online and there are some very, very affordable alternatives," Gibbs said.

The Better Business Bureau gives E-health Insurance an "A" rating. But when shopping for any insurance, it still pays to read the fine print and compare policies, because not all plans are the same.