There are over 46 million Americans who have no health insurance. This is a staggering number if you consider the importance of having this type of coverage. If you are one of these people, you may think you will get around to getting health insurance once you sort out what all the options are and what you need. The time to do this is now.

You never know when something will happen that causes you to need health insurance. It could be an accident like falling in your home, or a sudden illness that gets much worse than you expected. No matter the reason, you need to have the peace of mind that you can get medical care when you need it.

So, if you are without health insurance, it's time to act.

Find Out What's Available

It doesn't take too much to get your health insurance house sorted out. The easiest way to start is to call your state insurance office and ask them about the options that are available in your state. In addition to giving you a run down of the types of insurance available, they will also probably be able to give you a comparison sheet of the companies that offer insurance in your state and the general prices of insurance coverage.

What do You Want?

Once you have an idea of what is offered in your state, you need to know what you really want in health insurance before you start buying. Make a list of the top 5 things you want in your health insurance policy. These could include:

Being able to stay with your current doctor
A prescription drug plan
Preventative care programs

Start Shopping

There are a couple of ways you can go when you decide to start shopping for health insurance. The first is to go through the phone book and call company after company to compare rates. This is a rather time consuming process. The other option, which should have the same results, is to use an online insurance broker. These services will allow you to put all of your information into one computerized form and then get quotes from many companies in your area.

Make a Choice

After you have all of your quotes, it's time to decide who will get your business. If you are down to a couple of them, you may want to write or call them and see if you can negotiate more options or a better price on your policy.

Steve Sikes is an MBA and writes articles on insurance and other financial products. To read other educational articles on insurance at the InsuredItAll Learning Center or to get free insurance quotes for auto, home, health, life or long term care insurance, you will want to visit http://www.InsuredItAll.com