A report shows that less than 2 out of every two Americans have health insurance coverage of any kind. This report can be trusted because it comes from the US Census Bureau. It’s important to note that group health plans are the reason most of the few who have health insurance can afford it. This is of great concern, as it means that many Americans could be left without health due to many employers withdrawing group health insurance.

The cost of health care is rising and few of them can really support themselves. The only way left for most who would like to maintain coverage would be to purchase individual health insurance. And since it will usually cost a lot more to own, saving tips would be seriously appreciated. I will share 3 ways that will guarantee you lower rates.

1. Smoking will make you pay very high fees. It is a well known fact that smokers are more susceptible to many health conditions and also die young. It costs companies much more to provide this to smokers because of its high risk. If you can quit, you’ll get much lower rates when you reapply after 12 months.

2. Overweight people pay much higher health insurance rates than people with normal weights. An insured’s Body Mass Index (BMI) is a strong factor that affects how much they pay as a health insurance rate. The higher a person’s BMI score, the higher their rates. The more overweight you are for your height and gender, the higher your BMI.

3. You’ll save big if you shop on quoting sites (and do detailed comparisons).

You’ll get savings if you visit just one quote site. But keep this in mind; you’ll get better results by visiting at least three. This is because insurers that are not covered by one site will be covered by the other. And since your chances of receiving lower quotes have to do with the number of quotes you get, the more insurance companies you get quotes, the better your chances. This gives you a broader base to make more extensive comparisons, increasing your chances of getting more for less.