Smart Choice Health Insurance

Online videos and information

• What to Consider When Choosing a Health Insurance Plan?
• What Are My Health Insurance Options?
• What Are the Health Insurance Marketplace Plans and How Do I Choose?
• How do I Compare Health Insurance Plan Costs When I’m Making a Choice?

There are three important questions to answer when making a Smart Choice health insurance decision:

• WHY? Why do I need health insurance? Why is it important?
• WHAT? What do I need and want? What are my choices?
• HOW? How much will it cost? How much can I afford?

The Smart Choice™ and Smart Use™ programs offers tools to give people confidence and help them build their smart shopping skills and use their health insurance wisely.

• Smart Choice Health Insurance™ Basics – If you buy your health insurance in the fall, it’s not too early to start thinking about what plan best fits your needs. It is the perfect opportunity for those who are interested in learning more about health insurance and gaining access to some important resources.
  
  
• Health Insurance in your Senior Years – Medicare and Other Options– Do you want to reduce your confusion, feel more confident and increase your capability to make a Smart Choice health insurance decision? The goal of this two-hour program is to increase consumer’s confidence with understanding health insurance terms and choosing a health insurance plan that fits their health care needs and financial situation.
  
  
• Medicare Health Insurance and Long Term Care Basics – If you are approaching Medicare enrollment or considering a supplemental plan, we’ll review information you need to know to make a smart choice about these health insurance options and review long term care options.

• Understanding and Estimating Health Insurance Costs – With health insurance costs increasing each year, understand why and how to estimate these costs so you, your family or business can plan for them.   
  
  
• Smart Actions for Using Your Insurance Wisely – Seven strategies for getting the most out of using your health insurance to keep you healthy and financially well.
  
  
• Your Health Insurance Benefits – Do you know what your health insurance covers? Understanding your health insurance benefits will make you a smart health care consumer. Learn strategies for understanding, getting and using your health insurance benefits.

• Making a Smart Choice about Health Insurance – This seven-hour training will allow staff to increase their knowledge and confidence so that they can empower others to better choose and use health insurance. The workshop is $45 per person which covers the cost of refreshments and program materials.

• My Smart Choice Workbook - consumer decision making tool
• Important Words to Know -  comprehensive list of health insurance vocabulary
• Health Insurance Protects and Provides for You and your Family – factsheet on why health insurance is important
• Types of Health Insurance Plans – factsheet on the difference between PPO, POS, EPO and HMO plans
• Understanding ACA Marketplace Health Insurance Financial Assistance – factsheet on tax credits and premiums subsides provided by health insurance plans sold on the ACA Marketplace
• Helping you Make A “Good Guess” For Out-of-Pocket Health Care Costs – factsheet on how to estimate a health insurance plans total out of pocket costs
• Saving for Health and Medical Expenses – factsheet on the difference between Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings  Accounts  and how they can help you save for health care expenses
• Ask Extension – Expert advice on health insurance
• University of Maryland: Insuring Your Health – Additional consumer information on health insurance