Health Insurance & Financial Protection Resources for Individuals & Families
Health insurance and financial protection decisions can affect your healthcare, income, family, and long-term financial security.
These resources are designed to help individuals and families better understand important coverage and protection considerations and prepare for informed conversations about their options.
Understanding Health Insurance
Choosing health insurance involves more than comparing monthly premiums.
Important factors may include:
- Monthly premium
- Deductible
- Copayments
- Coinsurance
- Out-of-pocket maximum
- Provider network
- Prescription drug coverage
- Specialist access
- Expected healthcare needs
- Eligibility
- Potential financial assistance
- Enrollment periods
- Available marketplace pathways
Depending on where you live, individual health coverage may be available through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace or a state-based marketplace.
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Medicare Education
Medicare involves important decisions about eligibility, enrollment, coverage, costs, and available options.
Areas to understand may include:
- Medicare eligibility
- Initial enrollment periods
- Medicare Part A
- Medicare Part B
- Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage
- Original Medicare
- Medicare Advantage
- Medicare Supplement Insurance
- Premiums and other costs
- Provider access
- Working beyond age 65
- Changes in coverage needs over time
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Life & Income Protection
Life insurance and disability income protection can help address financial risks associated with death, illness, or injury.
Questions to consider may include:
- Who depends on your income?
- What financial obligations would continue without your income?
- How long could your household manage an interruption in income?
- Do you have employer-provided life or disability coverage?
- Would existing coverage be sufficient for your circumstances?
- Have your needs changed following a marriage, birth, career change, home purchase, or other life event?
Protection needs can change as your family, income, responsibilities, and financial priorities evolve.
Long-Term Care Planning
Long-term care can involve assistance with daily activities or ongoing care provided at home, in a community setting, or in a facility.
Planning considerations may include:
- Potential future care preferences
- Family caregiving
- Personal savings
- Insurance options
- Retirement income
- Housing
- Family responsibilities
- The potential financial impact of extended care
Considering these issues before an immediate need arises can provide more time to understand available options.
Retirement & Financial Wellness
Retirement planning involves more than selecting a retirement date.
Individuals and families may need to consider:
- Future income needs
- Retirement savings
- Employer-sponsored retirement benefits
- Health insurance before Medicare
- Medicare eligibility and enrollment
- Life insurance
- Disability and income protection
- Long-term care
- Beneficiary designations
- Family responsibilities
- Legacy objectives
Insurance and financial protection decisions should be considered in the context of broader retirement and long-term priorities.
Looking for Individual or Family Health Insurance?
Tell us about your health coverage needs and circumstances.
Your Individual & Family Health Insurance Intake gives NDS the information needed to better understand your situation and help identify appropriate next steps, including the applicable federal or state marketplace pathway when appropriate.