Health insurance is expensive. Period. The very phrase “low-cost health insurance” may bring an ironic smirk to your face. Most Americans are concerned about the high (and rising) costs of health insurance, and they’re desperate to find a policy that is affordable, yet provides adequate coverage to meet the medical needs of their families. Money is tight, which means there isn’t a lot of extra cash to pay for health insurance.

What’s a poor family to do? First, consider looking for a short-term (or “temporary”) health insurance policy. These plans are designed with money-strapped people in mind. Many people purchase short-term health insurance policies when they’re going through major life changes. For example, if you’re graduating from the university, or starting new employment, you may find that this type of health insurance policy can provide the coverage you need until your situation stabilizes and you can get regular, longer-term health insurance.

These short-term health insurance plans are relatively cheap, but unfortunately that’s often because they don’t offer all the coverage that you’d like to have. Although these policies are usually good for major medical emergencies, they usually don’t help the policy holder get regular check-ups or pay for prescription drugs. Nevertheless, this type of low-cost health insurance policy can be a good option for students who don’t have a lot of cash but need coverage should the unthinkable happen.

If you’re in a different stage of your life, however, you’re probably interested in full coverage. Although it’s more expensive, it doesn’t have to be unaffordable, and you can still find low-cost health insurance that provides adequate coverage.

Use the World Wide Web to shop around for the best low-cost health insurance policies. Some sites are scams, but many are legitimate online representations of traditional insurance providers. Most of these sites will provide near-instantaneous quotes if you enter just a few basic pieces of information about yourself and your dependents. Other websites, such as this one, are packed with information about finding and selecting low-cost health insurance policies. Still other sites are specifically designed to help shoppers quickly and easily compare policies side-by-side, helping them find the policy that offers the best value.

Don’t give up hope! With determination and patience, you can find a low-cost health insurance policy. Insurance providers are competing with one another to have your business, and this means lower prices for you.

Once you’ve found policies that interest you online, get on the phone and speak with a plan representative to make sure that you have and understand all the details. Sometimes these individuals have a surprising amount of leeway to negotiate the price (or benefits) to help to close the sale. Also, look for additional pieces of coverage that you don’t really need. By cutting these pieces from the policy, the price will go down, and eventually you’ll find the low-cost health insurance policy that you’ve been dreaming of.