You may have several plans available to you through your employer, insurer or Medicare. To choose a plan that will serve your needs, you need to decide what is important to you.

Important considerations may be the specific benefits or services provided under the plan, whether the doctor you would like is affiliated with the plan, or whether certain specialists and/or hospitals are available.

Ask the group making the health plans available to you (employer, insurance broker, Medicare, etc.) for a comparison of covered services and benefits, and for a list of hospitals and doctors - including specialists - that participate in the plans offered to you. (This information is often not available to nonmembers from the plans themselves.) Ask people you trust who are insured under that plan what their experiences have been.

If you have a particular medical condition, check the plan benefits to see if there are any restrictions on coverage for the type of treatments you may need, including medications. You should check that the medical groups in the plan have specialists for your condition.