The way to find a gay friendly health insurance agent is pretty simple–just ask. Once you have a list of possible insurance agents, start calling and finding out which one’s are gay friendly. It’s a lot easier to do this over the phone, and it also saves a lot of time. You can also ask around among friends, or call your local gay community center to get recommendations.

Once you have a gay friendly health insurance agent, you’re pretty much set. The agent is your path to finding gay friendly companies, and they can help you locate a company which offers both good quotes and also has policies which help those with domestic partnerships, gives no exam coverage, and can help in such things as artifical insemination or implantation treatments for lesbians trying to concieve.

Some people choose not to bother with an insurance agent at all, though. For one thing, there is almost always a fee associated with this, and it’s also true that much of the information you need can be found independently online or through gay community centers. You may try to save yourself some money and just look up health insurance quotes yourself.

For many gay men who have AIDS, they are faced with a double problem: first, once they’ve tested positive, it is nearly impossible to find affordable insurance if they didn’t already have it through an employer, and even if that is the case, difficult once more if they lose it; second, there’s still the problem of finding a gay-friendly health insurance provider.

One great option is the AIDS Health Insurance Program, which is available to those who find themselves straddling the health insurance fence–those who make too much to get Medicaid, but not enough to afford the high prices of high risk insurance.

In order to be eligible for this gay-friendly health insurance program, you have to be unable to get Medicaid, and also have some kind of health insurance when you apply. Short term health insurance is a cheap, one time option you can use if you can make the effort to just insure yourself long enough for the application. However, you can’t just assume you aren’t eligible for Medicaid, even if you look on the Medicaid website for your state and see right there that you make to much–you first have to fill out an application and be denied, so that you can have this proof when you go get your insurance. It’s a hassle, but it’s worth it.

Even with health insurance gay friendly doctors are still a must for most GLBT folks. Everyone’s been through that uncomfortable experience when, some way or another, your sexuality has come up while you’re sitting vulnerable on that patient table, and the awkward silence that followed as you waited for the doctor’s reaction. Not all doctors are accepting, and so in order to avoid possibly bad experiences, it’s important to find a doctor who is gay friendly health insurance will cover, too.

Here are some tips:

• Ask people.
• Call a GLBT community center or medical association. Most of the time these places, even if not necessarily geared towards medical concerns, can help gay people find the health care they need from the right people.
• Give the doctor a prior visit. Instead of waiting until you need to see a doctor, find out where s/he stands first. Call up and ask what the office’s policies are on gay people, or just head to the clinic and take a look around for gay friendly materials.

High deductibles come along with any discussion on insurance, and many queer policy holders head straight for these types of plans when looking for a free quote for gay friendly health insurance. The common idea that has been spread around is that high deductible plans are more affordable because the premiums are lower, and while the second half of that statement is true, the reality is more complex.

As a matter of fact, people with high deductible plans end up gathering more medical debt than others, simply because the high deductible is an obstacle in emergencies, and pretty much any time. While some may put money for their high deductible insurance plan in a savings account, there is still plenty of time for things to happen while they wait to save up enough money to pay these higher amounts.

People who have high deductible plans also have difficulty accessing many things, such as prescriptions and well visits. Remember the next time you look for a free quote for gay friendly health insurance that taking more of a risk on yourself puts more of a financial burden on you as well, which could defeat the purpose of health insurance.

Q: Should I get my gay friendly health insurance quote online?

A: There are a lot of advantages to getting your gay friendly health insurance quote online, and one of the greatest is that you are able to more easily compare health insurance companies. Rather than looking for health insurance companies the tedious, old fashioned way, you are able to get instant rate quotes and spend as little as 20 minutes on this.

Another advantage to getting your gay friendly health insurance quote online is that you have so many resources at your fingertips which will allow you to find a company which is right for you. There are gay websites all over the internet which offer information on which companies have the most gay friendly policies, towards domestic partnership, AIDS treatments, and so on.

You can also check with your state department of insurance to see how the insurance company is faring concerning complaints. The complaint ratios differ in every state, but normally it’s a good indicator of how the company acts.

Q: How can I get a quote for health insurance for a domestic partner in Texas?

A: First, you have to find out which companies in your state offer a quote for health insurance for your domestic partner. If you are currently insured through your employer, it might be a good idea for you to call up your company and throw out some questions about whether or not your domestic partner is eligible to be insured along with you and what effect that will have on the costs of your coverage.

Domestic partner health insurance availablility may also depend on the state and how it defines a domestic partnership, and this could affect your quote for health insurance.

In Texas, there are several companies which offer domestic partner coverage, and here is a short list:

• Atena
• Ameritas
• CIGNA
• Great West Life
• Guardian
• Kaiser Permanente
• Mutual of Omaha
• New York Life and Health
• Pacificare
• United HealthCare