Health insurance

Health insurance covers doctor visits, hospital stays, prescriptions, and preventive care. If you don't get it through an employer, you're buying it yourself — through the marketplace, directly from a carrier, or through an alternative like a health sharing plan.

The hard part isn't finding a plan. It's understanding what you're actually buying. Two plans with the same monthly premium can leave you thousands apart when something goes wrong.

Networks and drug lists are where plans really differ.

A plan is only as good as the doctors and hospitals inside its network, and the prescriptions on its formulary. Two plans at the same price can treat the same medication completely differently.

GLP-1 coverage varies more than almost anything else.

Some plans cover medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound for type 2 diabetes but not for weight loss. Some exclude them entirely. Some require prior authorisation or a documented history first. And some prescription benefit arrangements cover compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide at a fraction of brand cost. There is no way to tell from the plan name — someone has to check the formulary against your actual prescriptions.

The same is true for specialty drugs, biologics, mental health providers, and fertility treatment. If something specific matters to you, say so on the first call. An agent can check it against the plan’s real formulary and network before you enrol, rather than after.