Having just gone through this myself over the last few months I can shed some light.

The good news is there are plenty of options. The bad news is that it is harder to get approved for individual health insurance than group plans, and it can be a lengthy process - in some cases it can take up to two months or longer to get approved by underwriting. You will also need to document your families medical history for the past 5 to 10 years.

The main points to consider are:

1. Are your healthcare providers in network for the insurance company and plan you are considering?
2. Do you need maternity care? If so I know Blue Cross/Blue Shield was the only insurance company that would offer coverage out of the three that I considered (BCBSIL, Humana and Aetna)
3. Are you interested in PPO type plans or might a high-deductible health plan work better for you?
4. What can you handle on a monthly basis for premium payments will dictate how high you have to go with your deductible. Also, choices you make around co-pays and co-insurance percentages will affect the pricing of your premium.

All the insurance companies I looked at have tools on their web sites that you can use to compare the different plans that they offer. You will have to read through their benefit plan summaries to truly understand each option and help you make the correct choice. Here are links to the individual and family plans offered by BCBSIL, Aetna and Humana:

http://www.bcbsil.com/coverage/individual/index.html
http://healthinsurance.aetna.com/state/illinois/individual-health-insurance/health-plans http://www.humana.com/individual_insurance/insurance_products/humanaone_medical_plans.aspx

You can do a web search to find other insurance companies offering health insurance in IL. I know United Health is here also.

Your criteria for choosing the type of coverage you need is most likely different than mine, but by using each companies plan comparison tools it’s easy to compare plans side by side and see how different co-insurance, deductible and copay options can affect premium costs.