If you live in North Carolina and are in need of health insurance, it is important that you take your search for coverage seriously. Searching for individual health insurance is not as simple as signing up for the health insurance offered by an employermuch more thought on your part goes into the process. Follow these tips to help you find, and keep, affordable individual health insurance that offers the coverage you need.

1. Plan. Before you start looking for an individual health insurance provider, figure out the coverage you need and how much you can afford to spend. If you plan first, you will find it easier to look for and compare insurers that offer what you need at the price you can pay.

2. Shop around. The search will probably be long and tiring, but it is important to compare the rates and coverage of several different health insurance options before committing to one. Individual health insurance usually costs more, so you want to make sure you are getting the coverage you need for the price you pay.

3. Narrow your search. Check whether or not your state requires individual health insurance providers to approve all applicants. Since individual insurance plans are medically underwritten, the insurance providers are not required to accept everyone unless otherwise declared by the state. You may want to search only for providers that will guarantee coverage. Contact your state insurance department for details.

4. Do some research. Once you have decided on a few possible providers to choose from, find out if they use a network of medical professionals and whether or not they allow out-of-network coverage. If they do not, find out whether or not the network they use includes reliable and reputable medical professionals that you will feel safe and comfortable visiting.

5. Keep up with your coverage. Once you find an individual health insurance provider that you are comfortable with, make sure to stick with it. If you go without insurance for more than 63 days, you will lose any coverage you have for any pre-existing conditions you may have.