Health insurance is an important part of keeping yourself healthy and happy, but sometimes trying to figure out exactly what you need for your health insurance is a frustrating experience. If you call someone up on the phone, they’re going to end up using terms that you might not understand without explanation. A phone call that should take 10 minutes may take a few hours to work through, and with your busy schedule that’s time you simply don’t have.

Understanding the basic terminology helps before you start getting into the quote section. The main thing to determine first is what your budget is for health insurance. That will determine other factors, such as what type of insurance is best for you, and how high your deductible will be.

You first look at HMO and PPO options. A HMO is an insurance option that gives you a primary point of contact, called your primary care practitioner, who you see first for most medical problems. They either fix the issue or they send you to someone who has more specialized knowledge in what you’re encountering. As long as you’re being referred by the PCP, you are covered under your insurance. A PPO does not require you to go to a single point of contact. What it does do, however, is require you to stay within a specified group of doctors who are covered under that insurance plan. If you go to a doctor who is not involved in the PPO, you pay the out of network price for the services.

Look at online insurance quotes to figure out which option is best for you, and what kind of monthly premiums you can expect within your budget.