Insurance premiums vary from state to state, and even city to city, so the simple fact of where you reside can have a huge impact on the price you pay for coverage.  Alaska and Connecticut pay the highest hospital costs (a direct influence on your insurance premiums), while South Dakota and Montana experience the lowest charges.

 In a perfect world, what happened in the past would stay in the past, but in real life, health insurance companies will be thoroughly inspecting your health history to determine what you should be paying. 

 Many will offer discounts for good behavior, such as non-smoking, and others will penalize people due to a pre-existing condition, charging a much higher premium than other members enjoy.

 Your gender and age can also play a key factor in your health insurance costs.  Young women, who have the opportunity to get pregnant and possibly have complications, pay a higher premium.  But once men and women reach an older age, the tables turn and men have higher costs than women do.

 Don’t assume that every company will be about the same.  They won’t be.  The best thing you can do is compare several plans and see which one offers the most coverage at the lowest price you can afford.