If you are a college fresh graduate, unemployed, self employed, retired and so on, you might need a private health insurance. The reasons are:

Unexpected life events can happen anytime anywhere and if something happen, it will possibly ruin your financial state. Medical treatment can be really pricey without health insurance. Do not think that health insurance is expensive and unaffordable. You don't have to buy a complete package plan if you don't need it. First, learn every type of plan before deciding to purchase so you can figure out which one suit you the most. It doesn't matter if you only purchase a basic plan, it's better than have no coverage at all. 

Next stage is determine your deductible. The higher your deductible, the lower your premium. But you need to reflect on your cash flow, if your monthly cash flow is low, choose a higher deductible. After determine deductible, visit health insurance companies' site and check your deductible options. Their insurance plans will be vary by state or by zip code. The quotes on the site usually is the lowest available and assuming you are in good condition. When you decide to apply, they will check your medical record and determine your premium. 

Since health insurance company offer different plan from each other, sometimes it will be difficult to compare one after another. You can limit the companies and choose the plan according to your budget because you need to pay the premium monthly. Also, you have to consider your needs. If you want family plan or employer plan, you also need to consider other' needs as well.

There are a lot of things to consider on purchasing health insurance beside type, budget and needs. You have to pay attention to every detail the insurance company offered. You might want to know about prescription drug coverage, insurance company sometimes only cover the generic ones or specific brand names. In addition professional services like surgery or lab test, hospital stay, emergency room, dental, and so on.