Healthcare Reform, Obamacare, Affordable Care Act, thingamajig, whatchamacallit, no matter your choice of nickname—it’s unavoidable this holiday season. Much like those ugly sweater holiday parties that force you to raid a family member’s closet or a local thrift store, your treasure hunt is now for the best, most affordable health insurance for yourself, family members, employees and/or clients.

A recent article gave insider tips on how to shop at a thrift store. A lot of these same practices apply directly to the insurance shopping experience under the new health law.

Note: All of the tips that the source article gave for shopping at a thrift store are listed within parentheses.

Tip 1: Keep an open mind (Keep hands clean)

As you embark on your search, keep an open mind to include different types of plans in your search such as: PPOs, HMOs, HDHPs, etc.

Tips 2 and 3: Do research (Do the sniff test and Plan on no return)

Make sure to compare multiple plans and understand the pros and cons of each compared to your budget so that you decrease your chance of any buyer’s remorse. For example, the plan with the lowest premium may not be the lowest cost option for you overall if you go to the doctor regularly.

Tip 4: Take time (Make the time)

The application may be shorter in a lot of cases, but this decision should not be rushed.

Tip 5: Ask about tax credit eligibility (Ask about discounts)

Find out if you are eligible for a premium tax credit through the public exchange, if not then you may find additional plans on a  private exchange that can be added in as factors to your search.

Tip 6: Get comfortable with your options (Dress comfortably)

No matter if it is enrolling online, getting help from a health insurance producer in-person, or persuading  others at a holiday party that now is finally the time to get health insurance, this process should be made as comfortable as possible for everyone involved.

Who knows, maybe you’ll even end up in a comfortable, ironically ugly sweater.

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Note: The materials contained within this communication are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal or tax advice.

Source article credit - Dafney Tales, Staff Writer, The Enterprise and Vanessa Lundy, Owner, VanaVainVintage style blog.