The group health insurance rates at my day job increased 33% this year, after rising just over 30% last year. I have a family of three, and the new health insurance rates are now 11% of my salary, which in my opinion, is too high (while I won’t disclose my actual salary, I will state that I earn a fair amount). The new health insurance rates made me think about getting individual health insurance for my family. Group vs. individual health insurance? Before we go further, it is important to understand the difference between individual health insurance and group health insurance. Basically, group health insurance plans guarantee all members of the group coverage, regardless of their health risk. Because coverage is guaranteed with group plans, they can be more expensive for relatively healthy individuals than an individual plan, which is priced based on your specific health history. In my case, my family and I are healthy, so it is a good idea to investigate individual health insurance options. Determine your health insurance needs to find the best planWhen comparing health insurance plans, it’s important to make sure you are not only comparing apples to apples, but also getting the best plan for your needs. Make sure you get the best health insurance plan for your needs, whether that is an HMO plan, PPO plan, high deductible health insurance plan with a health savings account, hybrid, or other. [More on health insurance options]. Finding and purchasing health insurance while self-employedOne of the biggest concerns among the self employed individuals is health insurance costs, which can be expensive. Some self-employed individuals may be eligible for a group health insurance plan if they meet certain criteria, or they may be eligible for other health benefits, such as COBRA benefits. For example, if you are leaving a traditional job to become self-employed, you may be eligible for COBRA. If you are not leaving a job that offers health insurance, then ignore the tip regarding COBRA coverage.

My nutritional health awareness began at home when I was just a little kid.   I remember mom or dad getting out the ole tablespoon and filling it to the brim with something called â??Scottâ??s Emulsionâ?.   It was a thick white substance that had a really weird taste.   Mom said it was good for me and good for my health.   Since the taste was tolerable, I really didnâ??t mind taking it.

Occasionally, especially whenever we displayed health problems such as cold symptoms, mom would get out that ole spoon again and give us the dreaded â??cod liver oilâ?.   This too was supposed to help us feel better and improve our health.   If we put up too much resistance, mom gave us the â??evil eyeâ?. We knew what that meant so we held our noses and gulped it down as fast as possible.   Now as I think back, my siblings and I were pretty healthy kids.   Mom and dad must have been right!In my early adult years, I remember my doctor prescribing a highly potent multivitamin to help me recover from an illness.   After taking those, I was back to my old self in no time.   From that point on, I have been convinced that multivitamins really are really good for our health.   So after that, I always took some kind of multivitamin everyday.   As time went on, I noticed I rarely ever caught a cold and if I did, it didnâ??t last very long. I started taking the store brands like One-A-Day, Centrum etc. , but then I learned that you canâ??t get all of the nutrition you need in one tablet.   I started going with multivitamins that came in packets that had several tablets that you took everyday.   I really felt the difference.   I can tell I was getting more nutrients into my system.

But you know, as you grow older, your knowledge increases and I found out that multivitamin tablets donâ??t completely absorb into your body.   Most scientific studies concluded that only about 20% of the tablets actually get absorbed.   Studies also show that it usually takes 4 to 6 hours for the nutrients to get into your blood stream.   Liquid multivitamins absorb into your blood stream 10 times faster than tablets and practically all of the nutrients are absorbed into your blood stream in about 3 minutes!So I started looking around for a good liquid multivitamin.   After a long search, I found several brands that had a good balanced amount of vitamins and minerals.   The best one I found was GBGâ??s 10-in-One Liquid Vitamin & Mineral Supplement.   Itâ??s not just vitamins and minerals, but also 9 other health formulas.   This formula helps with cardiovascular health, stress, anti-aging, immune enhancer, energy, stress, memory, mood, digestion, vision, bones and joints.   So I ordered a bottle.   Wow!  What a difference!  I felt so much better.   My energy lasted all day; I slept better at night and felt less stressful throughout the day.   Plus it tastes good!  My body can really tell the difference between tablets and liquid multivitamins.   I also found out that GBGâ??s Liquid Multivitamin helps me fight driver fatigue and sleepiness when Iâ??m on a long drive.  Some say that if you eat properly you wonâ??t need to take vitamins.   Thatâ??s probably true!  But how many of us eat, each and everyday,  6-8 ounces of grains, 2. 5 to 3. 5 cups of vegetables, 1. 5 to 2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of dairy products, 5. 5 to 6. 5 ounces of meat, fish, eggs, nuts, dry beans and 27 to 31 grams of oils such as corn oil, olive oil, safflower oil and canola oil?  You see what I mean?  Plus the way foods are processed these days, many of the nutrients in foods are processed right out. To sum it up, there is quite a bit of difference between liquid multivitamins and multivitamins in tablet form.   With liquid vitamins, you get fast and better absorption and you feel better almost instantly. If you want to improve your health and feel your best throughout the day, my advice is to find yourself a good liquid multivitamin and stick with it.   Youâ??ll feel the difference.   Of course, always check with your doctor before taking any multivitamin.