When a friend recently found out that his toddler son needed a heart surgery, he panicked. The stress of thinking about the risks of a critical surgery was compounded by a very practical matter: How much will this cost? He had no health care insurance for his son.

For many people, the question should be how much my share will be after the insurance coverage. The two questions are not the same and so are the costs. Having no health insurance means that you will be simply responsible for the entire costs — from initial doctor visits to the surgery and the required follow ups.

So why don’t people just buy insurance? The secret probably is in the word, “buy.” When health insurance is provided by employer, you hardly see someone questioning their need for it. When it is their turn to pay for themselves or their family, an opportunity for saving on this cost emerges, along with the justification that it is a very low probability that there will be a need for it.

But this mere low probability is the reason for having insurance. With the high costs of medical services, having to deal with an emergency can be financially unmanageable or drain down your savings. The cost of treatment is simply incomparable to the annual premium of buying insurance, which is often affordable whether you get insurance through your employer or private providers. All you need is to shop smart and know what you’re looking for.

Here are a few points to keep in mind.

Buy for what you need

Emergencies, accidents and unexpected illnesses aside, you are the best to estimate your need for regular medical services. If you frequent the doctor’s office often, you need coverage that provides low to no copay. If you rarely see a doctor, go or a policy that offers a higher cost per doctor’s visit. In both cases, the cost of the policy itself doesn’t change much, what really changes is your share of the cost when you need to use it.

Based on the above, you will be able to see how much you’re paying for insurance after you subtract the expected use. Yes, you’re still some good amount every year. But this amount is the price you pay for the risk of an accident or similar life misfortunes.

To bring down the cost of the policy, go with a higher deductible as well as higher out-of-pocket expenses. That is, again, if you’re healthy and don’t anticipate a big need.

Bundle your family

One easy way to save on health insurance is to bundle your family under one policy. If you and your spouse receive full-paid coverage from your respective employers, it may make sense to keep each of your policies separate. But have your children covered with one policy with either with you — based on the better benefits and coverage. You may even consider moving your spouse to your policy if that won’t cost you much.

The reason for having your entire family under one policy is to take advantage of family coverage. For example, some policies cap the cost per child, which means if you have two or three children you still pay the same premium. Similarly, the family deductible and out-of-pocket expenses are often capped regardless to the number of people covered under the policy.

Check the provider network

If you’re offered multiple options to choose from through your employer or you’re shopping for private insurance, check the provider network. Almost every policy will offer you the option to go to an out-of-network provider and get reimbursed, which is typically isn’t as much coverage as you get if you go to a network provider. That is why part of your shopping routine is to ask to have access to the network provider list.

If you see that none of your preferred doctors and hospitals is on the list, this policy option is probably not for you, even if it is cheaper, unless you’re extremely flexible about changing doctors. For many people, the ease and familiarity that come from staying with their providers outweigh the extra costs, however.

The writer, a former Gulf News Business Features Editor, is a Seattle-based editor.

Buying health insurance

Estimate your needs

Shop for the right policy

Check providers and costs

Know the risks of going uncovered

— R.O.