How does Hilary Erickson's experience with family health insurance inform her advice on choosing the best plan?

Hi, I’m Hilary Erickson from The Pregnancy Nurse.

My advice comes straight out of years of paying a lot for coverage, trying individual plans, then eventually moving to a healthshare when we were self‑employed and premiums were edging up toward (and sometimes over) our mortgage. Living through that really shaped how I look at “best” insurance: it has to work for your real life and budget, not just look good on paper.

From our experience, I emphasize:

• Be brutally realistic about what you can pay monthly so your policy doesn’t lapse
• Match the plan to how often you actually use care (frequent visits = lower deductible/copays, rare visits = high deductible/HSA or healthshare)
• Always confirm your doctors and hospitals are in‑network
• Treat insurance as protection for big, catastrophic stuff, not routine sniffles

I also strongly suggest using a broker and, for some families, considering a reputable healthshare as an alternative when traditional insurance is unaffordable.

Are you trying to pick between a few specific options right now?