• Discount programs and health savings plans are worth considering as additions to health insurance.diet and health image by Photoeyes from Fotolia.com
  
  Alternative health insurance resources are of great interest to anyone living on a fixed income, managing a chronic illness or concerned about her family's healthcare needs. Searching for that perfect mix of financial support means the investment of a lot of time and research. A number of resources offer information on alternatives to health insurance plans, like Health Savings Accounts, discount programs and Supplemental Security Income, and help reduce research time.
  
  

Consumer Health Alliance

• The Consumer Health Alliance (CHA) supports the growth of alternative, non-insurance healthcare programs. The CHA provides a free consumer's guide on discount healthcare programs that outlines who should use discount health programs, how healthcare programs can afford to offer discounts and what the difference is between discounted programs and health insurance. The guide also reveals how to obtain access to alternative health insurance products.
  
  Consumer Health Alliance
  
  7400 Gaylord Parkway
  
  Frisco, TX 75034
  
  800-550-1242
  
  consumerhealthalliance.org
  
  

Council For Affordable Health Insurance

• The Council for Affordable Health Insurance (CAHI) is an advocacy and research organization aimed at informing Congress about the many results of healthcare reform. Included on the CAHI website is a report that outlines consumer-driven, alternatives to health insurance. The report focuses on health savings accounts (HSAs), health reimbursement accounts (HRAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs), also referred to as flexible spending arrangements. It also provides a breakdown of eligibility, funding options and tax breaks for each plan.
  
  The Council for Affordable Health Insurance
  
  127 S. Peyton Street, Suite 210
  
  Alexandria, VA 22314
  
  703-836-6200
  
  cahi.org
  
  

Health Insurance Resource Manual

• The "Health Insurance Resource Manual," written by Stephen Cooper and Dorothy Northrop, provides alternatives and tips for managing health insurance and a chronic illness or disability. Cooper and Northrop examine the use of Supplemental Security Income, Social Security Insurance, state children's health insurance and state pharmaceutical assistance programs. The book reviews COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act), which provides continued healthcare coverage after an involuntary work separation, and offers a list of potential sources of coverage to explore for financial support, including healthcare cooperatives.
  
  National Multiple Sclerosis Society
  
  733 Third Ave., 3rd Floor
  
  New York, NY 10017
  
  800-344-4867
  
  nationalmssociety.org