海角大神

Here鈥檚 one resolution you should check off early in the year: choosing a health plan if you don鈥檛 already have one. The deadline to buy a plan under the聽Affordable Care Act聽mandate is Jan. 31.

If you don鈥檛 choose a plan by the deadline and pay the first payment when it鈥檚 due, you won鈥檛 be able to get coverage this year, with few exceptions. If you lack health coverage for more than three full, consecutive calendar months in any year, you could have to pay a聽tax penalty.

There鈥檚 a good chance that 鈥淥bamacare鈥� will be repealed or revised聽in 2017, but it鈥檚 still in place now, so the safest bet is to choose a plan.

A month is plenty of time to shop, but don鈥檛 wait too long. The exchange websites have been known to get bogged down near the deadline in past years, resulting in long wait times. Here鈥檚 how to pick the right coverage for you.

Finding a health plan in 7 steps

1. Compare聽health insurance quotes聽online to see your plan options.

Tip:聽If you qualify for tax subsidies to lower your insurance costs, the only way to receive them is by buying through the federal or聽state exchange, depending on where you live. All exchanges can be accessed through聽HealthCare.gov.

2. Check out the monthly premiums and eliminate plans that are so expensive you won鈥檛 be able to pay. If you miss a payment and don鈥檛 catch up, you鈥檒l lose coverage.

Tip:聽Health care 鈥渘avigators鈥� are people trained and certified to help consumers sign up through the exchanges. You can locate one by using the 鈥渇ind local help鈥� tool at HealthCare.gov.

3. Look at each plan鈥檚 deductible, which is the amount you鈥檒l pay upfront for medical care before the plan starts paying a larger share. Preventive care such as immunizations and blood pressure screenings should be covered 100% right away.

Tip:聽You can tell what counts toward the deductible by looking at the details of each plan 鈥� these are services that show a cost 鈥渁fter deductible.鈥�

4. Compare聽coinsurance and copayment聽rates in each plan to know your costs in addition to the deductible. An out-of-pocket spending limit should also be listed 鈥� that鈥檚 the most you鈥檒l pay in deductibles, copays and coinsurance in 2017.

Tip:聽Plans online are typically grouped by metal tiers 鈥� bronze, silver, gold or platinum levels of coverage 鈥� that indicate how much each plan pays for care. When it comes to services paid by a plan, on average:

• Bronze plans pay 60%.
• Silver plans pay 70%.
• Gold plans pay 80%.
• Platinum plans pay 90%.

5. Choose a few health plans based on the total cost of premiums, deductible, coinsurance and copayments, and then compare further.

Tip:聽If you鈥檙e like many exchange shoppers, affordable monthly premiums are your No. 1 priority in a health plan, but don鈥檛 ignore the other costs you鈥檒l pay.

Lower premiums generally mean higher costs when you get care. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a balance,鈥� says Susan L. Combs, a New York City health insurance broker licensed to sell plans in 27 states. Healthy young people may do just fine with a low-premium plan. But be prepared that if something happens and you end up in the emergency room, you could reach your spending limit quickly, Combs says.

6. If you like your doctors and want to keep them, look at each plan鈥檚 provider directory to make sure they鈥檙e included. The directory shows the plan鈥檚 network, or group of doctors and hospitals that work with the plan. If your doctor is not in the network, you might have to pay more for the visit, or even full price.

Tip:聽Some health plan comparison sites allow you to search within plans that cover your doctors, but the system isn鈥檛 perfect. The most up-to-date doctor listing will always be the insurer websites, Combs says.

7. If you use prescriptions, check to see whether your drugs are covered by looking at the plan鈥檚聽formulary, which is聽a list of medication the plan will pay for, on the insurer site or using a drug search in the exchange you鈥檙e using, if available. If your drugs aren鈥檛 covered by the plan, or you can鈥檛 tell, your pharmacist can check the plan and help you find possible alternatives.

Tip:聽When using a search tool for your drugs, type in the active ingredient, rather than the drug鈥檚 name, so all generic and brand-name versions come up. For example, if you take the high blood pressure drug Avapro, type the active ingredient 鈥渋rbesartan鈥� into the drug tool.

Choose the plan that is the most affordable and includes your doctors and prescriptions, and don鈥檛 forget to pay the first premium on time so the plan is activated. If you can鈥檛 find a plan or need help, you can call HealthCare.gov鈥檚 toll-free line at 800-318-2596 any time of day, except certain聽holidays.

Lacie Glover is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email:聽lacie@nerdwallet.com. Twitter:聽@LacieWrites.

This story originally appeared on NerdWallet.