Smaller employers are more likely to offer individual policies that can be tailored to an employee's needs, he says. If you have serious health problems and your company offers guaranteed coverage, grab it, as Claire Winchester did. You probably won't qualify for an individual policy at any price. But if you're healthy, shop around. You may qualify for a preferred health discount that would charge lower premiums for a policy that has exactly the features you want.
Most insurers also offer a marital discount if a husband and wife each purchase a policy.
Or, depending on your age, you may decide you don't need to buy coverage yet. Carroll recently reviewed a group policy from John Hancock offered to the Communication Workers of America by Bell Atlantic. They bought the Unum policy.