If you do not have access to employer-sponsored group health plan, you may want to buy an individual health insurance policy from a private health insurance company.  However, in Minnesota - as in most other states - you have limited guaranteed access to individual health insurance.  Whether you can buy an individual health policy may depend on your health status, the kind of coverage you want to buy, and other circumstances.  Also, there are some alternatives to individual health insurance such as COBRA and state continuation coverage, conversion coverage, and the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association (MCHA).  This chapter summarizes your protections under different kinds of health plan coverage.