If you do not have access to employer-sponsored group insurance, you may want to buy individual health insurance from a private insurer.  However, in South Dakota - as in most other states - you have limited guaranteed access to individual health insurance.  Whether you can buy an individual health insurance policy may depend on your health status, the kind of coverage you want to buy, and other circumstances.  There are alternatives to individual health insurance - such as COBRA and state continuation coverage and South Dakota Risk Pool coverage.  This chapter summarizes your protections under different kinds of health plan coverage.