Health insurance is very important to most people. The reason for this is that the cost of seeing a doctor or having medical treatments of any type is at an all time high. Without health insurance a lot of people simply cannot afford to go to the doctor. While health insurance rates aren’t necessarily all that great, they are more affordable in the long run than paying for medical care without health insurance.
Most people will find that the most affordable way to get insurance is through their employer. The reason for this is that when you get insurance through your employer you are a part of a group plan. A group plan is appealing because you are given a discount for being a part of the group. In addition, many employers actually will pay for a portion of the insurance coverage. The result is that the health insurance is much more affordable when you get it through your employer group insurance plan.
Unfortunately, not everyone works for an employer who provides insurance so they are on their own to get coverage. If have found yourself looking for health insurance the best thing you can do is shop around. When you shop around through different companies you will be able to get health insurance quotes. Don’t just look at the price; look at what you get for the price. When you look at the details you will soon see that there is a big difference in what each provider can offer you for a price.
When shopping for your insurance you do need to look at how much it will cost you every month, but then look a bit deeper. See what your co-pays are to see your primary care doctors and how much it is to see a specialist. Look at how many doctor’s visits you get per year, and how much you would have to pay if you went to the emergency room. Generally insurance companies will pay 50, 60, 70, or 80% of your hospital bills. Look at this closely, especially if you are someone who has to go to the doctor or hospital a lot. When looking over this information you’ll find that there are some big differences between each insurance company and what they can offer you.
Before you select your insurance company you should also be looking at your pharmacy coverage. Will the insurance help you pay for your medications? How much will you have to pay for those that aren’t covered? When you start adding up these costs you’ll soon find which health insurance quote is truly the most affordable and the best fit for you.
By: Caitlina Fuller
Posts Tagged ‘Medical Insurance’
Finding Affordable Health Insurance That Meet Your Needs
February 2nd, 2010Health Insurance Plans for Students
November 19th, 2009
Health care insurance is a necessity today. Most educational institutions in the United States require students to be covered for healthcare. Surveys reveal that nearly thirty percent of students in the US do not have healthcare insurance, and ask their parents for financial help when in need. These students are most likely to drop their studies for financial reasons, as they have to work to pay off their dues of healthcare expenses.
Many students find it difficult to meet the costs of healthcare insurance, because it does not come cheap. However, it is advantageous for a student to have this medical insurance.
Although there are many plans offering student health insurance, they can be categorized into three basic types: parent’s health care plan, college health insurance plan, and the commercial health insurance plan. Each of the mentioned plans has their own advantages and disadvantages.
Under the parent’s health care plan, a college student may not be covered, after a certain age. If that is the case, extra coverage called COBRA needs to be obtained, which is not necessarily cheaper than purchasing a different plan altogether. Moreover, it may be a pre-requisite that the student should have at least ‘x’ number of college credit hours to qualify for the coverage.
The college plan can offer coverage through HMO (Health Maintenance Organization), or PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). These are group plans and generally cheaper than commercial health plans. However, the coverage offered may be limited. Other options would have to be explored for coverage that is more comprehensive. The college plan is preferable when there is an ‘on campus’ hospital. Most of the college plans cover all accident or health care expenses, subject to the condition that the student continues to be registered with the college for a particular duration.
Many companies sell commercial health insurance. The terms may differ widely, hence, it would be essential to purchase a plan that offer facilities that one finds suitable. The best way would be to make a list of the features that are important, and then get the details for different plans from various companies, and compare them to decide which plan is the best one.
Under the commercial health plan, there is the temporary student health insurance, which is meant for students staying away from home. It can be availed for periods of thirty days, to six or twelve months. According to the temporary plan, the student can find a doctor or hospital of his choice by taking an Indemnity Plan. Alternatively, he or she may take the Managed Care Plan, which allows a choice of doctors and hospitals that are in the plan’s network. The Managed Care Plan has lower premiums than the Indemnity Plan.
Most states in the US have legal stipulations, which require compulsory health care insurance for foreign students, and set a minimum amount that should be available for emergency evacuation, medical treatment and repatriation of remains, if required. International student medical insurance costs approximately six to seven hundred dollars per annum.
In view of emergencies requiring medical attention, it is essential for students to be covered under health care insurance. It is a precondition for registration in most educational institutions in the US. Many states have laws that make it compulsory for foreign students to be covered by the health care insurance.
By: Joseph Kenny
Health Insurance For Someone With Pre-Existing Conditions
November 10th, 2009
If you have you been rated up or declined for health insurance it’s probably because you have a pre-existing condition.
Thousands of uninsured, underinsured and uninsurable individuals are facing serious health issues like heart disease, heart attack, diabetes, cancer, stroke, liver disease, AIDS, pregnancy, depression and kidney disease. Any of these pre existing conditions can cause them to be declined for health coverage. Today, you may even be declined if you are over-weight.
It’s a real challenge obtaining health insurance for someone with pre existing conditions. However, before we get ahead of ourselves, here are some questions we need to address.
What is a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition is any injury or sickness for which diagnosis has been made, treatment has been recommended, treatment has been rendered, or expenses have been incurred within a set amount of months prior to the effective date of coverage (usually 3, 6 or 12 months and this can vary by state). It includes any condition manifesting itself in symptoms which would cause a prudent person to seek medical advice.
What is a pre-existing condition exclusion period?
Insurance companies try to discourage people from waiting until they get sick to purchase medical insurance. This is accomplished by imposing what is known as a preexisting condition exclusion period. This simply means, if you have a medical problem which exists at the time you purchase insurance, the insurer will deny the claims pertaining to that medical problem for a certain period of time.
The rules governing preexisting condition exclusion periods in individual health policies vary widely from state to state and are very much different from the rules of an employer-sponsored plan. If you have or recently have had health coverage, you may be able to apply this creditable coverage to offset a preexisting condition exclusion period.
Why all the hoopla over a pre-existing condition?
The biggest stumbling block with private individual medical insurance is the problem with preexisting conditions. Plain and simple… insurance companies don’t like preexisting conditions. They know in the long run… it will cost them more money to insure you. Frankly, insurers prefer to insure people who are not very likely to need the insurance.
But stop and think! Who doesn’t have some kind of health or medical issue? It may be something as simple as asthma or as complex as cancer. Some pre-existing conditions can be managed and these individuals can live a relatively healthy and normal life.
Yet, insurers can and do turn down “high risks” individuals for coverage because of an existing or previous illness. Even if coverage is found, the premiums charged are often unaffordable. Sometimes the individual may end up with a modified policy paying more because of their medical history or having to take a policy that excludes their pre existing conditions.
Are there things I can do to get healthcare coverage?
Here are some choices for obtaining health coverage. See if any apply to your situation.
(1). Employer-sponsored group health plan
(2). Join a professional organization (e.g. Chamber of Commerce)
(3). Individual health insurance
(4). State risk pool (if one exist in your state)
(5). Discount health cards
(6). Guaranteed Issue Health Insurance
Whether covered by insurance or by some other means, the total cost of health insurance for someone with pre existing conditions is high enough to dramatically impact that person’s lifestyle.
Today it is important for all of us to lead a healthy lifestyle. However, if you already have a preexisting condition that is keeping you from getting affordable health coverage, you should investigate the 6 options listed above to see which would work best for you.
By: Rudy Wilson