Thursday, 21 July 2011

Health Insurance Explained


Although health insurance isn't the most appealing of subjects when you consider the cost of health care everywhere just keeps rising, it makes sense to make provision for the situation where paying a health professional to get the best care is unavoidable. Health insurance premiums are also becoming more expensive in line with the every increasing cost of health care which is now considerably above inflation levels.

Often, larger companies are able to offer private health insurance plans as part of the employment package where they pay all or a large amount of the premium, however the rising cost of health insurance is also affecting employers with many finding it difficult to maintain this company benefit. For many workers , the health insurance benefits a company offers is what attracts them to the job and not the pay packet. Those are the lucky workers as not every employer can afford to offer company provided health care so the only alternative is to try and locate inexpensive health insurance elsewhere.

While many people today are still able to obtain some type of health insurance through their place of employment or privately, many others, the low paid, self-employed and the unemployed simply don't know where to find good quality coverage at a fair price. Whilst a little research is required to make sensible comparisons, carrying out searches for low cost health insurance schemes on the internet has proved very helpful for many as you are able to compare benefits of a large number of providers using online comparison tables. Choosing the right health insurance is something that cannot be rushed if you have a family.

The good news is that people are learning that they have to be more selective and look carefully at every aspect of their potential health insurance plans to obtain the best possible premiums. Many national and local organizations of self-employed workers are now banding together to form cooperatives and combine their buying power to get affordable health insurance premiums through group policies. Before you decide on purchasing health insurance through another method and you are a member of a national or local organization, check with them first to see if they have made health insurance arrangements for their members as it will save you money.

You would be wise though to check the health insurance policy terms and conditions to make sure you fully understand what is covered and especially, what is not. For exampleFree Articles, a health insurance company may define an emergency as anything that is life threatening condition that cannot be reasonably treated by a primary care physician. It may sound like a great deal to check on but your health insurance and the provider you decide to use are very important matters which should be looked at carefully. There is little disagreement that the growing number of people without health insurance is going to cause problems in the future. Worth considering is the statistic that shows that the fatality rate a person who does not have health insurance is twenty five percent higher than that of a person who has a health care plan.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Keith Mallinson BscHons Provides Information on health insurance, what it is, how to findaffordable health care insurance and where to find the best health insurance benefits for the small business..

Monday, 11 July 2011

Can You Still Get Cheap Health Insurance?

Back in the old days, if you had a job, you had health insurance. Most of our parents had full health insurance provided as part of their jobs, for their entire life, and that health insurance may even have followed them into retirement. Times have changed and not only do few people stay in the same job all their lives, but few companies offer full health care anymore and that is why finding your own cheap health insurance may be so important.

Especially if you have a family, you will need to find a cheap health insurance plan for all of you. If you are not offered a full plan at work or the one that you do get doesn’t cover the rest of your family, then looking online for an answer is a great idea. There are websites where you can put in your information and quotes from a variety of companies will quickly be returned to you.

When you are comparing cheap health insurance quotes, remember that the price of the premium is not always the most important factor. Although everyone wants to pay the lowest amount possible, it is also vital that you still get appropriate coverage. One of the things that you should certainly look for, especially if you are prone to making office visits, is the co-pay that you will be paying.

If you are trying to get your insurance premium down as low as possible, then you can raise your office co-pay to $50 or $100. But if you do, be prepared that you may not be as apt to get the early healthcare that you need. The same is also true for your prescription co-pay. It is not at all unusual for a month’s worth of many prescriptions to cost more than $100, so make sure your prescription co-pay will pick up at least part of that tab of you may not be able to get the treatment that you need.

Finally, when you are looking at cheap health insurance quotes, keep in mind that there are different ways to get an entire family insured. Sometimes, it is best to put each person on their own policy, while other times perhaps just one member of the family should be on their own policy. This really varies with each particular familyFeature Articles, but it is something you should keep in mind when you are getting quotes online.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Carla Kaplan is a writer and researcher on cheap health insurance. Save time and money by getting FREE in-depth information, helpful tips, or a comprehensive quote here:ReallyCheapHealthInsurance.com

Monday, 4 July 2011

Help! I Lost My Health Insurance!


It can literally be one of the scariest places to find yourself - without health insurance coverage. When a simple trip to the emergency room can lead to thousands of dollars in charges, the last thing you need is to not have health insurance. But what options do you have? Graduating from college can be a true rite of passage into adulthood, because this is the time when most health insurance plans drop you from your parents' plan. Even landing a job right after graduation can still mean that you will have to go through a grace period before the company's health insurance kicks in. And if you have left a job for greener pastures, well...don't get sick or injured!

But do I even have options?

Well you probably do have options for health insurance coverage, but they may not be ideal. If you have quit your job, then you will have the option of extending your health insurance benefits for up to 18 months - thanks to COBRA. The only catch is that you will have to pay for those benefits out of your own pocket. Not exactly an easy thing to do without that paycheck rolling in every week.

Is that it? Is that my only hope?

Before you panic, just relax. The solution is short-term health insurance. As the name implies, this solution offers you health insurance options for a limited period of time. Most short-term health insurance benefits are available for 30 to 180 days. Depending on where you live, you may be able to obtain these benefits for up to a year.

And short term health insurance is the same as what I had at work?

Well, if you mean that you have coverage in the event of a hospital visit or sudden illness, then yes. You also can pick your own doctors and hospitals, which is actually an advantage over some health insurance plans offered by employers. But there are definitely coverage limitations on short-term health insurance plans.

So what am I not covered for?

That really is the million dollar question, isn't it? Well, routine medical exams are not covered by a short term health insurance policy. Any kind of preventative care is also out the window with this type of coverage. Plus, you can forget about dental and optical coverage with short-term healthinsurance. For obvious reasons, this sort of health insurance also does not cover medical costs relating to a pregnancy nor, anything having to do with the childbirth itself.

No offense, by why should I bother with short term health insurance?

Because a simple trip to the emergency room can cost thousands of dollars, and any emergency procedure and hospital stay can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Hey, short- term health insurance is not supposed to be the long-term solution. It is just a way to make sure you are covered while you are not on any employer's health insurance plan. And it can help you avoid going into serious debt, should something happen to you when you are not otherwise covered on a health insurance plan. For that reason alone, it is definitely worth the expense.

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About the Author

Albert Medinas has developed and maintains the website 'Health InsuranceResources', which answers the most common questions people have about Health Insurance. Please visit us at http://www.healthinsuranceresources.ws today. 
 
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