Saturday 13 October 2012

Individual Health Insurance Effects

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as the health reform bill will impact almost every American. One of the most important ways it will affect individual health insurance is that insurance companies will not be permitted to deny insurance to those with preexisting illnesses. Another important affect is that all Americans will be required to hold insurance. Insurance companies will be prohibited from placing annual and lifetime limits on coverage. Group health exchanges may also help to reduce the cost of insurance plans, giving individuals the buying power of large companies. You will be able to purchase insurance through a state exchange from 2014. The exchanges have yet to be formed, but the intended goal is to provide more affordable and subsidized individual plans. The Obama effects on individual health insurance address the biggest weaknesses in the individual health insurance market. Easy To Insure Me

As the reform bill was passed policy rates were climbing. A report revealed that members of the middle class were losing health insurance faster than any other income group. Those who missed the Government provided safety net because of their income were thrown on the mercies of the individual market. Here, insurers have been denied coverage based on preexisting conditions and are vulnerable to charges of high and ever increasing premiums.

 The limits insurers placed on who gets coverage is one of the three major problems that needed to be addressed in the individual market. The other two are the affordability and whether the policy would pay for what is needed when the insured gets sick. A study found that excluded conditions varied by insurer. In a 2001 study by the Georgetown Health Policy Institute, researchers 37 percent of applications were rejected. There were insurers who would turn you down if you had hay fever.

 The public thus was a victim of a roulette insurance market. How easy is it for individuals to wade their way through the market to insurers who would cover them is a question. Although federal law requires insurers to sell policies to certain people who lose group coverage, including those who lost their jobs due to lay offs; but places no limits on what an insurer can charge. In February 2010, Connecticut announced that health premiums for individual medical plans rose in price by 20 percent over in 2009. In this void have stepped some states in varying degrees. Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont required insurers to sell individual policies to everyone, irrespective of their health. Washington state required insurers to take individuals with some health problems.

 While, Iowa required insurers to cover preexisting conditions in new applicants, if they had insurance previously for those conditions and did not let the insurance lapse.
Of those who do buy their own insurance the health insurance market works well for some; but, not for others. In the individual market prior to the reform bill, in order to lower their risks insurers preferred the healthiest applicants. In most states, insurers may consider the health history of the applicant in deciding coverage and its cost. Unlike group plans offered by employers which provide coverage to everyone, there is no guarantee in most states individuals can obtain insurance.

 It has been realized that solving problems in the individual market would improve the health care crisis. In California, Connecticut and several other states regulators have taken actions against insurers who revoked individual coverage after policyholders fell ill. Before the President won the election Senators Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, and Bob Bennett, a Republican from Utah were supporting a bill that would shift workers getting coverage through employers to purchase their own insurance. The intention of their proposal was to break the link between employment and insurance. The two supporters of the bill believed this would let people keep their coverage even when they lost or switched their job. The proposal would have required everyone to have coverage and insurers to sell insurance to all applicants. The health reform bill has addressed these failings. Both presidential candidates had expressed the desire to improve options for people who buy their own coverage. 

Candidate Obama wanted to allow individuals and small firms to have the bargaining leverage and purchasing power of large firms by creating ways for individuals to buy insurance in groups. Advisory to candidate McCain had acknowledged the current system was broken. Douglas Holtz Eakin, who was a senior policy adviser noted that he did not want to give the impression the individual or small group market is a good place to be, as it was not

The public hospitals have been at the vanguard of the victims of inadequate and absent coverage. They have provided for the uninsured and those under insured by Medicaid, that reimburses them at below cost. They are also unable to compete with private and nonprofit hospitals for patents with private health insurance coverage. Yet, the cost of providing care to the uninsured and under insured has climbed and taxpayer support remained static.

Currently employers are looking to shift more burdens to their employees due to rise in the cost of health insurance. A Reuters research team in analyzing claim data has discovered that smaller employers saw costs rise the most. According to a report released in March 2010, the cost for an employer to offer individual plans to workers increased by 43 percent over a eight-year period. The amount employees paid for the single plans increased over 64 percent.

Large corporate employees have enjoyed the most secure and highest quality coverage in the nation during their employment. They have not been victimized during their employment with revocation or denial due to preexisting conditions. Nevertheless, a recently released annual survey by the National Business Group on Health has indicated that the impact of rising costs means this island of safety is about to be buffeted. This surveyed large employers indicated they were considering shifting more of the cost on their employees.

Harvard researchers looking into what portion of bankruptcy filers filed for medical reasons found some enlightening information. They found that illness caused the majority of filings. The study looked at a year that preceded the housing bust; but reveals what is the general scenario absenting this reason. The larger segment of filers were covered by insurance they lost or proved to be inadequate. Majority of these were middle class homeowners who had college degrees. The study revealed the vulnerability of Americans who were literally one major illness from bankruptcy. There are big Obama effects on individual health insurance coverage. Certainly there are due to be major Obama effects on individual health insurance.

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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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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. 

Saturday 25 June 2011

How to Find the Most Affordable Health Insurance Quotes


We all know that you can’t drive around without car insurance, and the thought of living without some type of health insurance is equally as dangerous. More bankruptcies are caused in this country because of people without health insurance than for any other reason. This is primarily because the cost of healthcare has skyrocketed so high that if you don’t have insurance, you simply don’t have the option of taking care of your health.

The good news is that you can get affordable health insurance quotes online that will allow you to get the insurance that you need quickly. You don’t have to visit the websites of multiple companies either – you can simply go to one of several very good sites that let you compare, side by side, the prices and policies of various companies.

This allows you to get affordable health insurance quotes that fit within your budget and also protect you in case of illness or injury. Even if you feel that you are the healthiest person in the world, you just never know when disaster will strike, and without some form of health insurance, you could find yourself financially wiped out after just a brief stay in the hospital.

If you find that your employer is offering to buy your insurance for you, take a good look at the policy they are offering, and then compare it to the affordable health insurance quotes you find online. You will most likely find that you can get a much better deal on your own, and in doing so, you will be able to choose the insurer you want along with a deductible you can live with. You will even be able to choose a plan that allows you to see the doctor of your choiceFind Article, which most people state as one of their primary criteria for choosing a health plan.

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Carla Kaplan is a writer and researcher on affordable health insurance quotes. Save time and money by getting FREE in-depth information and helpful tips here:ReallyCheapHealthInsurance.Com

Monday 20 June 2011

All about Health Insurance and Health Insurance Plans


A type of insurance that pays all your medical expenses is known as health insurance. Health insurance sometimes also includes long-term nursing, disability and custodial care. An insurance that insures your life by paying you if one gets disabled. Disability insurance is the answer to the question “if I am unable to work how I will pay my living expenses”.

Lon-term care insurance is also stated as LTCI. It is a type of insurance which is most commonly used in UK and USA. It insures your life after predetermined period is over. Health insurance can be provided by ether a private company or directly by government to the customers. Health insurance, if purchased in group by a firm or a company for its employees, gets discount. One has to pay the premium of the health insurance plan. This premium can be monthly, quarterly or yearly. 

Evolution and history of health insurance: -

Around the 1880’s, people buoyed the accidental insurance which busted out to be a blessing in disguise for those who got injured in accidents. The term health insurance was originated in late 1880’s. Earlier health plans offered compensation only when the victim suffers from an injury during accident. However at that instant of time the persons were prone to more injuries which were related to some other circumstances, therefore it helping in preparing the people for some more comprehensive types of plans which were installed later by insurance companies. There were people who couldn’t pay off their monthly fees but still they were in need for having protection afforded by insurance. This was the term when the employee health insurance gained popularity and become common among them. Before the Second World War ended in 1945 there were around hundreds of businesses who offered health insurance if someone works for them in exchange.

How health insurance plan works: -

There are many terms that are used in reference to the health insurance. Some of them are: -

1. Deductible: - it is the amount of money that a customer has to pay from his pocket out of the total expenses. This can be fixed for a year or a percentage each time one pays for his health.

2. Co-payment: - it is the amount of money that a customer has to pays each time he takes a service. For exampleFree Articles, the visiting charger of a doctor has to be paid by the costumer. 
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Get instant insurance rates from multiple carriers online. Free comparison for cheap auto, low cost health insurance, affordable home insurance quotes. We are dedicated to helping  consumers find the most affordable and competitive home insurance on  the web.

Friday 17 June 2011

Health Insurance and Health Insurance Coverage


If you are looking for a good health insurance policy from a very good health insurance company, agency or provider, then few things must always be kept in mind. Do get the quotes of the health insurance from the sites or from the agent or broker.
These quotes will very truly help you out in making the most important decision of choosing the correct health insurance policy from a very good health insurance company, agency or provider.

Do keep in mind that the health insurance you are taking also include the coverage of dental and also vision problems. This will only be profitable for you only as you will not be tension of spending a lot of money on the problems related to teeth and eyes.


Perhaps you might not even have a very good job that very truly offers this kind of benefit. Perhaps you are also not dependent on the health insurance plan of some other person.


Or, perhaps you really are a student and that too a full time student who has a family and also happens to be married, in which case you could qualify at student rates that are really so much special.


In this particular case your only recourse would be to buy student policy for health insurance for your own, and also the coverage of the entire dental and vision problems will very truly be included completely.

In any of the cases, it is always really a very good idea to have a medical coverage for your family and also for yourself. In the society the insurance is really a necessary evil. 

You might think that you are wasting your money in buying the health insurance policy but you will get to know the real fact whenever there is any health problem. As at that time you will not have to pay a single rupee because the coverage will be included in your health insurance plan. If you really think that health insurance is very truly very expensive then just have a look on the money needed to sort a out small or minor health problem.

When a person enters in his/her student’s careerHealth Fitness Articles, then this health insurance may not be of much importance but this is a topic that need to be taken very much seriously. A very large number of schools are there that very truly offer it at special student rates.

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Get instant insurance rates from multiple carriers online. Free comparison for cheap auto, low cost health insurance, affordable home insurance quotes. We are dedicated to helping  consumers find the most affordable and competitive home insurance on  the web.
 
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