Posts Tagged ‘Affordable’

Affordable Health Insurance. Women Spend More

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

In most other cases of Insurance, women get the better deal. But Health insurance decides otherwise. We would try to examine why women tend to pay more in health insurance.Lets look at some of these issues.Women are generally thought to be more in need of health care than men. Why? Lets try to find out.Every normal female experiences menstrual cycle. This of course involves blood flow and some psychological effects. From a particular age to menopause, this cycle continues apart from during pregnancy. Are we considering the number of years if we were to count the blood flow in years? Does this have any implication on the health needs of women generally? This is one issue.To look at more issues, women also give birth to children. The period of gestation takes its toll but more than this, the after effect of the different pregnancies must have some kind of effect on their bodies resulting in a higher need for health care.Reminding ourselves that insurance companies are not government aid agencies but businesses out to make profit, we would see why they need to take a lot of factors into consideration.The insurance companies are concerned about how many people are likely to make a claim from a group, the amount claimed and the consequences to their business.Look at it this way. If a certain percentage of a group of insureds make a claim, their overall rate must be such that the insurance company would still make profit. For example, 1 out of 100 insureds make a claim of $1000 and the the insureds pay a rate of $100, the company would still make profit and can even afford to lower the rates.Following the above, we would see that since women are known to generally claim on their health insurance more than men, they would necessarily be required to pay higher rates than men.Am I saying women can’t get affordable health insurance coverage? No!With the suggestions enumerated below, you would be sure to get a more affordable health insurance coverage.Give up tobacco and smoking.Dangerous games and sports should be avoided.Any jobs that are hazardous should be avoided.Lower your rates and increase your attraction by staying in shape.A regular exercise routine is also necessary.Engage in things that make you happy as happy people are less likely to fall ill.Very importantly, get and compare quotes extensively before taking up a policy. You would be able to get very affordable health insurance coverage.There are now so many companies providing health insurance so, you would surely have varying rates. So take your time and get the most affordable health insurance coverage.Whether you pay more or less could be determined by the number of quotes you get. The more quotes you get, the more options you have.

Options For Affordable Health Insurance

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

If you have lost your job and need to find affordable health insurance coverage for yourself and your family, there are many options available. The first step is to learn what the different plans have to offer and how they differ.What COBRA has to OfferIf you have just lost your job, the first thing you will need to do is to check into COBRA. COBRA allows you to continue on your employer’s health insurance plan for up to 18 months after loosing your job. If you have a pre-existing condition, COBRA can be a good option, however it can be expensive because your employer will no longer be paying a portion of the cost. You will have to pay the entire amount yourself.If COBRA does not look like a good option for your family, there are a number of other types of insurance plans available. You will need to do some research and become familiar with some of the terms and what they mean before you can make a wise decision about which plan to choose.Types of InsuranceThere are basically 2 types of health insurance. One is fee-for-service which, is the traditional type of health insurance in which you can choose any doctor or hospital you wish. The amount of choices you get with a fee-for-service plan is a plus, but the cost of this type of insurance can be quite high. Alternatives to a fee-for-service plans are managed-care plans and Health Savings Accounts. Managed care plans include Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) and Point-of-Service Plans (POS).Under a Health Maintenance Organization or HMO, you choose a primary doctor who participates in the plan’s network and then all of your care is directed by that physician. If any test or visits to a specialist are required, that primary care physician must issue a referral and the specialist must be a part of that HMO’s network. HMO’s have the buying power of a large organization so you can often get your medical services for less and they are also focused on keeping costs down. Therefore, an HMO can be a less expensive option for health insurance. However, if you see a physician out-of-network or have any procedures done without prior approval, it can be expensive.With a Preferred Provider Organization or PPO plan, there is also a list of participating doctors and hospitals, however you have the freedom to see any doctor who is part of the plan’s network. You do not have to designate a primary care physician. If you wish to be able to see health care providers outside the plan’s network, you will have to pay a higher coinsurance rate.A Point-of-Service Plan or a POS has some similarities to an HMO and a traditional health insurance plan. With a POS, if you choose your primary doctor from within the plan’s network of physicians, then your costs will stay low. However, if you choose to go outside of the network, your costs will be much higher. The advantage of a POS health insurance plan is that you get the cost savings of an HMO but you still have the freedom to see physicians outside the network as well. A Health Savings AccountAnother option for saving on your health insurance coverage is to open a Health Savings Account or an HSA. An HSA is a savings account for people who have a high deductible health insurance plan. Money is deposited into a special HSA account where it earns interest that is tax-free and the money is not taxed when it is used for qualified medical expenses. HSAs will also have a network of health care providers and your cost will be lower if you choose to stay within the network. As with the POS, you do have the option to go outside the network but at a higher cost to you.If you have lost your job and find yourself in need of affordable health insurance, the first step is to look into COBRA to see if it is the best option. If it is not, then the next step is to research the managed care options as well as a health care savings account. After you learn about the different plans and how they work, you will be able to make the best choice for meeting your family’s health insurance needs.

Finding Affordable Health Insurance

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Affordable health insurance – it seems, particularly today, those words just don’t belong together in the same sentence. Health insurance monthly premiums are becoming the biggest single expense in our lives – surpassing even mortgage payments. In fact, if you have any permanent health problems, such as diabetes, or have had cancer at one time in your family history, your monthly cost could easily be more than the house and car payment combined.

Shopping for affordable health insurance can certainly be an eye-opener. If you have always had a health insurance benefit where you work – especially a state or federal employee – and now have to buy your own, you may not be able to afford the level of health insurance coverage you have become used to.

Affordable health insurance, however, is definitely available -if you know how and where to look.

When you are looking for affordable health insurance, you want the lowest cost per year that will fit your budget, of course. But, even more importantly, you want a company that has a good record for paying without fighting with you on every detail. Just as there is a car for just about any budget, there is also affordable health insurance. You may not be able to afford a “Cadillac” policy – but then you probably don’t need all the frills anyway.

Shopping for health insurance on the internet is the easiest and best way to find affordable health insurance. Here are five reasons why.

1. You don’t need a local agent to help you submit the claims for health insurance. The medical provider does it for you. You save money because the health insurance company saves money by not paying the agent commission. This could amount to an 8% to 12% savings to you.
2. All the top health insurance companies are at your fingertips on the internet. Most local agents can only quote you from the few companies that they represent. They may not offer you what is best for you financially or health-wise but only what they happen to have available.
3. Health insurance companies have to be extremely competitive because it is so quick and easy to compare them with their competitors on the internet today. In the past you would have had to visit physically eight to ten agents to do a similar comparison. Most folks just didn’t have the time or desire for that.
4. You can change your coverage, deductibles, and payment options with just a few clicks rather than going through the paperwork delay with a local agent (and then finding out he/she made a mistake – more delay).
5. Charging to a credit card means you aren’t going to forget a payment and be without insurance. Also, it gives you another 30 days before you actually have to pay. Also, many companies today give an additional discount for “auto-pay”.

The key, however, to finding affordable health insurance is realizing that the purpose of any health insurance is to protect you from a major financial loss – not to protect you from spending small money on clinic visits and sliver removal. These small expenses may be cumbersome but they generally will not hurt you. It’s the $100,000 heart operation that will break you. That’s the financial disaster health insurance was originally designed to prevent.

Also, keep this in mind. Health insurance, as with any insurance, is a gamble. You are gambling that you will draw out more than you pay in. Your health insurance company is gambling they will pay out less. The odds are in their favor for two reasons. They have all the facts for millions of families to average out, so they know the risk in advance. Also, they get to set the rules and the prices. The higher you set your deductible, the more risk you take. This is not a bad thing at all. You will most likely be the winner in the long run.

Yes, finding affordable health insurance is much easier than most people think.

By adding more of the risk with higher deductibles, spending a little time on the internet comparing eight to ten different companies, and deleting coverage that you will not likely need (such as maternity for many people) will make it likely for you to find your own affordable health insurance.

Find Affordable, Low Cost Health Insurance

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

The best way to find affordable, low cost health insurance is to have an employer-sponsored group health insurance plan. Group health insurance plans are the most affordable, low cost health insurance plans out there, aside from state-sponsored health insurance plans. If you can obtain a group health insurance plan from your employer, you will pay even less for your health insurance than you would if you purchased a group health insurance plan on your own.
Most employers have certain requirements an employee must meet before he or she can be a part of the employer-sponsored group health insurance plan. These requirements range from the number of hours the employee works, to the employee’s status, i.e., whether the employee works full-time or part-time. Employers sometimes have time requirements as well. This means the employee must be with the company for a certain amount of time before he or she is considered eligible for the employer-sponsored group health insurance plan.
Employer-sponsored group health insurance plans are usually the most affordable, low cost health insurance plans for a variety of reasons. If you have an employer-sponsored group health insurance plan, the health insurance premiums are either divided between you and your employer, or paid completely by your employer. This means one of two things:
•You are only required to pay half of the health insurance premiums plus a low cost co-payment.
•You are only required to pay an affordable co-payment.
Employer-sponsored group health insurance plans become even more affordable and low cost when you factor in your spouse and children. Rather than purchase individual health insurance policies for each of your family members, or pay out-of-pocket for health care costs, you can add your spouse and your children to your employer-sponsored group health insurance plan.
Find out if your employer offers a group health insurance plan, and ask how you can enroll in the affordable, low cost health insurance plan today.