Monthly Archives: September 2011

Cheap Health Insurance For Individuals

Individuals have many options to obtain cheap and affordable health insurance.  This article describes the many ways a single person can get a health insurance policy for just as cheaply as a group.

However, keep in mind that there are savings in numbers.  The more people in a single plan, the better savings for every member.  Some states, such as Florida, allow you to buy group health insurance policies for an individual.  Other states allow two people together to qualify for a group rate.  If you are the sole proprietor in your family, you may be able to claim your spouse as an employee and receive a group rate.

Another option for self-employed individuals is the NASE (National Association for the Self-Employed.  This association offers self-employed individuals the option to take off all of their medical premiums as well as their non-insured medical expenses from state, federal, and self-employment taxes through a program called 105 HFR.  If you are not part of a company and are self-employed, you may be able to get lower premiums by joining a group, such as trade or alumni associations.  For example, as a writer, I could join a group association that helps writers secure discounted health insuranfce.  For example, associations such as the ASJA (American Society of Journalists and Authors) could help writers get cheaper health insurance.  Fitness instructors may choose to participate in the health insurance program offered through IDEA, with health and fitness professionals.  In addition, woman who are pregnant may elect to join the American Pregnancy Association and receive government funded programs and cheaper health plans, not subject to state regulations.

However, make sure you understand that an association health plan is not the same thing as a group health plan, since insurance companies do not need to provide the same premium for each member of a association, but will most likely do so for a group.

What Does My Health Insurance Cover?

In the UK alone, around 7 million people are covered by health insurance.  Even more so are covered in the United States.  Most of these people are covered by their company.  However, very few of these people have actually reviewed their policy and understand what is or is not covered.

If you think that health insurance pays for all health costs, you’re mistaken.  Health insurance usually only provides protection for short-term and curable health problems.  Usually, health insurance allows you to see consultants, doctors, get surgery, or be treated.  However, before you buy a health insurance plan you need to research the health bills that are not covered by your health insurance plan.

This article does not relate to any specific policy and individual health insurance plans are different.  That’s why you should be sure to check your policy documents.  After reading this article, you’ll know what to be on the lookout for!

Chronic conditions

If a condition is curable and is not a long-term problem, insurance companies classify it as “acute” and usually cover such problems.  However, if a problem is not curable or will require long-term treatment, then it is classified as “chronic”, and you usually won’t be covered.  Drawing a fine line between “acute” and “chronic” usually leads to difficulties between the insurance company and the policy holder.

It is agreed that problems such as diabetes and asthma are chronic conditions, since they likely last for your entire life; therefore, these are not covered by insurance.  However, when a doctor considers one’s illness to be curable but it quickly deteriorates and it becomes incurable, it is defined by insurance companies as chronic, as it has become chronic during treatment.  These problems usually arise in different stages of cancer.

Long-term conditions

Insurance companies usually do not pay for long-term treatments.  Be sure to check your policy information to see how your insurance provider defines a long-term condition.  Many times, if use of a single drug extends for a year or so, the insurer will only pay for the first ten months.

Preventative bills

Most insurance plans only pay for the treatment and cure of conditions after the arise, not for treatments that may prevent a sickness.  once again, how your insurance provider defines this can cause problems.  For example, the drug Herceptin can be considered as a cure or preventative.  Herceptin is used in the early stages of breast cancer, and can halve the chance of cancer returning for woman.  However, it can be considered as a cure or preventative.  Insurance companies and policy-holders can have problems in such a case.

Hopefully, this article has been helpful to reviewing your health insurance plan.  Always contact your insurer when you have any doubt about whether your medical bill is covered.

What Is Travel Health Insurance?

If you are one of those people who do not do much travelling or have been travelling but did not quite get the hang of it, especially if you are travelling to a foreign location all by yourself, being surrounded with people you don’t know might put you out of your comfort zone.  Travel health insurance is possibly one of the most important things to consider when travelling abroad.

Though technological advancements have made travelling a lot easier and worry-free, aside from the fact that information dissemination becomes quicker, there will still be those times where you will find yourself stuck in an unfortunate situation. You can miss a flight, lose a baggage or even get your flights cancelled and get off it right away but if you contracted an illness or got yourself involved in an injury while travelling, these bad situations cannot compare.

The changes in weather patterns and climactic temperature may have ill effects on your bodies. This occurs most of the time to those people who have travelled from a certain area to another for the first time who were not able to adjust to the new climate at the new location. Also, countries mostly in tropic locations are plagued with different types of illnesses and diseases. That is why there is a need to take all the necessary precautions which most of the airline companies, as well as travel agencies would recommend for travellers, first-time or not to acquire travel health insurance.

But what exactly is travel health insurance?

There are several kinds of travel insurance spread in the market nowadays. There are even those which are parts of the ticket expense you have paid for when you’re travelling either by sea or by air. As a matter of fact, due to the terror attacks happening lately, different kinds of travel insurance spread anew. There are insurance plans which provide accident coverage even when accidents happen during the flight. These types of insurance plans also cover cancelled flights and also flights halted at the middle of the trip.

One downside of travel health insurance is that you need to process it yourself. People who want to stay in a foreign country for a long period of time mostly avail the said plan. These types of insurance plans are being offered to those people who plan in staying in another country from about two weeks up to a year. Most travel health insurance packages are renewable up to two years.

International Medical Insurance, for example, reimburses medical expenses you incurred when you get sick while travelling in a foreign country. Package can also cover for extended hospital stay and emergency surgery depending on the package you applied for. Also, there are insurance plans which cover emergency evacuation in case you need to transfer from one location to another for treatment, death and accident benefits and other travel assistance services. There are even companies which provide coverage without medical examinations in the availing of the package.

There are also insurance plans available for expatriates and their families who will be living for an extended duration in a foreign land while there also those for the employees which works abroad for an assignment. Lastly, there are also insurance plans which cover for both the home and foreign country in the case that the person often transfers from one country to another.

Should I Get Health Insurance?

In today’s world with ever-increasing healthcare costs, health insurance is one of the only options available for you and your family.  Being insured by an insurance company is a total necessity, as it will keep you and your family financially safe and healthy.  Without health insurance, you may be inundated with health care costs should one of the members of your family get into an accident.

Many people view health insurance as a waste of money since they think health insurance is too expensive and do not view the risks.  However, you can get health insurance for a low cost and will save you money in the long run.

If you are employed by a company, you can find that getting health insurance via your employer is one of the best ways to get a health insurance plan that suits your needs.  However, you must remember that if you leave your job, you may lose coverage.  Another good way to get coverage is using a personal plan.  If you are not employed by a company or your company does not offer an insurance policy for you, a personal insurance policy is the best choice.

If you must go with a personal health insurance plan, then you should be sure to shop around to get the best deal as well as coverage for you and your family.  Many insurance companies offer different plans, so you should take factors such as your age, medical history, and other habits before choosing one.  You will also need to take your family’s health needs into account if you are buying a family plan.  Be sure not to hide any information from your insurance company, as you will find that this might be very costly if your claim is denied.

By researching different healthcare plans, you will be able to find a plan that suits your needs as well as cut your expenses.  This might be very time-consuming, but you will end up saving a lot of money in the long run with a few hours of research.

Finding Affordable Health Insurance

Finding a health insurance plan that is affordable and also meets your needs is possible, and there are many companies that are there to help you find health insurance that meets your requirements and stay within your budget.  However, many people do not know where to start looking for a good health insurance plan.  This article will show how to find affordable and cheap health insurance easily.

Working with a company that can search out many different health insurance providers can take the hassle out of needing to look for and buy health insurance yourself.  For people who do not want to use a company to locate a good health insurance plan, you can always use the Internet to find a good plan.

Many people in the US go without health insurance simply because they believe that they cannot find a health insurance plan that is affordable.  Consequently, those who don’t have health insurance are less likely to visit a doctor.  Many times, illnesses are not diagnosed until they have developed.

Many factors determine how much your monthly health insurance plan will cost.  Your health insurance rates depend on the kind of policy you have.  For instance, does your health insurance plan cover only yourself or you entire family?  This will affect the quotes you receive.  Are you a younger buyer, or are you in your senior years?  Most health insurance companies adjust your health insurance premium depending on your age.  Do you own a business yourself or are self-employed, or are you getting health insurance from the company you work for?  Factors like these will also affect how much your health insurance costs.

Health insurance is very important, since you never know when an accident might happen and you need medical attention.  For example, if you are getting stitches or help for a broken bone, these bills may end up huge.  However, with health insurance, these bills will build up but you do not need to worry about having to pay for them.  In fact, if you can’t afford to pay your medical bills without health insurance, your credit rating might suffer.

By buying health insurance, you can stop these events from ever happening, and your financial future and your health will be protected.

Another way you can oibtain cheaper health insurance is to get insurance with a higher deductible.  Higher deductibles mean lower monthly premiums.  However, anyone with existing health problems and may need medical treatment may not find this the best choice.

By simply researching affordable health insurance options for a couple hours, you are saving you and your family lots of money every month.  Also, be sure to receive many quotes from insurance companies that meet your financial and health needs.  You will also find that purchasing health insurance via the Internet will save you money.