Tag Archives: Health
How To Save Money And Get Discount Health Insurance In Alabama
How To Save Money And Get Discount Health Insurance In Alabama
Health insurance is a big problem for most Americans, as you are probably aware. Even Alabamans who have group health insurance admit that for at least half of them their monthly premium is a severe strain on the family finances, and fully 16% of all residents of Alabama don’t have any health insurance at all due, primarily, to cost.
Obviously almost everyone here in Alabama is looking for ways to save money and get discount health insurance, and fortunately there are several things you can do, small changes you can make, that will help make health insurance more affordable.
Let’s start with kids. If you have children who are 18 or under and you can’t find a health care plan that will accept them or which you can afford there may be a solution. The state of Alabama has a program called AL-Kids which provides health care to young children at low or no-cost. In addition to AL-Kids, Alabama has several other insurance programs that cover college students, pregnant women and more.
For those people who do not qualify for any of the state-sponsored programs there are still several things you can do to lower your cost of health insurance.
Obviously group health insurance is less costly than individual health insurance. If your workplace does not offer group health insurance you still may have other alternatives. Check with any groups, clubs or organizations that you belong to – even church groups sometimes offer group health insurance. Talk to your friends about any groups, organizations or clubs they belong to which might offer group health insurance – there are a lot more of them around than you are probably aware of.
If you have a home-based business check with a health insurance agent to see if you could qualify for group health insurance. Sometimes it is possible even if your only employee is your spouse.
Don’t smoke or use any tobacco products. Smokers (and people who use chew) pay a lot more for health insurance than do non-tobacco users.
If you are overweight you are also going to pay more for your health insurance. The good news is, even if you can lose just a little weight you can sometimes drop down a rung on the insurance company’s weight chart and if that happens you could save hundreds of dollars each year on your insurance costs.
Don’t participate in dangerous or extreme sports or hobbies, and don’t drive a sporty, fast car.
How much of a co-payment can you afford to make each time you visit your doctor? You’ll have to think about this and be honest with yourself, but if you can afford a 50% co-pay then you will pay considerably less for your health coverage every month. If you see your doctor on an infrequent basis this could be an excellent way for you to save money on your health insurance.
Then there is your deductible. Again you have to consider this question carefully and you must be absolutely honest with yourself, but the more you can afford to pay each year out of your own pocket for your health care before you ask your insurance company to start kicking in, then the less you’ll pay each month in premiums.
Now get online and find at least 3 websites that are designed to let you compare prices for health insurance in Alabama from different insurance companies. Be sure to enter the same information into the forms on at least 3 different websites so that your comparisons are valid and you can be sure that you are seeing prices from as many different companies as possible.
When you’ve done that all you need to do is pick the best price and you’re done. You’ve now done about all you can to save money and get discount health insurance in Alabama.
What You Need To Know About Health Insurance & How Quotes Are Calculated
What You Need To Know About Health Insurance & How Quotes Are Calculated
We all hope to stay well and healthy all the time, but we all know that we are going to be sick or may even be unfortunate and have an accident at some point in our lives. We all have access to the state health services but if you want additional private cover then this is where taking out a private medical insurance comes in. This article explains about health insurance in general and how quotes are worked out in general.
Private medical insurance will cover the cost of your treatment when you are unwell, but the kind of cover and amount of the cover you get varies considerably from policy to policy.
Make sure that when you are considering which health insurance policy to take out that you carefully read the policy so that you can find out which illnesses you are covered for and which illnesses are not included in the policy cover. It can also be the case that your medical insurance policy may require you to use particular hospitals for your treatment.
So what are health insurance quotes calculated on? Well providers calculate your policy quote on several factors, the most important being your age, your health, your medical history, your occupation and they also look at whether you smoke or not. If you do smoke, then you are likely to get a more expensive medical insurance quote.
Some health insurance policies let you choose to have an excess which if you decide to have this option it will lower your insurance quote. Another important thing to take into account when taking out a private medical insurance policy is that no matter how much you decide to spend on your cover you will not get cover for certain illnesses. These illnesses include long term illnesses, alcohol abuse, AIDS, suicide attempts and illnesses that are related to old age.
It is very important that when you take out your cover that you advise your healthcare insurance company of everything that is relevant to your health insurance application. This means you must tell them about any pre-existing medical condition or illness that you may have and it is highly likely that they will not cover you for these pre-existing medical conditions or illnesses.
And finally it is worth mentioning that it is always a good idea that you shop around to find the most suitable and affordable private medical insurance solution for you.
Getting Texas Health Insurance is Easier than You Might Think
Getting Texas Health Insurance is Easier than You Might Think
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas leads the nation in the number of people without health insurance. Although almost one in five Americans is uninsured, it is estimated that one in three Texans are uninsured. The Texas Medical Association reports, “More than 5.5 million Texans – including 1.4 million children – lack health insurance.”
In a report issued by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, “The uninsured are a diverse group that includes people who cannot afford private health insurance; who work in small businesses that do not offer insurance; who simply choose not to purchase health insurance, even though they can afford it; who are eligible – but not enrolled – in government-sponsored programs such as Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP); and recent immigrants.” The Comptroller also noted that Texans are less likely than other Americans to receive health insurance benefits from their employers.
The most notable omission from these reports is that it’s often difficult for people to navigate the choices involved in obtaining Texas medical insurance. There are a myriad of choices and decisions to be made. Should I get individual or family coverage? Should I go with a health maintenance organization (HMO), preferred provider organization (PPO), or another type of plan? What kind of deductible should I choose?
The task of finding Texas health insurance is even more daunting because, as you go from one health insurance company to another, you find that each offers a different set of options. As a result, it’s difficult to compare the proverbial apples to apples.
Most people don’t realize that a full-service Texas-based health insurance agency can help everyone from individuals and families to small business owners and Medicare recipients understand the options that are available to them to obtain insurance. Even better, such agencies offer their services and support free of charge. This is because they are compensated by the insurance companies rather than by the insured. Therefore, you can reap the benefits of their unbiased expertise at no charge.
Best of all, some of these agencies have implemented easy-to-use online systems that allow you to obtain quotes, compare Texas health insurance plans, and even apply online – all from the comfort of your own home. In fact, you can peruse health insurance plans, life insurance plans, dental plans, and Medicare supplemental insurance plans all in one place.
In order to obtain quotes for health insurance, for example, you simply need to enter your contact information into an online form, and then provide some basic information about you and any other family members you wish to insure. The system will then generate quotes from a variety of companies, which you can compare side-by-side. You can sort the results by a number of factors, including the health insurance company, the plan type, the deductible, the co-pay, and the estimated premium. Once you decide which plan you prefer, you can apply online.
Everyday, health insurance agencies are providing a growing number of people with affordable Texas medical insurance. In turn, those who obtain health insurance rest easier knowing that they and their families are protected.
Different Types of Health Insurance in California
Different Types of Health Insurance in California
Whether you buy group or individual health insurance in California, the options you have regarding the different types of health insurance are generally the same. In some groups you can even choose from available plans. These different types are traditional health insurance, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and preferred provider organizations (PPOs).
California goes beyond the Federal requirements for offering health insurance to its residents. Examples of this include Industry Advantage plans (IAHP), short-term health policies, Insurance for high risk Individuals and special plans for children and teens.
Additional Health Insurance in California
The traditional health care delivery system is based on a fee-for-service type of arrangement. In a fee-for-service system, you pay or each itemized medical service you receive. In the days of the frontier, “Doc” often received a chicken as payment. Today, physicians are paid with money, lots and lots of it. Fee-for-service health insurance recognizes this practice and is designed to reduce or even eliminate your duty to pay directly for your medical care. Traditional health insurance comes in three parts:
California has four basic options for choosing a health care plan:
- 1. Health through an employer or association
- 2. Health Insurance through Income eligibility such as Medicaid
- 3. Health care for high risk individuals such as those that have had cancer or a heart attack
- 4. Private Insurance
Hospitalization
Hospitalization covers defined expenses incurred while in the hospital. Generally, the insurance will pay for all of the covered services rendered by the hospital staff. However, if the insurance benefit is an indemnity payment, the payment will be for a fixed sum regardless of the actual expenses incurred. This fixed sum will usually be far below the daily charge actually made by the hospital.
Medical/surgical
This part of a traditional health plan covers the expensive costs of medical care other than the bill from the hospital. Services such as doctor visits, treatment charges, etc., are covered here. Medical/surgical usually has a deductible and requires co-payments by the insured (payments you make for charges not covered by the insurance), typically 20 percent of the doctor’s fee.
Catastrophic or major medical
There are usually lifetime maximum payments that hospitalization and medical/surgical plans will pay, after which the well runs dry. Unfortunately, these maximums may not be sufficient to pay for all of the care required if a major illness or injury should strike, since such afflictions can eat up hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars worth of health services. Thus, catastrophic coverage adds to your umbrella of protection in an amount sufficient to protect you from the horrendous expenses of such serious and prolonged illnesses. These policies also fill in some of the gaps not covered by hospitalization or medical/surgical.
Health Maintenance Organizations or Private Insurance in California
The health maintenance organization (HMO) is a relatively new player in the health insurance game, although it has been around in a limited fashion since the 1930s. The idea behind an HMO is to pay one premium and receive all of your health care at no or a nominal additional cost. The point is to save money compared to traditional health plans that cost more to purchase and require more out-of-pocket payments from the insured. What you, the insured, give in exchange for reduced cost is a substantial loss of your freedom to choose who will take care of your health needs.
Preferred Provider Organizations
Preferred provider organizations (PPOs) seek to give both the benefits of traditional health plans and the money savings of HMOs. They do this by paying higher benefits as a reward for your using the doctors or hospitals they preselect for that purpose.
Disability Insurance
Disability insurance does not pay for health care; rather it pays for lost wages caused by a disabling injury or illness.
How Health Insurance Is Priced
Ask anyone how health insurance is priced and you will get a simple answer: expensively! Beyond that, there are underwriting criteria used by health insurance providers, whether they are for-profit or, like Blue Shield/Blue Cross, nonprofit.
Underwriting Criteria
Age
The older you are, the more likely you are to get sick; therefore, the higher your health insurance premiums will be.
Number of people covered
Many people buy family coverage rather than individual policies. This means that there will be adults as well as minor children protected by the same plan. Some companies will charge based on the size of the family. Others charge a basic family rate without regard to the number of members.
Gender
Unlike life insurance, where women get the better end of the bargain than men, in health insurance women often pay higher premiums. This is based on health insurance industry statistics which indicate that the female of the species tends to need medical care more often than the male.
Health history
Insurance operates on statistical probabilities. If you have had a poor health history, statistically you are more likely to have a more expensive health care future. This, in turn, means that you will pay higher premiums-if you can get health insurance at all.
Occupation
The more likely you are to suffer injury or illness because of the work you do, the more likely the health insurance industry will be to charge excessively for benefits. This may be well and good for professional deep-sea divers. But the industry has begun to stretch the concept into areas that have nothing to do with the inherent danger of the work.
Lifestyle
In your application for health insurance you will be asked questions about your personal habits. Your answers will have a lot to do with the cost of your premiums. If you smoke, you will probably pay more for health insurance. If you drink to excess, you will probably pay more for health insurance. If you are known to be under a great deal of stress, you may pay more for health insurance. California does reward the health care Insurance consumer with lower premiums if they have practiced good health policies.
One of the most important things you can do as a health care consumer is to engage in preventive care. Not only will you be able to spot serious diseases at an early stage, thereby increasing your chances of effective treatment and cure, but you should be able to save money as well, since it is usually far less expensive to treat a disease when it’s a molehill rather than a mountain.
About The Author:
Medical-Ins.com is a leading broker of health insurance in California. We provide detailed information and cost breakdowns of Blue Cross, PacifiCare California and many more. Visit our site for a free quote and to help sort through the various health insurance plans to find the more affordable option for your family.
Maximize Your Health Insurance With These Easy Tips! (2)
Maximize Your Health Insurance With These Easy Tips!
Health insurance. They aren’t dirty words – at least, they don’t have to be. If you spend a little time learning how to get the best health insurance you can reap surprising benefits. Every buyer and every insurance company is different, but here are a few general ideas that can apply to almost every health insurance situation:
Before purchasing health insurance, take your own needs into consideration. You do not want to be stuck paying for health insurance that does not help you with the care you need. For instance, if you plan on starting a family soon, get a health plan that covers pregnancy and delivery costs.
Your health insurance needs change as you move through life. Periodically, take a look at your health insurance coverage to make sure it meets your needs, particularly if you have a family. Does it still make sense to stay on your work’s health insurance policy, or does your spouse’s policy offer better coverage for this time in your lives?
When your doctor prescribes you a drug, ask him if there is a cheaper version, or an over-the-counter option, which you could use instead. For example, my husband had a stomach parasite which required three drugs to treat. The doctor was going to prescribe him a combination pill which would have cost literally ten times as much as if we got each drug separately!
A great health insurance tip that can save you a lot of money is to start getting your doctor to prescribe you generic drugs. Generic drugs have the same ingredients as brand name drugs, and you won’t have to pay an arm and a leg to get them either.
Here is a great money saving tip for health insurance. When shopping around for health insurance, see if you can find insurance companies that offer a free trial. This allows you to try out the insurance for a certain period of time, and if you are not satisfied with the service they offer, then you can get a refund.
It is helpful if you know what type of health insurance you are looking for before you make a decision. Consider the size of your family, and if you have young children, remember that they tend to go to the doctor often, so you will want a plan that has a lower co-pay to save some money.
Low priced health insurance plans usually cover a portion of major health problems and do not cover preventative treatment. Expensive plans cover almost every health need you may have. To decide on the best plan, figure out what your family’s current needs are and how much you can afford.
Buying health insurance is not that different from staying healthy. The time to act is long before trouble comes up. Insurance buyers who learn all they can and prepare themselves well can get the health insurance they need for significantly less money. And once the policy is bought, smart research will help the holder get the most out of it.