Many individuals and families have taken a big hit over the past couple of years because of the high cost of health insurance coverage. Many small businesses that used to be able to provide individual and family health insurance have had no choice but to discontinue offering benefits because the costs were simply too much for them to pay. This has left many people without health coverage and without a lot of option either. If this has happened to you or someone you know, here are a few simple options that might help you out at some point.
#1. Buy private insurance. I understand how expensive this can be. If you do this you may want to consider just carrying a high deductible and paying cash for doctor visits. By raising your deductible you’ll lower your monthly payments by quite a bit. As I said, this is only an option.
#2. Try to find a doctor that will see you for a lower fee in exchange for cash. This is not out of the question at all. Many doctors have to wait several weeks before they are reimbursed for certain insurance claims so even if you had to see someone on a space available basis it might be worth your time to look into it. I know that this is fairly common in smaller towns in some parts of the country.
#3. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to seek public assistance by either applying for government aid or by visiting a free clinic. Hey, you can think whatever you want of me personally, but if one of my children are sick that pride nonsense goes out the window. If I or my wife were sick and were unable to see a doctor we wouldn’t be able to provide for our kids. If you’re a single person then you need a helping hand to get back on your feet. Folks, we’ve got to stick together, especially now. Don’t be passing judgment on anyone that needs help because they or their kids are sick or hungry.
#4. Veterans should visit the closest VA Hospital or clinic. You don’t have to be combat related to be seen and you may qualify for health care at no charge if you are without income, low income or have no insurance.
There may be other alternatives available within your community that you could look into. The best thing that I can recommend other than what I already have is to grab a few free family health insurance quotes online and see what you can come up with there. You just never know what might fit into your budget.
By: Joe Stewart
Posts Tagged ‘Doctors’
No Cost Or Low Cost Alternatives For Individual & Family Health Insurance
March 25th, 2010Filing a Health Insurance Claim
February 20th, 2010
In addition, recent increases in health care costs make it all the more essential to file health insurance claims in a timely fashion, making sure that the insured receives all the payments due to them. Thankfully, several relatively simple measures can greatly reduce the complexity and frustration of filing a health insurance claim.
Useful Tips:
• When possible, allow your the doctor’s office to file your health insurance claim. Most reputable doctors are already set up to file insurance claims and accept the amount paid by the insurance firm.
• When filing your insurance claims, be certain to give the insurance firm all the required details. Any missing information postpones the claims process. If you are required to give an itemized report, remember to include the diagnosis report, service information (description, charges, location, and date), correct insurance numbers, and the hospital and/or doctor’s name.
• Complete the process of filing a health insurance claim as soon as possible. Do not allow claims to accumulate until year’s end, and never wait for a claim to be paid before filing the next claim.
• When filing a health insurance claim under group coverage, discuss the claim with your group health representative, if possible.
• When claims encounter problems, handle them with a written complaint to your health insurance firm, rather than via telephone. This creates a paper trail that ensures both parties remember the information at hand.
• Most importantly, don’t get anxious. If you’re self-confident, aggressive and determined, you’ll easily handle any problems encountered while dealing with your insurance company
By: Richard Cantu
Health Insurance 101 Explained
February 2nd, 2010
We all understand the importance of health insurance; however, as the types of health insurance continue to increase it is becoming more and more difficult to select the type of coverage that is best for you and your family. To help you find out which type of policy might benefit you the most, let’s take a look at the most common types of policies.
There is usually a lot of hype regarding HMOs so let’s look at that one first. A HMO is a health maintenance organization plan that works with a specified group of doctors and hospitals within the network. A primary healthcare physician is selected and you must obtain referrals for care that cannot be provided by that physician. The benefits of this type of plan are lower office visit costs and prescription drug co-pays. In addition, there will typically be either no or limited deductible costs for hospital stays. Depending on your coverage, there may also be no pre-existing condition cause limitations. It is also important to understand that your choice of doctors and hospitals will be limited with a HMO and you won’t be able to have out of network services covered.
A PPO or Preferred Provider Organization works similar to a HMO; however, the major difference is that you are not required to select a primary care physician. In addition to the benefit of being free to choose your own physician without worrying about a referral you also gain the benefit of limited or no deductible costs for hospital stays as well as a possible larger selection of physicians that might be available with a HMO. Out of network services may also be covered; however, for a higher charge than in network services.
A POS, or Point of Service, is also similar to a HMO in that you select a primary care physician. The difference is that you are free to choose out of network treatment if you’re willing to pay a higher out of pocket cost.
Another option is what is known as a traditional coverage policy. This type of policy will have a higher monthly premium as well as deductibles. In addition, you will generally be required to pay for services out of your own pocket up front and then submit claim reimbursement forms.
You may also wish to consider various types of disability plans, which cover a percentage of your income in the event that you experience an illness or accident that prevents you from working for a period of time. A short term disability plan will provide benefits from the first day of an accident or the eighth day of an illness up to 26 weeks. Generally, this type of plan will cover 66% of your weekly income.
Long term disability will begin after short term coverage has expired and will provide coverage for a variable term, depending on the policy you select. Some policies are limited to providing coverage up to two years while others will cover you up to the age of 65.
By: Joseph Kenny
