Health Spas Guide » Health Insurance

Affordable, Low Cost Health Insurance

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:24:44 +0000

There are several ways you can obtain affordable, low cost health insurance. If you’re employed, your employer may offer a group health insurance plan for employees. Married individuals can usually opt to be covered under their spouses’ health insurance – their children can be covered, too. If you belong to a club or organization, you may be able to take advantage of group medical benefits offered by the club or organization. Of course, you may be able to afford an individual health insurance plan.

However, if none of these apply to you, and purchasing an individual health insurance plan isn’t a financial option, perhaps it’s time to contact your state’s department of insurance. Most state’s in America offer some sort of medical benefits package to residents who can’t otherwise afford an affordable, low cost health insurance plan. Or, perhaps you can afford to purchase an individual health insurance plan, but are continually denied coverage due to a pre-existing health condition. Some states also offer health insurance plans for individuals in this situation, too.

Each state sets forth its own criteria for state-sponsored health care coverage eligibility. You may need to meet certain financial requirements, i.e., not make enough money to be considered able to purchase your own health insurance plan. You may need to have a certain number of individuals in your household, or you may need to have a certain number of dependents. If you’re looking into a state-sponsored health care program because you haven’t had success finding an independent health insurance plan due to a pre-existing health condition, you may need to show proof of a certain number of attempts before your state considers you eligible.

Remember, regardless of whether you’re eligible for affordable, low cost health insurance from your state’s health care program, your child or children may be eligible. Always find out your state’s criteria for children eligibility, and make sure your children have adequate health coverage.

By: Elizabeth Newberry

Affordable Health Insurance – Health Insurance For The Self Employed

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:49:40 +0000

One of the things that is important to consider when you leave corporate America for the freedom of your own business is affordable health insurance. In fact, the reason most often cited for NOT taking the plunge into self-employment is the lack of cheap health insurance alternatives for people who are not employed by a company that can offer more affordable rates on health insurance through a group health insurance plan.

If you do decide to brave it and be your own boss, there are many places where you can cut corners. Letting yourself or your family go without health insurance isn’t one of them. Here are some common options that can make health insurance affordable if you’re a self-employed entrepreneur or crafter.

Coverage under a Spouse’s Plan

By far the most common option is to cover the family for health insurance through a spouse’s employer. As long as one member of the couple is working for a company that has a group health insurance plan, it’s usually the cheapest option for insuring the entire family.

COBRA

COBRA is an option for the beginning of your self-employment. For the first several months after you leave your job, your employer is required by law to give you the option of retaining membership in their health insurance plan. You will have to cover the entire monthly premium paid by your company rather than the amount that you’re used to paying as an employee when your employer was covering part of the cost. The true cost of that insurance can come as a shock to you – a family health insurance through a group can easily cost close to $1000 a month. It’s still more affordable than most plans that you can purchase as an individual. It’s also only temporary, so you should be looking for other health insurance options while you’re still covered.

A Health Insurance Cooperative with Other Self-employed and Small Business Owners

There are national and local organizations of self-employed workers who have banded together to combine their buying power and get affordable health insurance premiums through group policies. You can find more information about groups in your area through the National Association for the Self Employed (www.nase.org) or the American Association of Home-Based Businesses (www.aahbb.org).

Group Health Insurance for the Self-Employed

In many states like Maine, health insurance companies offer affordable group policies for groups of one. You may have to shop around to find a company that does, but there are benefits other than being a cheaper policy. The most important of these is that they MUST cover everyone in the group, regardless of health conditions. This is important for someone who may have been turned down for an individual health insurance policy because of health.

No matter what, it is vital that you insure yourself and your family against the possibility of illness or accident. There are cheap alternatives to individual health insurance plans for the self-employed.

To view our recommended sources for health insurance, or to
read more articles about health insurance, visit:
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Insurance Companies Online [http://www.ezerk.com/articulos.php?category=53].

By: Carrie Reeder

The Diabetic And Health Insurance

admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:48:10 +0000

There are two prevalent problems in the world of healthcare that causes hardship to many of the American Populace today. The first is diabetes and the second is insuring people with diabetes. I want you to keep reading, because in a few sentences I will outline what you can do to get health coverage for someone who has diabetes.

First, let us address the condition known as diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), there are 20.8 million children and adults that have diabetes. That is 7% of the population. There were 1.5 million new cases of diabetes diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older in 2005. Of those 20.8 million, 6.2 million are undiagnosed and the ADA speculates that there could be as many as 54 million pre-diabetics, which is to say that they have not been diagnosed as a diabetic, but show the tendencies of a diabetic. These figures are overwhelming.

Diabetes also attributes to other health problems. Diabetes can lead to heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease and failure, damage to the nervous system, amputations, dental problems, pregnancy complications, sexual dysfunction, and diabetes can even cause you to have trouble getting over a cold.

It is because of these associated health problems many health insurance companies are not willing to take on the potential risks attached with insuring a diabetic.

So what is a diabetic or the family of a diabetic supposed to do for insurance? The following is a list of options that a diabetic can follow in their pursuit to find health insurance:

1. Look at your employer. Many group health insurers will take people that cannot find health insurance elsewhere. Why is that? Many group health insurers understand and calculate the potential for having a percentage of the employees in a company who are not able to obtain health insurance on their own. This is the primary reason that most group health insurance policies are costly for employers.

2. Do your homework. Shop around. There are plans out there, but you really need to look. If your employer does not offer health insurance there are additional avenues that you can explore. This leads us to number three.

3. Be upfront when talking to an insurance agent. Many times a good agent will have a program for people that are hard to cover due to health complications. For instance I currently have two carriers that I use to help people get coverage.

Additionally, when you sign a health insurance application for coverage you are attesting that the answers that you gave are true and correct. Please understand that if you intentionally misrepresent yourself on an application you can, in the very least, be denied coverage for falsifying an application. I have even seen insurance companies revoke a policy because someone was untruthful on an application.

4. Realize that there is going to be a pre-existing waiting period. I have yet to find one insurance company that will waive the pre-existing waiting period for a diabetic. Please understand that most health insurance companies treat diabetes as an uninsurable condition, and because of that, most insurance companies will deny coverage to new applicants who have been diagnosed as a diabetic.

Therefore, if you have been diagnosed with diabetes and you have found a health insurance company that will insure diabetics, then please recognize that there will, most likely, be a pre-existing condition clause or rider attached.

5. Understand that insurance will be expensive. In all my years as a health insurance professional, I have found that the people with the lowest premiums are the younger healthier people. The converse is equally true. The premiums that are the highest are paid by the people with pre-existing conditions.

I have family members that have been diagnosed as diabetics, and I have friends and clients that have diabetes. I know the attention that is required on a day to day basis. I know the costs involved. I know the difficulty in obtaining good quality health insurance coverage for a diabetic.

Many diabetics might feel that health insurance coverage is just a dream. Coverage for the diabetic is out there. Look at the list, check your resources, and see what your search turns up. You can find it.

By: J Timothy Clark

Colorado Individual Health Insurance

admin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 02:23:47 +0000

The increasing cost medical care is of great concern to many people. The cost is so high that many healthy are choosing to have no coverage at all. This proves costly to the state of Colorado and to its medical providers because the non-insured is treated for emergencies regardless of coverage.

There is state run programs in Colorado hat offer free medical benefits if one qualifies. But, for the most part, if your employer does not offer health insurance, you will probably need to purchase an individual plan. These plans are offered by various companies who have the right to turn you down if you have a pre-existing medical condition. Other companies might accept you, but there could be restrictions and your premium will be higher. There is no such thing as a standardized policy in Colorado. This means insurance companies can make their own stipulations. However, all plans have to cover certain screening and prevention programs. You need to research any insurance company you are thinking of purchasing individual coverage from.

When buying individual health insurance coverage you must consider several options like how much do you want to pay out of pocket for doctor visits; do you want medications covered under the policy and what are the co-pays for office and emergency room visits?

For those looking for ways to reduce their taxes, a higher deductible health insurance is the way to go. There are policies designed for families of all incomes.

Colorado is designed to help those who are having a hard time finding affordable health insurance coverage. For further information you may contact the Colorado Division of Insurance.

By: Peter Emerson

Affordable Health Insurance in New Jersey – Low Cost Plans Online

admin — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 07:03:33 +0000

Affordable Health Insurance in New Jersey – Low Cost Plans Online

Did you know there are new low cost health insurance plans being offered by major health insurance companies? These new plans are more affordable and are available to New Jersey residents.

New Jersey Health Insurance Plans

HSA health insurance plans are saving thousands of people big money on their health insurance costs. A high deductible insurance plan is joined with a tax-exempt health savings account to make this plan possible. Individual plans start as low as $120 per month.

This low premium allows you to put aside money every month into your health savings plan. This money is tax-exempt, rolls over to the next year, and continues to accrue interest. When you need medical care your deductible is paid for out of this savings account. The high deductible insurance plan pays the rest.

A plan like this provides you and your family with protection for large medical bills and for routine health care. HSA health insurance plans are very flexible and allow you to choose the coverage and deductible you want. Many of these plans pay for 100% of medical costs after your deductible has been reached. Before buying a new health insurance policy, be sure to look at an HSA and see what it has to offer.

Health Insurance in New Jersey Quotes

One of the best ways to find affordable New Jersey health insurance is to go to an insurance quote website and request quotes. Immediately after you complete their short form, you’ll get several low cost HSA, HMO, PPO, and POS quotes while still online. After you have your quotes, you can compare the different policies and see if one will work for you. It’s that easy!

By: Jim Westin