Health Spas Guide » Insurance Agents

For Reasonable Health Insurance Quotes, Compare Carriers

admin — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 20:23:09 +0000

The major thing to remember when searching for health insurance quotes is that the bigger companies are not always the best choice to ask for quotes. Although they have multiple carriers, their sites don’t often offer side-by-side comparisons of one plan to another. That’s what you want – a site that gives you the ability to see what others offer at the same time. It’s a novel thought, and yes, there are sites on the Internet that do that.

Don’t base your search for health care insurance on price alone. You might find that a rather radical thought, because trying to save money leads logically to shopping for the least expensive plan. However, you may not want to do that because when you go for the cheapest options, you often end up foregoing benefits you may need later.

Here’s where your local health insurance agent comes into play. Call them; that’s what they’re there for – to provide you with a health care insurance quote that is tailor-made for your specific circumstances, not everyone else’s. The advice is free, and it can save you a ton of money while getting you what you really need in terms of health care coverage.

When talking to the health insurance agent, tell them precisely what you are looking for based on what you need for you and/or your family. Tell them all the circumstances, such as pre-existing conditions, your family size and plans for future children, or conditions you currently have under control through the use of medication.

All the information you give the agent is confidential and will help them to provide you with a plan that works. There are thousands of options out there, and you can’t read about all of them online. That’s what health care insurance agents are for, to make choosing a health care plan a whole lot easier.

The big name online companies might not always be the best option for you either, largely because they don’t always have the same kind of plan flexibility as a smaller company does. Brand name companies, like brand name drugs, don’t always do what you think they will do. Ask smaller companies to provide you quotes while also taking time for a free consultation with the insurance broker. You will be pleasantly surprised.

By: C. Green

Health Insurance Deductibles – Costing You More Than You Think

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 06:55:37 +0000

When it comes to Health Insurance, some families are confused about their deductibles. Without the right guidance this could cost you a fortune at claim time. If your family doesn’t have anything going on outside of doctor visits you could be over spending on your insurance policy. At that point, the insurance company gets to keep the over spent premiums.

The deductible is the amount you pay in a single year before the insurance company kicks in. Be careful of plans out there that claim they are based on a 365 day period. If you read the next line it says for EACH Injury or Sickness period of treatment. This means if you have 2 completely different ‘periods of treatment’ in one year you will be exposed to two separate deductibles!! If you have what they call ‘Calendar Year Deductible’ once your deductible is satisfied for the year there are no more deductibles. This is outside of ‘out-of-network deductibles’ or ‘service deductibles’.

The out-of-network deductible is the insurance company’s way of penalizing you for going out side of a preferred provider network. Usually this deductible can be anywhere from $2,000, or more commonly, twice your original deductible. Of course, this is in addition to your in-network deductible. The problem is that even if you’re admitted into an in-network facility for a scheduled surgery… the surgeon, pathologist, radiologist or anesthesiologist may not be a participating provider in your network… and you could easily be stuck with an additional $5000 or more out-of-pocket. There are only a few insurance carriers out there that do not have out-of-network deductibles. Once it is satisfied for the year, in-network or not, it’s satisfied, period. Check with your Health Insurance Specialist on these carriers.

Unfortunately, too many insurance agents like to steer their clients toward low deductibles like $500 or $1000. These are the absolute worst values! The lower the deductible, more the premium you have to pay each month.

Since agents get paid a percentage of your premium, in turn, the lower your deductible, the bigger their commission! Obviously, the agent has a financial disincentive to save you money. Be suspicious of insurance agents that recommend health insurance deductibles under $1500!

Affordable plans have deductibles of $2500 and up. The higher your deductible, the lower your cost. In fact the money you save will almost always far exceed any potential additional out-of-pocket expenses!

Conclusion: Work with a Health Insurance Expert. They will walk you through affordable options to lower your premiums to keep them affordable. Usually, your premiums savings will offset any potential out of pocket expenses. There is no point of over paying your policy ‘just in case’ something does occur. When that ‘just in case’ occurs you would have saved enough hard earned premium dollars to offset the out of pocket expenses.

By: Butch Zemar

Commonwealth of Virginia Low Cost Health Insurance

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 03:24:40 +0000

Finding low cost health insurance in the Commonwealth of Virginia does not mean you have to be eligible for a group health insurance plan through your employer, nor does it mean you have to qualify for Medicaid or state-sponsored health care services. Virginia residents in search of affordable health care can purchase individual health insurance plans.

Because individual health insurance plans can be expensive – which isn’t exactly the equivalent of “low cost” – you want to make sure you are getting exactly your money’s worth. Take these tips into consideration when shopping for an individual health insurance plan in the Commonwealth of Virginia:

• Make sure the health carriers and insurance agents selling individual health insurance policies are licensed to sell health insurance in Virginia – if you purchase health insurance from a company or agent not licensed to do business in Virginia, you will find it difficult to obtain protection against fraud.

• Don’t lie and don’t risk it. If you know a particular health insurance company won’t insure you because of a pre-existing medical condition, don’t lie about that condition in order to get low cost health insurance. You’ll only be cheating yourself, because you still won’t have coverage for the health issue. Wouldn’t you rather feel safe in knowing you’re covered should complications arise?

• Don’t give up. If one health insurance company denies you medical coverage, move on to the next company. Each individual health insurance company follows different standards and criteria for offering health insurance – whatever the price. Just because you are not eligible for one company’s policy does not mean you will not be eligible for another company’s policy.

Many people cringe when they think about purchasing an individual health insurance policy; however, by shopping around and being honest with several different health carriers and insurance agents in the Commonwealth of Virginia, you will find the low cost health insurance plan that is right for you.

By: Elizabeth Newberry

Finding Low Cost Family Health Insurance

admin — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 09:58:59 +0000

Trying to find affordable health insurance in the United States can be very challenging. That’s because the requirements for low cost family health insurance varies from one state to the next.

Luckily there are quite a few online companies that offer free insurance quotes. Go to their websites and you can get comparative insurance quotes from major insurance carriers with licensed insurance agents in your area. And even though the cost of insurance has been rising, there are still cheap health plans available that you can enroll in.

Why Should You Buy Low Cost Family Health Insurance?

If you are employed and your company offers health insurance as one of the benefits for working for them there really is no need for you to buy additional insurance. However, if you are either self employed or unemployed and do not have insurance it is quite important that you are covered for any potential major medical expenses.

You may not be aware of it, but the number one reason that people declare bankruptcy in the US is because of large unpaid medical bills. Nowadays, even outpatient treatment can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. If you do not have medical insurance coverage and you need treatment you will subject yourself to potentially huge expenses. Cheap health coverage can protect you from that happening.

How to Get Fast and Free Health Insurance Quotes Online

Cheap health coverage does not have to mean inadequate health coverage. It can mean affordable health coverage.

It’s very easy to get quotes for cheap health coverage online. Many sites that offer quotes will ask you to answer only a few questions. This way they can direct you to the health insurance providers that would be best for your specific needs and budget.

Depending on the website, once you submit this information, an insurance agent in your area will contact you. Most will get in touch with you very quickly either by email or a phone call. This way you will have the information you need in order to narrow down your choices and find the best health insurance provider for you and your family.

Remember, when you speak to the insurance agents you are under no obligation to take them up on their offer. Probably the best thing that you can do is gather the information they provide and then take some time to compare the different costs and benefits that are offered.

Although it’s always best to sleep on a decision that can have a major effect on your life you have to take the steps to get that information first.

By: Shaun Alexis

Group Health Insurance Quote Tips

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:20:52 +0000

Group Health Insurance is necessary to attract and keep good employees. While employers may not like the cost of group health, they should be aware of the benefits to the company and overall morale. There may be things you as an employer can do to alleviate some of this costly pain. Also, all Group Health companies and insurance agents that offer them are not created equal.

The cost of this health insurance versus the need for solid employees should be weighed. There a perception that many in this country that employees will take a cut in pay if they were to be guaranteed a group health plan. There is a simple explanation for this reasoning. People know they will have to go the doctor. Women need to have mammograms and pap smears, the children need their shots and physicals, and men need their prostrate examined, people realize these services cost money. Employees often would prefer that you take money out their check for group health then for them to write a check each month for it.

Get up to Five Free Group Health Insurance Quotes

It is the job of to keep your group health cost to a minimum. If you already have a group health plan, you can raise the deductible to discourage overuse of coverage by your employees. However a dramatic raising of group health deductible or co-payment may cause some rumbling among your employees. Yet it is t is a good idea to start with a lower deductible, so you can absorb rate increases. (Your group health rates will go up) Also know beforehand what networks are in your area, and what health networks most of your employees’ doctors belong to.

It is very important to review and understand your group health quotes that you will receive. Any insurance agent or broker that provides you with initial group health quotes over the phone, without having your employees fill out any applications, is doing you a disservice. Unless the agent is the Great Houdini, no one in our field can give you a firm, group health quote without a thorough underwriting. Group Health Insurance is too complicated to be taken this casual. Remember, look for an agent that gets to know your particular situation, understand your needs, and has the group health benefits that meet your expectations.

Is going with the biggest named group health insurance companies, the best choice? Choosing the “big name” companies over less known, group health insurance companies with reputable ratings, may not be in your employees and yours’ best interest. All group health plan are not designed the same. If XYZ, group health companies pays 80% for a mammogram and ABC, group health company pays all, could it make sense to you to check the other benefits of the health plan?

Employers realize that they must offer group health to attract and keep quality employees. There are a few hints that can keep group health costs down. It is important to realize that an initial group health quote, with no underwriting is worthless and probably should never be used. The listings of the benefits of the group health plan would be meaningful. While big companies have good “branding,” do not overlook smaller group health companies with good ratings.

Other Group Health Tips

1. Realize that you will be required as an employer to contribute as least 25% of the premiums for the group health insurance. (I never seen an group health carrier ask for less.)

2. Also realize that many group health carriers want at least 60- 70% participation of eligible employees to take the group health insurance or they will not underwrite the group.

3. Before you bind coverage with an agent or broker, find out who will process any claim paperwork and who your employees call about a claim.

4. Decide whether you will want current employees to keep their group health insurance when they retire.

5. Review and ask questions about such terms as group health deductibles, coinsurance, and maximum limits if you are not familiar with them.

By: Matt McWilliams