Health Spas Guide » Primary Care

Where to Get Low Cost Health Insurance in Ohio

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:00:45 +0000

Thanks to rising medical costs, health insurance rates are at an all-time high. But there are places where you can get cheap health insurance in Ohio.

The first thing you need to look at when considering health insurance in Ohio are the types of insurance that are available. There are four basic plans:

1. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) – These plans set you up with a network of doctors and hospitals who provide your health care. You must choose a primary health care physician who oversees your care and refers you to specialists, and you are only allowed to see physicians within your network.

HMOs are the cheapest of all the health care plans. They have low co-payments, usually $5 to $10 per doctor visit, and involve the least amount of paperwork.

2. Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) – Similar to HMOs, these plans set you up with a network of health care providers, but unlike HMOs you may see specialists within the network without getting permission from your primary care physician. If you see a non-network physician you may have to pay the bill yourself and submit it for reimbursement.

PPOs cost slightly more than HMOs, and co-payments average $5 to $10 per doctor visit.

3. Point of Service Plans (POSs) – These plans also set you up with a network of health care providers, but, for an additional fee, you may see a physician who is not part of the network.

POSs generally cost more than PPOs but are more flexible. Co-payments average $5 to $10 per visit.

4. Indemnity Plans – These plans let you choose your own doctor and hospital, and you can visit any specialist you choose. You pay a deductible, usually $500 to $1,000, before your insurance company will begin paying claims. After you pay your deductible, your company will pay most of your medical bill, usually 80%, and you pay the remaining 20%.

Indemnity Plans are the most expensive health care plans and involve the most amount of paperwork.

Low Cost Health Insurance in Ohio

In order to get the best rate on your health insurance policy you need to compare rates from different companies. The fastest way to do this is to visit an insurance comparison website where you’ll not only get multiple rate quotes, you’ll also be able to get advice from insurance experts who can help you find the best policy for your needs. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s free.

By: Brian Stevens

Medical Health Insurance

admin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 09:28:55 +0000

Choosing Health Insurance Policies

When it comes to health insurance, women have special needs. There are so many different health issues that women go through that it is important to find health insurance to cover all of them.

The first thing to look at is what your company offers. There are so many different options, but the two most common are fee-for-service and managed care. Find out which one is offered to you, and go from there. Different plans can have different providers and services, cost and quality of care.

* Fee-for-Service – In this plan, you go to the doctor of your choice, and they send a bill to the insurance company. You get billed for the rest. Usually, there is a flat fee per year that you must pay before the insurance company will start to cover expenses.
* Managed Care – This is the most common type of plan, and it is broken down into several different categories; Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), and Point of Service (POS). With HMOs, as long as you use a doctor or hospital in your network, your out of pocket costs should be minimal. With a PPO, although you might have a larger network from which to choose your doctor, your premium will be higher. With a POS, your plan is similar to a PPO, but your care will be managed by your Primary Care Physician.

Which one you pick will depend upon your health circumstances. For example, if you are pregnant, or plan to become pregnant, you might want to pick a health plan that covers pregnancy, to keep your out of pocket costs down. If you have cancer, you will want to pick one that has good doctors and hospitals in the network. Also, if you already have a doctor whom you love, you might want to make sure that you will be able to see them still with the new health insurance policy that you pick.

There are even a number of government-run resources for women without health insurance. There are community health centers, public hospitals, school-based center, public housing primary care centers, migrant health centers and special needs facilities. Other government sponsored programs include:
* Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, & Children (WIC).
* National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP).
* Maternal and Child Health Services.
* Indian Health Service (IHS).
* Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH).

One of the most difficult situations for women is when they make too much money for public government assistance, but not enough to pay for medical care or health insurance. In this case, they might be able to find temporary insurance through their state, or a low-cost health insurance option through a labor union, professional clubs or organization. There are also free clinics and prescription drug assistance. Women who are coping with cancer can find many government sponsored and volunteer organization, and the Ryan White CARE Act gives aid to women with HIV/AIDS who have little or no insurance, and a limited income.

By: Ryan Baba

A Traditional Indemnity Health Insurance Plan Or A Managed Care Plan?

admin — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:33:50 +0000

For many years people felt that they were trapped between a traditional indemnity health insurance plan (a wide range of choice and high degree of security in the event of serious accident or illness which came at a high cost) and a managed care plan (a focus on preventative medicine at relatively low cost but with severely limited choice).

Today however it is possible to some extent to enjoy the benefits of both traditional indemnity insurance and managed health care through a variation on the original Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) model known as a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO).

A PPO is essentially an HMO which means that the insurance company will establish a network of healthcare providers and, in exchange for a relatively low cost, will encourage, or in some cases require, policyholders to seek treatment within the HMO’s network. Where treatment is taken outside of the HMO’s network much, if not all, of the cost of such treatment normally has to be borne by the policyholder. However, in the case of a PPO, the rules for policyholders who wish to seek care outside of the HMO’s network are relaxed.

Within an HMO a policyholder is assigned to a particular doctor or primary care physician (often referred to as a “gatekeeper”) and the policyholder must go through the primary care physician in order to receive treatment. If, for example, the policyholder wishes to see a specialist then he or she will have to be referred by the primary care physician and may or may not have a say in which particular specialist they are referred to.

In a PPO however no primary care physician is assigned and so no referral is required. Policyholders are free therefore should they choose to do so to seek treatment through a specialist who is not a member of the HMO’s network.

There are of course cost implications to this choice and policyholders will almost certainly have to pay more for treatment with a doctor or in a facility that is outside of the HMO’s network than they would if they sought treatment within the network. Nevertheless, unlike the HMO model, the PPO gives the policyholder the choice.

If you like, a PPO provides policyholders with the low cost managed health benefits of the HMO with the option to elect for the greater choice, albeit higher cost, of indemnity insurance when it suits their needs.

It will probably come as no surprise to find that today traditional indemnity policies are fast disappearing and that there are now twice as many people enrolled in PPOs as there are in HMOs.

By: Donald Saunders

Health Insurance 101 Explained

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:59:36 +0000

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

How to Get Inexpensive Health Insurance

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 05:01:37 +0000

Looking to buy health insurance? Want to know how to get inexpensive health insurance with a reliable company? Here’s how …

Types of Health Insurance

There are four basic types of health plans:

Indemnity Plans – These plans let you choose your own doctor, and it pays all of your medical bills up to a specified daily amount for a specified number of days.

Indemnity plans are the most flexible health care plans, but they are the most expensive plans and they involve the most paperwork.

HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) – With these plans you pay a monthly premium to join a network of physicians and hospitals. You must choose a primary care physician within the network who oversees your medical care.

HMOs are the most restrictive of all the health insurance plans, but they’re also the cheapest plans. Co-payments are either very low ($5 to $10) or are free.

PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations) – With these plans you also pay a monthly premium to join a network of physicians and hospitals. You can choose to see whatever doctor you prefer, but if he or she is not part of the network you’ll need to pay an extra fee.

PPOs cost a little more than HMOs, but a lot of people prefer them because they are less restrictive. Co-payments average $5 to $10.

POS (Point of Service plans) – These plans are a combination of HMOs and POSs. You must choose a primary care physician to oversee your healthcare treatment, but you can see a non-network physician without having to pay extra fees if your primary care physician refers you to him.

POS plans cost a little more the PPOs and HMOs, but are more flexible. Co-payments are about the same as for HMOs and PPOs.

Which Plan is Best?

In order to determine which health insurance plan will best meet your needs, you need to find out the following:

* Does the plan cover the services you need?

* What co-pays, deductibles, and coinsurances does the plan have?

* How much freedom do you have in choosing your own physician?

* What is the waiting period for pre-existing conditions?

Inexpensive Health Insurance

In order to get the best rates on health insurance you need to comparison shop. Thanks to the Internet, you don’t have to spend hours on end calling local insurance companies or surfing single-company websites to get quotes. Now you can go to an insurance comparison website, fill our a simple questionnaire, and get quotes from multiple comapnies.

The best comparison sites only deal with A-rated companies so you know the company you choose will be reliable and will give you good service. Theses sites also have an insurance expert on hand to answer any insurance questions you may have. (See link below.)

By: Brian Stevens