Health and Insurance

Good health insurance is important to your wellness. Many people pay too much or go without because they don’t know where to find an affordable quote.

There is a plan or program available today for just about everybody. Family, individual, short term, low cost, travel, student, self-employed, small business, personal, supplemental, catastrophic, private, international – you name it.
Affordable Plans
How do you go about finding affordable plans? The easy way is exactly what you are doing now, by going on-line and shopping on the Internet.
Doing your shopping online can save you lots of time, effort and money.
First, narrow down your search to the exact type of coverage you want. Only buy what you need.
Next, look at some of the various companies and offers. Choose a few to examine further.
Get several quotes from a variety of companies. Compare rates and coverage in the comfort of your home. Be a smart shopper.
Health Insurance Quotes
In most cases, no two quotes will be exactly the same. Some companies compete for your business more than others do.
Years ago, you would have one or two agents in your town and those would be your only choices.
Now, with the Internet connecting us all, your choices are unlimited. The world is your shopping mall.
Some companies “get it” and are selling so much online that they can lower their prices due to the great volume of sales.
Health insurance may seem expensive. Not having health insurance, however, is even more expensive.
So while eventually everyone that can should bite the bullet and pay for some sort of health care, choosing which health care plan to sign up with can be confusing. It is important to know your options and your rights when choosing health insurance.
When shopping around, you want to find out what the monthly fee for the insurance plan is. You also want to find out what the deductible is, as you will be responsible for paying that amount of any health care bill.
What part of your medical costs will be paid for by your insurance? How much does each visit to the doctor cost? Are there additional charges for using a doctor outside of the plan’s network?
This should be balanced with what you are looking for in your health insurance. For example, do you need insurance that will cover your children? Do you want your insurance to cover all medical expenses, or just major expenses?
In the case that you are already taking prescription medication, you should see if the plan covers that particular medication.
It is also a good idea to cross check the insurance plan with independent organizations that rate the quality of care of various insurance providers.
These reviews are available from a variety of places, and are usually called ‘quality reports’ or ‘performance reports.’
There are two types of measures that can help you determine the quality of the health care that you are receiving: consumer ratings and clinical performance measures.
The consumer ratings assess whether the doctors involved in the plan are communicating to get the patient the health care he or she needs. The clinical performance measures assess whether the ailment was successfully treated.
Finding a high quality health insurance plan is one thing. Finding a high quality plan that is also accessible (the insurer agrees to cover you) and affordable is another story.
Individual insurance is monitored by states. Some states (New York, New Jersey, and Vermont) have laws preventing insurance providers from discriminating against people with health problems.
In most states, however, it is legal and common for insurance providers to charge people with health problems more for their coverage, or limit coverage for their existing health condition, or else deny them coverage altogether.
Laws limiting this discriminatory practice are called ‘community-rating’ or ‘guaranteed-issue’ laws. It is a catch-22, however, since the problem with these laws is that it causes the insurance rates to skyrocket, making health insurance inaccessible to many.
If you have been denied coverage because of your health condition, check to see if your state has a high-risk pool. While prices can be high for this coverage, you are guaranteed to be accepted by the provider.
Unfortunately for the layman, health insurance coverage and prices vary widely, so comparison shopping and knowing the right questions to ask as well as having a good sense of your own coverage needs is essential.
Shopping around for the lowest premium will not necessarily find you the cheapest coverage. Keeping your health and family in mind, pay close attention to what type of care is covered, and what the deductible is.
Finding the right health insurance coverage can be simplified if you can afford to pass the task on to an expert. Health-insurance brokers require a low commission, and can help negotiate coverage options and deductible variations.
Looking on the internet can also make the process easier.
Since coverage varies so widely state-to-state, your state’s insurance department’s web site will usually offer a list of which companies are selling coverage.
There are a few options to know about in terms of getting the best deal on individual health insurance. For one, COBRA legislation dictates that any employer of 20 or more people must extend coverage for 18-months after leaving the company.
This is generally only a good deal if you are in poor health, as the cost of this coverage can be steep. Another option is to apply for group coverage; a business of as few as two people can qualify for a group discount.
Health coverage can be broken down into two basic types: indemnity plans and managed care. There are Indemnity insurance lets you choose any medical provider. This type of flexibility is costly, however. For services covered by the provider they usually pay only 80% of what the service costs; and that’s after a deductible of a few hundred dollars. These plans do not generally cover preventative care.
Managed care uses a health maintenance organization (HMO), and has no deductibles. HMO has a very low co-payment (the portion of the hospital bill that you pay) and pays for preventative care.
The catch is that you are strictly limited to medical providers authorized by your particular HMO.
California Health Insurance Quotes
You can get as specific and regional as you want when you look for quotes.
Every state in the USA has coverage. You can get California health insurance, Oregon health insurance, Texas health insurance, Florida health insurance… even international health insurance.
There is also personal health insurance for self employed people.
Whatever your needs may be, there is a plan tailored just for you.
Be a choosy shopper
It is a buyer’s market so you can be choosy. Your agent should work for your business. Ask for more affordable rates and better coverage.
You have the power. Who has the best deal? Compare quotes and be a smart consumer.
It costs you nothing to get quotes. And you don’t have to sit in some insurance office getting a sales pitch. You can get several quotes online.
You don’t have to talk to anybody. Just click and compare. It’s quick, easy and free.
Happy hunting and good luck finding just the right affordable solution for your situation.