CongShalom » medical insurance

Online Health Insurance Quote

admin — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:30:40 +0000

Today, the medical cost is very high and still increasing rapidly. At this stage, if you are thinking about health insurance policy, you are trying to make a good decision in your life. Health insurance provide a financial security for you and your family in the vent of sudden illness/sickness or unexpected medical emergencies. Doctor bills, hospital expenses, medicines can very quickly add up to a huge amount. If you do not have health insurance cover, it can ruin your financial budget. In the current scenario, there are so many insurance companies and their products are available in the market. It is absolutely good to make a right decision. But, health insurance is a very costlier compared to other insurance policies. The best way is internet to find the affordable health insurance plan. You can get the quotes from various leading insurance companies. It will very helpful for you to make educated yourself about company and their various plans. Otherwise, shopping for health insurance can be a very daunting task and at the end, you may not find it in cheaper rates possible. Getting insurance quote is a handy process, you just need to put the basic information on their site and immediate it will provide you the list of insurance plans with details. It also allows you to compare multiple insurance plans at a time and this is the main advantage. You can save more your hard earned money simply by choosing from a list of policies. Online health insurance quote is a very easy and quick, you can save a thousands of rupees each year in health insurance costs. Here, you can find the excellent health insurance policy with cheaper rates in shorter period of time. You must know the largest source is online insurance quote to get suitable health insurance policy. It really helps consumers to find the low cost health insurance plan from the various insurance companies.

Author: Habibulla Antule
Source: articlesbase.com

Compare Individual Health Insurance Plans For Coverage You Can Afford

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:02:09 +0000

Many Americans are not covered under a group medical plan, and they may need a private plan. Here are some groups of people who may need to buy their own coverage.
Self employed people usually need to purchase a family medical policy. Some groups of self employed people may be able to join a professional or business association for negotiated rates. Employees of small businesses may not work at a company that provides group health. When a very small business only has a handful of employees, the cost of group health plans can be too expensive to justify for the business. owner. Of course, the small business owner would also need to cover his or her family too. Contract employees probably do not have group benefits either. Even if a contract or temporary employee works for a placement firm, their access to health insurance may be limited. Unemployed people may be entitled to a COBRA extension which allows them to continue their group coverage for several months. However, these extension are not universal. Some companies do not have to offer them. The price tag for a COBRA extension of group medical benefits also comes at a high price. While employed, the ex-employee probably only paid a portion of the premium. Terminated employees usually have to pay the entire premium, and it is not unusually to see that that this bill comes to more than $1,000 a month. Students may be covered under a parent’s health insurance if they are still single and young enough. However, even if that student would be qualified for their parent’s health insurance, they may go to a school that is outside of the range of the plan network, and so services will be more expensive. Some insurers sell student health insurance policies, which are usually inexpensive, to cover this group of younger, college students.

Unemployment Health Insurance

Since unemployment is on many people’s minds these days, I have seen a lot of new stories about possible aid for newly terminated employees so they can extend their COBRA group health benefits. So that may reduce the actual out of pocket cost of keeping group health, even after a layoff. This addresses the problem for the newly unemployed, but not for the large group of people who have been struggling with health insurance for years.

Who Can Find Affordable Health Insurance?

Fairly young and / or healthy people should be able to qualify for fairly affordable major medical premiums from private companies. It is important to compare the costs and benefits of several different types of plans. Consumers should think about their own health needs and risks, and purchase a plan that will cover them, but not purchase so much coverage that the policy cannot be afforded.

For instance, if a young woman thinks she may get pregnant, be very careful when considering private plans because normal pregnancy coverage is rare on the individual market. And if a terminated employee has a health condition, they should also be careful. Again, private companies do not have to accept every applicant, and people should make certain that they can get accepted before they cancel a COBRA extension.

Alternatives To Private Medical Plans

Of course, county, state and federal health programs do exist to cover people who cannot access other options. There are usually some income restrictions, or an applicant must show proof they have been declined by an insurer.

Author: Marilyn Katz
Source: ezinearticles.com

Medical Insurance – Health Insurance Coverage & Plans Explained

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:42:33 +0000

If you’re trying to decide between health insurance plans, you’ll find that there are several different kinds from which to choose. It’s important that you weigh all your options carefully. Your health insurance, even with an employer contribution to the cost, is very likely to be your largest regular monthly expense other than your rent or mortgage. The plan you choose needs to be more than affordable. It will affect your family’s choices in doctors and health care as long as you are a member of that health insurance plan.
Health insurance is like any other kind of insurance. You pay a monthly amount, called a premium, to an insurance company in return for ‘benefits’, to be paid out as needed. Depending on the kind of plan that you choose, those benefits might include regular doctor’s office visits, checkups, emergency room services and hospitalizations, and treatment by specialists. Some health insurance plans also offer benefits that are called ‘wellness benefits.’ like discounts on health club memberships, stop-smoking classes, and nutritional consultations.
The main types of health insurance plans are:
HMO – Health Maintenance Organizations
HMO benefits are geared toward keeping you healthy. They aim for affordable health care costs by reducing the cost of annual physicals, well-child visits and other routine care by requiring you to pay a ‘co-pay’ – a small portion of the actual bill – for every visit to your doctor, and the health insurance company pays the rest. Most require that you choose a primary care physician, who takes the place of an old fashioned General Practitioner – the family doctor who knew your medical history and prescribed visits to specialists if needed. HMOs are generally more affordable than traditional health insurance, but they’ll still cost you several hundred dollars a month.
All your medical care under an HMO will be arranged through your primary care physician. If you need to consult with a specialist, you simply call your primary care physician and request a referral.
Preferred Provider Health Insurance Plans
PPH health insurance plans are very similar to HMOs. They also attempt to keep overall medical costs affordable by providing both preventive and catastrophic health care coverage. Unlike most HMO’s, though, you can usually choose to visit any physician or other provider registered with the preferred provider network. You’ll pay a co-payment, and your health insurance will cover the rest.
Catastrophic Health Insurance Plans
Catastrophic health insurance plans are also sometimes called ‘fee for service’ plans. They generally will pay out to any provider, but they strictly limit the kind of health care that they’ll cover. In most cases, you’re only covered for illness or injury. There’s no coverage provided for regular checkups and other office visits. Catastrophic health insurance plans are often the most affordable option, since they only pay off if you become ill or are injured.
To view our list of recommended health insurance providers, visit:
Recommended Medical Health Insurance Providers.
Carrie Reeder is the owner of http://www.eZerk.com,
an informational website with articles and latest news about various topics.

Author: Carrie Reeder
Source: download

7 Tips For Buying Individual Health Insurance

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:31:14 +0000

When you receive your health insurance benefits through an employer, it will seem so easy to qualify for coverage and to choose the best policy for your situation. However, once you leave the protected confines of an employer plan (if you are laid off or become self-employed), you may be shocked to learn about the overwhelming restrictions now facing you. Many people find it extremely difficult to purchase reasonable healthcare coverage on their own. If this is your task, here are some tips to help you navigate the complicated and worrisome world of private health insurance.

1. Start early. When you know you’ll be needing new health coverage in the near future, begin your research at least 60 to 90 days before the new coverage is to begin. As you start researching and applying for potential plans, you may get the nasty surprise of being turned down for coverage. Unlike an employer-sponsored plan, in the world of private health insurance, an insurance company can simply refuse to cover you for any number of health situations. You don’t want to learn about this just before your existing coverage is due to expire!

2. Cover children under other spouse’s employee plan. Private insurance options are almost never as comprehensive or as affordable as the health benefits provided under an employer-sponsored plan. If either you or your spouse has access to health coverage through an employer, even when the parents are divorced, you should definitely research the terms of this coverage. Don’t be afraid to cover family members under different plans in order to find the best health care coverage for each family member.

3. Consider routine vs. emergency coverage. As you begin comparing plans available to individuals and families, take a moment to consider your priorities for future healthcare. For example, does it make sense to have a $0 co-pay for office visits (saving you perhaps $50 per year), but with restricted hospital coverage for dealing with car accidents or the onset of a serious disease (possibly putting your life or savings at extreme risk)? It’s not hard to see which benefits the insurance companies will play up in their sales materials!

4. Understand medical underwriting. Ahhh, here’s the best kept secret in purchasing private health insurance. When a plan discusses the need for medical underwriting of the policy, they intend to screen your medical history (including covered family members) for any indications of problematic health conditions. Now, please be aware, they are not just screening for serious conditions. Rather, they are attempting to screen out all policy holders who might ever require significant health care. For example, if your weight is too high, you may be denied coverage! Obviously, if you or a family member has a serious issue such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, a disability, etc., then you can assume health insurance will either be denied or that coverage will be offered for all health care except for the specific health issue (known as a waiver of coverage for a specified condition).

5. Research state sponsored plans. Because of the numerous restrictions experienced by consumers in pursuing individual healthcare coverage, many state governments have stepped in to offer reasonable plans and health coverage for their citizens. These plans may cover children, low income families, the self-employed and small businesses, or the hard-to-insure (known as a risk pool). These plans are not strictly limited to low-income families as you might assume, so take the time to see what your state government has in place for people just like you.

6. Read the fine print. When you zero in on a health insurance plan you like, take the time to read the fine print. All insurance policies have restrictions and exclusions, and they will hold you to every comma in the policy. You’ll want to understand what services are covered or excluded, if there are waiting periods, and what doctors, specialists or labs you’ll be authorized to visit under the plan.

7. Never cancel prematurely. Health insurance coverage is closely regulated by Federal and state laws which have put various protections in place for consumers. These protections are often negated when you willingly cancel a policy in writing. For this reason, and due to the various complications noted throughout this article, you should always have your new confirmed coverage in place before canceling any existing policies.

Benefits of Health Savings Accounts

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:28:27 +0000

Health Savings Accounts (“HSA”) are often called the IRA for medical expenses. HSA medical insurance plans are similar to your traditional medical health insurance plans but HSA’s do have certain unique features:

1. Contributions can be deducted as a deduction against adjusted gross income for an individual or an employer can make tax deductible contributions on behalf of their employees. Health Savings Accounts also allow both employers and employees to make tax deductible contributions to the employees plan/account.

2. Maximum contributions to a single individual plan may not exceed $3,000 for 2009 (indexed for inflation in subsequent years).

3. Maximum contributions to a family plan may not exceed $5,950 for 2009 (indexed for inflation in subsequent years).

4. Employees age 55 or over may make a $1,000 per year “catch-up” contribution.

5. Single plan deductibles must be at least $1,150 for 2009 (indexed for inflation in subsequent years).

6. Family plan deductibles must be at least $2,300 for 2009 (indexed for inflation in subsequent years).

7. Single plans must cover all out-of-pocket medical expenses in excess of $5,800 for 2009 (indexed for inflation in subsequent years).

8. Family plans must cover all out-of-pocket medical expenses in excess of $11,600 for 2009 (indexed for inflation in subsequent years).

9. Individuals under 59 1/2 may make a once in a lifetime only rollover from a traditional IRA to a Health Savings Account without incurring a 10% penalty or incurring any income tax on the rollover amount. This is particularly beneficial for any individuals nearing retirement. The maximum amount of the rollover may not exceed the maximum allowed contribution for the year. Once this rollover election is made, it is irrevocable.

10. Earnings on HSA plan funds are not subject to current income taxation.

11. Distributions from HSA plans to pay for qualified medical expenses are tax free.

12. Funds not used for the year may be accumulated inside the plan for use in future years.

13. Individuals age 65 or over are ineligible to contribute any more money to their HSA, however, they may use HSA funds to pay for qualified medical expenses not covered by Medicare.

14. Distributions from an HSA must be for qualified medical expenses. Any distributions made for any other reason (called “disqualified distributions”) are subject to income taxation as well as a 10% penalty.

15. Distributions from an HSA for individuals age 65 or older are subject to income tax but are not subject to the 10% penalty for disqualified distributions.