Health Insurance for You and Your Family
In present date it is really a very serious question whether you are insured medically or not. If you are not medically insured, then you must very truly look for the health insurance policies to cover you and also your family. But the policies for health insurance do not come at a lower price at all.
But each and every person wants to have health insurance for him/her and for also his/her family at a cheap rate. There are a very large number of various different methods through which a person can very easily find insurance plan for health at a reasonable price.
For this one has to make a very good search in the market. It will be a little time consuming but do devote time in this search, as health insurance is really very important. As the very first step while looking for a reasonable health insurance, one should very truly go through all the terms and also the conditions very carefully, whether it is very truly viable to your family or not. Do not choose any health insurance policy blindly as it may cost you much high then you are very truly expecting.
Generally a very large number of employers offer insurance package for health insurance as a larger package of both benefits and profits. The employers very truly pay the premium’s major part, while the rest of the amount is very truly deducted from the employee’s salary on month-to-month basis or on an annual basis. This is really very much profitable and also very much beneficial for all the employees. The employees very truly get a really very easy access to reasonable insurance.
If your employer very truly does not really offer the insurance benefits for health insurance, then you must very truly look for other options that are available. Look for other health insurance companies, agencies and providers and make comparison between them to choose the best for you. Do take a very good look on your health care needs and also the health care need of your family in order to get health insurance policy for you and also your family.
There are a very large number of sites available online, which are very truly very famous to offer reasonable health insurance. Just compare the quotes of all the health insurance companies, agencies and providers and you will surely find a reasonable health insurance plan for you and also for your family.
Alien
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/health-insurance-for-you-and-your-family-755645.html
Obama Threatens Reconciliation On Health Care Reform
A simple majority could pass most of the health care reform bill in the US Senate. That’s a procedure often referred to as reconciliation. President Obama today made a veiled threat to use that process should Republicans not come up with a way of covering more Americans for health care. The GOP proposal covers 3 million Americans. The current house/senate bills cover 30 million Americans. The President mentioned a month or several weeks as a time line. Distributed by Tubemogul.
Duration : 0:20:52
Auto Insurance Principles Should Apply To Health Insurance
Many Americans rely on their automobiles to get to work. No automobile means no job, no rent or mortgage money, no food. A single parent, struggling to make ends meet in the suburbs with 100,000 miles on the odometer, would presumably welcome the guaranteed opportunity for low-priced insurance that would take care of every possible repair on her auto until the day that it reaches 200,000 miles or falls apart, whichever comes first. Especially if the insurance is valid regardless of whether she even changes the oil in the interim.
So why aren’t the auto insurance companies writing such coverage, either directly or through used auto dealers? And given the importance of reliable transportation, why isn’t the public demanding such coverage? The answer is that both auto insurers and the public know that such insurance can’t be written for a premium the insured can afford, while still allowing the insurers to stay solvent and make a profit. As a society, we intuitively understand that the costs associated with taking care of every mechanical need of an old automobile, particularly in the absence of regular maintenance, aren’t insurable. Yet we don’t seem to have these same intuitions with respect to health insurance.
If we pull the emotions out of health insurance, which is admittedly hard to do even for this author, and look at health insurance from the economic perspective, there are several insights from auto insurance that can illuminate the design, risk selection, and rating of health insurance.
Auto insurance comes in two forms: the traditional insurance you buy from your agent or direct from an insurance company, and warranties that are purchased from auto manufacturers and dealers. Both are risk transfer and sharing devices and I’ll generically refer to both as insurance. Because auto third-party liability insurance has no equivalent in health insurance, for traditional auto insurance, I’ll examine only collision and comprehensive insurance – insurance covering the vehicle – and not third-party liability insurance.
Bumper to Bumper
The following are some commonly accepted principles from auto insurance:
* Bad maintenance voids certain insurance. If an automobile owner never changes the oil, the auto’s power train warranty is void. In fact, not only does the oil need to be changed, the change needs to be performed by a certified mechanic and documented. Collision insurance doesn’t cover cars purposefully driven over a cliff.
* The best insurance is offered for new models. Bumper-to-bumper warranties are offered only on new cars. As they roll off the assembly line, automobiles have a low and relatively consistent risk profile, satisfying the actuarial test for insurance pricing. Furthermore, auto manufacturers usually wrap at least some coverage into the price of the new auto in order to encourage an ongoing relationship with the owner.
* Limited insurance is offered for old model autos. Increasingly limited insurance is offered for old model autos. The bumper-to-bumper warranty expires, the power train warranty eventually expires, and the amount of collision and comprehensive insurance steadily decreases based on the market value of the auto.
* Certain older autos qualify for additional insurance. Certain older autos can qualify for additional coverage, either in terms of warranties for used autos or increased collision and comprehensive insurance for vintage autos. But such insurance is offered only after a careful inspection of the automobile itself.
* No insurance is offered for normal wear and tear. Wiper blades need replacement, brake pads wear out, and bumpers get dings. These aren’t insurable events. To the extent that a new car dealer will sometimes cover some of these costs, we intuitively understand that we’re ‘paying for it’ in the cost of the automobile and that it’s ‘not really’ insurance.
* Accidents are the only insurable event for the oldest automobiles. Accidents are generally insurable events even for the oldest autos; with few exceptions service work isn’t.
* Insurance doesn’t restore all vehicles to pre-accident condition. Auto insurance is limited. If the damage to the auto at any age exceeds the value of the auto, the insurer then pays only the value of the auto. With the exception of vintage autos, the value assigned to the auto goes down over time. So whereas accidents are insurable at any vehicle age, the amount of the accident insurance is increasingly limited.
* Insurance is priced to the risk. Insurance is priced based on the risk profile of both the automobile and the driver. The auto insurer carefully examines both when setting rates.
* We pay for our own insurance. And with few exceptions, automobile insurance isn’t tax deductible. As a result, the fear of increasing insurance rates due to traffic violations and/or accidents changes our driving behavior and we sometimes select our automobiles based on their insurability.
Each of the above principles is supported by solid actuarial theory. Although most Americans can’t describe the underlying actuarial theories, most everyone understands the above principles of auto insurance at the intuitive level. For sure, as indispensable automobiles are to our lifestyles, there is no loud national movement, accompanied by moral outrage, to change these principles.
Unsustainable Market
In contrast, similar principles are routinely violated in health insurance. To demonstrate this, let’s return to the same suburban mother from the opening paragraph. She’s busy working, driving to and from work, and driving her kids to school and activities. She ends each day exhausted, sitting on the couch with fast food. She’s obese, has a sedentary life, a bad diet, and hasn’t taken the time to go to the doctor in years. After a simple injury doesn’t heal for weeks, she turns up at the emergency room and learns she has type II diabetes. Although type II diabetes is controllable, changing diet and exercise habits and properly tracking her condition takes time and effort and she’s never quite successful in implementing the necessary lifestyle changes.
So the initial emergency room visit is only the first of a long list of health care related to non-controlled diabetes and other problems associated with obesity. Whether she has individual or group insurance, her insurance pays for each episode of care, without singling her out for a premium increase, and without charging her any more cost sharing than is charged to the healthiest and most medically diligent insureds. Her coverage continues until she voluntarily changes insurance companies and/or employers or becomes eligible for Medicare. If she’s covered under group insurance she may not even pay any premium. Her insurance continues unabated, even though the disease was caused by neglecting her body and she maintains her poor lifestyle even after the disease becomes known.
This just wouldn’t happen in auto insurance. This scenario is the auto insurance equivalent of guaranteed access to low-priced auto insurance that takes care of every possible repair, including damage already done, until the day the car falls apart so completely it’s unsalvageable (death) or reaches 200,000 miles (Medicare), regardless of whether she even changes the oil (takes care of herself) in the interim.
As a society, we don’t expect this in private-market auto insurance, but we expect it in private-market health insurance. Furthermore, there’s a chorus of national and state interests, which continuously pushes us further away from the auto insurance principles.
The current private health insurance market isn’t sustainable. Prices have been consistently increasing faster than inflation for decades. Each year, insureds use more health care than ever before and more people have no insurance at all. Most actuaries and other people in the private health insurance market don’t want national health insurance with its bureaucracy and one-size-fits-all benefits. Yet, we’re trying to sustain a private insurance system, which violates the very principles we know are necessary for private insurance markets.
Yes, health insurance involves the sacredness of human life and is therefore different from auto insurance. But if we’re to sustain a private-market solution to health insurance, actuaries need to explain to the larger society, in terms that society understands, the rationale for the following principles:
* As sacred as health care is, it’s still an economic transaction that has to be balanced by individuals and societies, against other economic choices. It can’t be unlimited. Sometimes it will be secondary to other choices. On a given day, for example, the mother in our scenario may value her car more than her health.
* Insurance premiums should be paid by the individual and tied to controllable risk factors. This will provide the best incentive for the control of risk factors.
* Although it’s hard to draw the line between abuse, neglect and ignorance, self-abuse shouldn’t be insured and we need to draw that line somewhere.
* The private market can’t provide unlimited, self-directed health insurance.
* Routine care and ongoing treatments of chronic conditions can be pre-funded, can even be subsidized, but they don’t constitute ‘insurable events.’
* Insurance can’t be expected to keep every human body in pristine condition. No amount of health care will prevent everyone’s ultimate death.
* Comprehensive, unlimited, non-subsidized private-market coverage isn’t possible for people with severely impaired health.
* The private health market can provide limited non-subsidized health insurance, such as protection from accidents, to even health-impaired individuals.
* Individuals who can afford to do so and who take good care of themselves should be able to ‘buy up’ to better coverage. People have the option of buying up for everything else in life.
Discussion of these principles is lacking from most of the current health insurance debate. If society can intuitively understand how similar principles apply to health insurance, then they should be able understand the principles in the health insurance context. We need to initiate the debate.
This commentary is solely the opinion of its author. It does not express the official policy of the American Academy of Actuaries; nor does it necessarily reflect the opinions of the Academy’s individual officers, members, or staff
Contingencies, Jan/Feb 2007
Melih Oztalay
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/auto-insurance-principles-should-apply-to-health-insurance-110015.html
Does America need more of this from their private health-care insurers?
Question by Lamplighter: Does America need more of this from their private health-care insurers?
Ex-executive accuses insurance giant of ‘purging’ customers
” In his testimony and during an interview with CNN, Potter described how underwriters at his former company would drive small businesses with expensive insurance claims to dump their Cigna policies. Industry executives refer to the practice as “purging,” Potter said.
“When that business comes up for renewal, the underwriters jack the rates up so much, the employer has no choice but to drop insurance,” Potter said.
CNN obtained a transcript of a 2008 Cigna conference call with investors in which company executives use the term “purge.”
But in an e-mail to CNN, Cigna spokesman Chris Curran denied the company engages in purging.
“We do not practice that. We will offer rates that are reflective of the competitive group health insurance market. We always encourage our clients to compare our proposed rates to those available from other carriers,” Curran wrote.
Cigna had revenue of $ 19.1 billion in 2008, according to the company Web site.”
” “They conduct what I call duplicitous PR campaigns. They’ll say what people want to hear,” Potter says. “It’s how they operate. You cannot trust these guys.”
Potter is also taking aim at some of the TV commercials aired by groups opposed to changes. One such ad caught Potter’s eye. Run by the conservative organization Patients United Now, the ad says that “now, Washington wants to bring Canadian-style health care to the U.S.”
“Sometimes you’ll see misleading information. And sometimes you’ll see outright lies, like that [ad] is,” Potter said, referring to the spot.”
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/02/insurance.purging/index.html
Best answer:
Answer by Who’s Your Daddy Now
no we don’t. Any fool can see what’s going on. When these people get purged they go to Medicaid and the tax payer pays for it. The same tax payer who says he doesn’t want to pay for government health care, is already paying for government health care.
EDIT…23 min. and the single payer opponents don’t have a comeback.
What do you think? Answer below!
Where to Get Cheap Group Health Insurance Quotes Online
With all the different group health insurance plans out there, finding the cheapest plan with the best coverage can be a real pain in the you-know-what. Here’s an easy way to find cheap group health insurance quotes online.
Group Health Insurance Plans
Before you go shopping for group health insurance the first thing you need to do is sit down and figure out what type of insurance and what kinds of coverage you really need.
Most employers opt for managed health care plans – HMOs, PPOs, and POSs. These plans provide you with a network of health care providers which everyone in the plan goes to when they’re ill.
HMOs restrict you to using physicians within the network, while PPOs and POSs let you see non-network physicians for an extra fee. HMOs are the cheapest of the managed health care plans.
Group Health Insurance Coverage
Group health insurance plans all come with different coverages. Here are the main coverages you should consider:
* Hospital coverage pays for your hospital room and medical services.
* Surgical coverage pays for surgeons fees and surgical expenses.
* Physicians coverage pays for doctors’ office visits and hospital visits.
* Major medical coverage pays for catastrophic injury or illness expenses.
* Prescription drug coverage pays for all or part of prescription drug costs.
Comparison Shop
The difference in group health insurance plans from one insurance company to another can be $1,000 per person or more, so the first step toward getting cheap group health insurance is to comparison shop.
Thanks to the Internet you don’t have to visit a bunch of insurance companies or call their agents on the phone. All it takes is a couple of clicks of your mouse to get group insurance quotes from companies in your area.
Some of these websites offer insurance tips and advice, and some even let you talk with an insurance expert via their online chat service. (See link below.)
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get group health insurance quotes online from top-rated companies in your area and see how much you can save. You can get more health insurance tips by checking out their “Articles” section.
ryan@thesatellitetvguide.com
http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/where-to-get-cheap-group-health-insurance-quotes-online-124595.html
How to Get Your Pre-Existing Condition Health Insurance Coverage Approved
Having pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and heart ailments usually put individuals at risk for losing their security since they are considered to be liabilities in the short and long term. You have to show the agencies that you can adequately pay for the premium, as well as stay healthy enough to give them their dues too. Here are some tips from the experts.
People Unable to Get Coverage
There are plenty of individuals who are unable to purchase private health insurance because they have a known health condition or problem that is very expensive to treat. Insurance companies have the right to refuse to cover such individuals since they are considered as liabilities and may cost the company more than the actual premium that the individuals pay for. The insurer has to pay for medical fees expected from the individual.
When individuals get sick while on a coverage from one insurance carrier, they may be forced to leave the carrier to search for a new one, because they change occupation or the original insurer cancels the policy. The original insurer has to cover the primary phase of the condition, but new insurers will not want to pay for subsequent treatments. Big companies usually pay for all or any conditions, pre-existing or not to attract people with current medical problems, which is why a lot of individuals are attracted to their policies.
HIPAA Description
HIPAA or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was passed on July 1, 1997. The act includes a lot of aspects in health care, and already had a profound effect on health care being available to a lot of individuals in America. Because of HIPAA, there are rules that limit the longest amount of time that a pre-existing exclusion can be applied to a group plan. There are ways wherein you can minimize or eliminate the exclusion completely. Using the HIPAA guidelines, the highest amount of time that you need to wait to get more coverage for the pre-existing condition cannot go beyond 12 months or 18 months for those who enrolled late.
The main goal of HIPAA is to make sure that individuals with pre-existing conditions still benefit from health insurance. There is credible coverage by HIPAA too which pertains to any health insurance you had in the past, given that it was not interrupted over a period of 63 or more days. The time period can extend, depending on the laws of the sate and the kind of insurance plan you had before.
More on HIPAA
If you have provided sufficient evidence that you had uninterrupted insurance before the current plan, the insurance coverage can be credited toward any pre-existing condition exclusion you have before. If you had a minimum of 1 year of group health insurance during a single occupation then got health insurance at a new work without getting a break longer than 63 days, exclusion on any pre-existing condition you may have cannot be imposed by the new health insurance plan.
Exclusions for hidden pre-existing condition include denial of medical coverage for the treatment of injury stemming from accident before the plan was acquired, counting the coverage of a previous health insurance toward another plan’s lifetime coverage limit and failing to cover a congenital medical condition, if the condition can be covered if found not to be of congenital origin.
Low Jeremy
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/how-to-get-your-preexisting-condition-health-insurance-coverage-approved-707764.html
How To Get Affordable, Low Cost Health Insurance
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.
Elizabeth Newberry
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/how-to-get-affordable-low-cost-health-insurance-96526.html
Find the Best Health Insurance Company for your Needs
How do you find the best health insurance company for your needs? Here’s how to do it quickly and easily.
Individual and Family Health Insurance
Many people receive health insurance through their employers. Employer plans are usually the most affordable option because the employer pays part of the premium. However, if an employer plan is not an option for you, you can purchase Individual and Family Health Insurance.
Your first step in finding the best health insurance company for your needs should be to define what your needs are. Then you can begin researching your health insurance options.
What are Your Health Insurance Needs?
To find the best health insurance company for your needs, begin by asking yourself the following questions:
* Do I need short term or long term health insurance? If you just need coverage for a few months to a year, short term health insurance may be your best choice.
* Do I need basic coverage (covering hospitalization and inpatient /outpatient surgery), or more comprehensive coverage that will cover such items as doctor visits, preventative care, prescriptions, and even dental and vision.
* How much can I afford to pay for premiums and deductibles? The higher you set your deductible, the lower your premiums will be.
* Do I have a particular doctor or hospital I want to use? You’ll want to make sure your preferred doctor and hospital accepts your insurance.
How do You Find the Best Health Insurance Company for your Needs?
Once you’ve determined what your health insurance needs are, you can start looking for the best health insurance company to suit those needs.
To make it easier and faster to get and compare quotes from different insurance companies, begin by visiting an insurance comparison website. These sites allow you to complete one simple form and get fast quotes from a number of A-rated health insurance companies.
The best websites even let you chat with insurance professionals online so you can ask questions and make sure you choose the best health insurance for you. (See link below).
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get cheap rates from the best health insurance company and see how much you can save. You can also get health insurance tips and advice.
ryan@thesatellitetvguide.com
http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/find-the-best-health-insurance-company-for-your-needs-134814.html
-Find the Best Health Insurance Company for your Needs-
Why Are Some Insurance Companies Ecstatic About Health Care Reform?
Find out more at http://www.theyoungturks.com
Duration : 0:18:29
John David Lewis: Morality — Not Costs — As the Proper Basis for Health Care Reform
View more speakers at http://www.afcm.org. This talk was part of a public briefing at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C., on May 10, 2010. Sponsered by Americans for Free Choice in Medicine.
John David Lewis, Ph.D., Philosophy, Politics and Economics Program, Duke University.
Duration : 0:9:47