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	<title>Insurance Spectrum &#187; Health Insurance</title>
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	<link>http://www.icps2009.org</link>
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	<pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:52:14 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>Choosing the Right Health Insurance</title>
		<link>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/08/19/choosing-the-right-health-insurance/</link>
		<comments>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/08/19/choosing-the-right-health-insurance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://icps2009.org/?p=75</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Only a few &#8216;health insurance&#8217; programs are wellness insurance. Choosing the health insurance plan with the best coverage health insurance contracts may be the most complex of the insurance policies purchased by the average family. They ended up working with us to find an acceptable private health insurance plan and reimbursed her for a percentage [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="float:left; padding: 12px"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/cc/health_insurance9.jpg"><img title="health insurance" src="/wp-content/uploads/cc/health_insurance9.jpg" alt="health insurance" /></a></div>
<p>Only a few &#8216;health insurance&#8217; programs are wellness insurance. Choosing the health insurance plan with the best coverage health insurance contracts may be the most complex of the insurance policies purchased by the average family. They ended up working with us to find an acceptable private health insurance plan and reimbursed her for a percentage of the cost which I didn&#8217;t even know was possible.</p>
<p>The handling of the premiums for life, accident and health insurance, and for service contracts, does not create a problem, if a routine is established. Finally, a few had headlines that just reiterated their life-auto-health insurance. Financed partly by the federal government, the children&#8217;s health insurance programs (CHIP) operate either as an expansion of the state&#8217;s Medicaid program or a subsidy for basic private health insurance.</p>
<p><span id="more-75"></span></p>
<p>If you sell health insurance, your list might include health clubs, running clubs, basketball teams or physicians. So, before you purchase health insurance for your employees or your business, make sure the insurance company you&#8217;re dealing with is legitimate. A health insurance plan premium with an 80/20 or 20% co-insurance level is much higher typically than is a 50/50 or a 50% plans.</p>
<p>This indicates that even those who do have health insurance aren&#8217;t always protected, said Cindy Zeldin, a report co-author and federal affairs coordinator with demo&#8217;s economic opportunity program. A college student attending school full time may be eligible for a student health insurance plan, if one is available at the student&#8217;s school. The APA has neatly classified several different types of depression (manic, bipolar, unipolar, post-partum, grief, etc - mostly for the purposes of legally making them covered by health insurance.</p>
<p>Why underwriting is important the majority of small-group health insurance companies use a process called underwriting. If you&#8217;re an individual who tries to keep informed and maintain a healthy condition and lifestyle, you should take a look at the revolutionary, comprehensive and highly-affordable individual health insurance solutions created by Precedent specifically for you. This is a very basic comparison of the types of health insurance plans, and further investigation into the details is advised.</p>
<p>We have to agree that the main reason for having health insurance is to protect ourselves from large unexpected medical bills. Enjoy it while you can, because I feel the future is bleak for Americans to continue to afford health insurance. These benefits may include health insurance, retirement savings plans, disability insurance, life insurance, dependent care reimbursement accounts, vision care, dental insurance, employee assistance plans, job counseling and educational benefits.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m having a bear of a time finding health insurance. In other cases, a company may offer health insurance, yet the premiums are so expensive that the individual can not afford to pay them. Some critics of health insurance plans also fear consumer-driven plans punish the sick because the sick visit their doctors more often and need more expensive treatments.</p>
<p>Experts say that the United States should consider a nationalized health insurance scheme, like that to be found in all countries in the world. Employee benefit plans - you may deduct contributions to employee benefit plans (such as health insurance plans and retirement plans).</p>
<p>Other working class citizens are able to afford the insurance premiums, but are unable to take advantage of a health care plan because such a large percentage of their monthly or yearly income is set aside to pay for health insurance.</p>
<p>Moreover, if you only operate in one state, you can further to &#8216;cheap health insurance California&#8217;. Fortunately most of the brochures and outlines of coverage that you may receive from a health insurance provider will have a similar structure.</p>
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		<title>Cheap Health Insurance: Nothing Is Cheap!</title>
		<link>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/06/10/cheap-health-insurance-nothing-is-cheap/</link>
		<comments>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/06/10/cheap-health-insurance-nothing-is-cheap/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:44:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.deltafund.org/?p=33</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Many people get fooled into gimmick health insurance policies; because they fell for an advertisement that said they could have cheap health insurance for $25 or $50 a month. The only problem with these types of cheap health insurance premiums is that they are fine, if a doctor visit or emergency room is never required.
However, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Many people get fooled into gimmick health insurance policies; because they fell for an advertisement that said they could have cheap health insurance for $25 or $50 a month. The only problem with these types of cheap health insurance premiums is that they are fine, if a doctor visit or emergency room is never required.</p>
<p>However, the deductibles on these types of cheap insurance premiums are usually ridiculous. Some of the companies may only pay 25% of the actual bill at the emergency room, which leaves a pretty hefty bill to pay when 75% of the bill comes to the house for the patient to pay. There are many different reasons why people have come up with sayings like what goes around comes back around, and cheap health insurance is one of them.<br />
<span id="more-8"></span></p>
<p>If the premiums are small, then the bills are going to be large. If the premiums are large, then the bills are going to be small. That is just how health insurance works and it is sad to see people get sucked into these cheap health insurance ploys and then turn around and get charged for all of the bills they thought would be paid for under the health insurance.</p>
<p>So what is the best way to avoid these types of things? The first thing to do is to read the insurance policies and make sure they make sense. If having a cheap monthly premium is what you want and having a nice large savings account to pay for emergencies is the plan you follow, then the cheap health insurance policies are a perfect fit. If you don&#8217;t have a huge savings account and don&#8217;t plan on having one for emergencies, then having a higher premium each month would be the best bet, because then there will be no large out of pocket expenses.</p>
<p>There is no cheap insurance that covers all of the medical expenses that are incurred during a doctor&#8217;s visit or a visit to the emergency room. A simple blood test at the doctor&#8217;s office costs over $100. With a high premium insurance policy the co-pay is only $20 which makes the higher premium much more attractive, especially if blood work needs to be done routinely.</p>
<p>Many people complain that there insurance is too high each month. But the facto of the matter is that, if it was any cheaper, they would have a much larger out of pocket expense when they needed something. Most people would rather take the higher premiums and not have to worry about having to come up with a large sum of money when something bad happens. If something bad does happen, trying to find money to pay the bills is not the first thing on most people&#8217;s mind.</p>
<p>So, get a plan and figure out what insurance policy is best, and then, go to different insurance agencies and find out what they offer. Many insurance companies will offer different plans for different people and different health needs, and they can all be different prices. Cheap health insurance can be found, but only if it is for the right type of person.</p>
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		<title>Affordable Health Insurance Quotes: Aha!</title>
		<link>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/05/13/affordable-health-insurance-quotes-aha/</link>
		<comments>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/05/13/affordable-health-insurance-quotes-aha/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2008 10:38:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.deltafund.org/?p=29</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Many people bring home a very small paycheck every week, because their health insurance is eating up all of their pay. Some people work just so they can cover the costs of their family&#8217;s health insurance. Health insurance costs are continuing to increase year after year, but the biggest problem is that the health insurance [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Many people bring home a very small paycheck every week, because their health insurance is eating up all of their pay. Some people work just so they can cover the costs of their family&#8217;s health insurance. Health insurance costs are continuing to increase year after year, but the biggest problem is that the health insurance is not even helping as much as it should. All of these high premiums don&#8217;t seem to pay off if a trip to the ER is needed or a serious medical treatment has to be done.</p>
<p>So, where can I find an affordable health insurance agency? Where can good health insurance quotes be found that are not four times the amount of a paycheck? Many people work week after week so that their paycheck can cover the amount of insurance for their family. That is the first mistake that many people make.</p>
<p>For a newly wed couple, a single insurance policy for one healthy individual is around $100-$150 per month. That is not extremely high, although it would be better if it didn&#8217;t need to be paid. If a health insurance quote is received from the employer, the insurance companies seems to charge double that and will charge over $200 to add a spouse to an insurance policy.<br />
<span id="more-4"></span></p>
<p>So the first step in finding affordable health insurance quotes is to not look inside the box and to look at other options. Sometimes, it is cheaper for one spouse to get insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield and another spouse to get their insurance through Allstate. It all depends on what company is giving out lower rates that day.</p>
<p>But what is obvious is that it is not always better to get insurance together as a married couple. And there is no need to, because there is no rule that the couple has to be under the same insurance policy.</p>
<p>Another way to find affordable health insurance quotes is to take a look at the routine health examinations that are taken in the family. If there are a lot of family visits to the doctors every year for no serious reason, try cutting back on those and it will be easier to find lower health insurance rates.</p>
<p>Many insurance companies offer lower rates for people that have fewer visits, because it will obviously be cheaper for them. Some insurance companies offer rebates, if people take at least one physical a year under the insurance plan. There are many little things like that the insurance companies offer and that is the best way to find the best rates and most affordable rates for health insurance.</p>
<p>Researching different plans and options online is one of the best ways to find out which insurance company is the cheapest and has the most benefits. Sometimes it is not always the most affordable, if it is the cheapest monthly payment because then there are just higher deductibles and it costs more at each doctor&#8217;s visit. So, be careful to examine all aspects of the contract to determine which the best one is.</p>
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		<title>New York Health Insurance</title>
		<link>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/01/22/new-york-health-insurance/</link>
		<comments>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/01/22/new-york-health-insurance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://icps2009.org/?p=59</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Health insurance is insurance that pays for all or part of a person&#8217;s health care bills. A health insurance policy is an annually renewable contract between an insurance company and an individual. With health insurance claims, the individual policy-holder pays a deductible plus co-payment (for instance, a hospital stay might require the first 1000 dollar [...]]]></description>
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<p>Health insurance is insurance that pays for all or part of a person&#8217;s health care bills. A health insurance policy is an annually renewable contract between an insurance company and an individual. With health insurance claims, the individual policy-holder pays a deductible plus co-payment (for instance, a hospital stay might require the first 1000 dollar of fees to be paid by the policy-holder plus 100 dollar per night stayed in hospital). Usually there is a maximum out-of-pocket payment for any single year, and there can be a lifetime maximum.</p>
<p>The purpose of health insurance is to help people cover their health care costs which usually include doctor visits, hospital stays, surgery, procedures, tests, home care, and other treatments and services.</p>
<p>According to the latest United States Census Bureau figures, around 85% of citizens have health insurance. 59.5% of these people receive their health insurance coverage through an employer, and about 9% purchase it directly from the market. Government sources cover 27.3% of the population. Those without health insurance coverage are expected to pay privately for medical services.</p>
<p><span id="more-59"></span></p>
<p>Types of New York Health Insurance (http://new-york.ixs.net/General/New-York-Health-Insurance/index.aspx ) The types of health insurance in New York are group health plans, individual plans, and government health plans such as Medicare and Medicaid. In the United States, government-funded Medicare programs help to insure the elderly and end stage renal disease patients.</p>
<p>Group Health Plans</p>
<p>A group health plan offers health care coverage for employers, student organizations, professional associations, religious organizations, and other groups. The employer may pay for part or all of the insurance cost (premium).</p>
<p>Individual and Family Health Insurance</p>
<p>Individual and family health insurance is a type of health insurance coverage that is made available to individuals and families, rather than to employer groups or organizations. These types of health care plans are sold directly to individuals. For those of you who are unemployed or self-employed, an individual health insurance policy is always an option. Unfortunately rates for these policies are high and the coverage is usually less comprehensive than a managed care plan. The good news is that, in many cases, your insurance premium will be tax deductible. Of course, if you’re married, you can always try to catch a ride on your spouse’s group health insurance benefits plan.</p>
<p>Health insurance can be further classified into fee-for-service or indemnity (traditional insurance) and managed care. Both group and individual insurance plans can be either fee-for-service or managed care plans.</p>
<p>Managed Care Health Insurance</p>
<p>These include HMO, PPO, and POS plans. Managed-care plans typically make use of healthcare provider networks. Healthcare providers within a network agree to perform services for managed-care plan patients at pre-negotiated rates and will usually submit the claim to the insurance company for you. In general, you&#8217;ll have less paperwork and lower out-of-pocket costs with a managed care health insurance plan and a broader choice of healthcare providers with an indemnity plan.</p>
<p>There are three main types of managed care plans:</p>
<p>• Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO)</p>
<p>• Point-of-Service (POS)</p>
<p>• Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO)</p>
<p>All of these plans offer substantial health insurance benefits to members and their families. If you’re fortunate enough to have a choice of plan, consider the advantages, and disadvantages, of each. Compare the cost of care, the difference in premiums, deductible amounts and your freedom to choose a doctor outside the plan. There are numerous other coverages to compare as well &#8212; from prescription drugs to dental to alternative therapies. Be sure you understand the fine points of each.</p>
<p>Indemnity or Fee-For-Service Plan</p>
<p>Normally it covers the same expenses as managed care. The difference is your doctor is paid for each visit with the claim filed by either the patient or the medical provider. A big advantage&#8211; unlike some managed care plans, Fee-for-Service allows the patient a great deal of freedom in choosing which doctors and hospitals to use, but will probably involve higher out-of-pocket costs and more paperwork.</p>
<p>However, you&#8217;ll likely be required to pay an annual deductible before the insurance company begins to pay on your claims. An Indemnity plan may also require that you pay up front for services and then submit a claim to the insurance company for reimbursement.</p>
<p>Short-Term Health Insurance</p>
<p>Short-term health insurance plans are designed to protect against unforeseen accidents or illnesses, rather than to provide comprehensive coverage, and, as such, typically do not include coverage for preventive care, physicals, immunizations, dental or vision care. It covers for a limited period of time, and may be an ideal solution for those between jobs or those waiting for other health insurance to start. Typically, short-term plans offer coverage up to six months, although some plans may offer coverage up to 12 months. Purchasing a short-term medical insurance plan will make you ineligible for any guaranteed issue individual health plans commonly referred to as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) Plans. HIPAA plans are usually very expensive and are generally intended for people with pre-existing medical conditions who would have trouble getting health insurance otherwise.</p>
<p>Medical Savings Account (MSA)</p>
<p>Medical savings account (MSA) is the most recent development in the area of health insurance. The principle behind the MSA is to take the bulk of the financial risk, and premium payments, away from the managed care and indemnity insurers, and allow individuals to save money, tax free, in a savings account for use for medical expenses. Individuals or their employers purchase major-medical policies, medical insurance policies with no coverage for medical expenses until the amount paid by the patient exceeds a predetermined maximum amount, such as 2500 dollar per year. These policies have extremely high deductibles and correspondingly low monthly premiums and the participants take the money that they would have spent on higher premiums and deposit it in an MSA. This money accrues through monthly deposits and also earns interest, and can be spent only to pay for medical care</p>
<p>What&#8217;s The Best Health Insurance Plan?</p>
<p>There is no one &#8220;best&#8221; plan for everyone. The best match for you and your family may be different than the best match for someone else. In order to help you answer this question, here are a few things to consider:</p>
<p>1. Are you going to need long-term coverage or just something for the short-term?</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re between jobs for 1-6 months, you may want to go for short-term coverage options. Alternatively, if you have no prospects of receiving group health insurance coverage through an employer, you may value the stability and increased benefits offered through an individual and family health insurance plan which will provide longer term coverage.</p>
<p>2. Are you looking for basic coverage or more comprehensive coverage?</p>
<p>Some insurance plans offer basic coverage (i.e., primarily inpatient hospitalization and outpatient surgery coverage) to cover you in case of a major accident or illness. These insurance plans typically have a lower monthly premium than plans with more comprehensive coverage, and may be appropriate for people who intend to use their insurance primarily in the event of a serious accident or illness. Other insurance plans that offer more comprehensive coverage may include benefits such as preventative care, physician services, prescription drug benefits and routine office visits. These insurance plans typically have a higher monthly premium than plans that only offer basic coverage, and may be appropriate for people who intend to use their insurance on a regular basis.</p>
<p>3. Would you pay for your services before you use them or when you use them?</p>
<p>If you choose a health insurance plan with a low monthly premium, you&#8217;re likely to have a higher co-payment or deductible. If you don&#8217;t anticipate making frequent use of your health insurance coverage, a higher-deductible plan with a lower monthly premium may suit you best.</p>
<p>4. How important to you is easy access to specialists?</p>
<p>Health insurance plans that require you to coordinate your care through a primary care physician typically require that you obtain a referral before seeing a specialist. So, if you prefer easier access to specialists, you may wish to consider a different type of plan.</p>
<p>5. Do you have a specific doctor or hospital that you would like to visit for healthcare?</p>
<p>Some insurance plans utilize provider networks. Pay special attention to the network of doctors or facilities that each health insurance plan utilizes. Also note that networks utilized by health insurance plans can change, so there is no guarantee that your doctor will always be contracted with your chosen health insurance plan.</p>
<p>6. What is the most you could pay out in case of a serious illness or injury?</p>
<p>Health insurance plans typically place limits on how much a member is required to pay out per year for his or her healthcare. This limit is often referred to as an out-of-pocket maximum. Once you&#8217;ve contributed this maximum amount toward your healthcare, the health insurance company typically covers all other costs for the remainder of the benefit year. If you&#8217;re concerned about what may happen to you in case of a serious illness or injury, you may wish to pay special attention to the out-of-pocket maximums for the health insurance plans you&#8217;re considering.</p>
<p>No matter what insurance plan you may choose, educate yourself and understand all the basics of the health insurance before finalizing anything.</p>
<p>For more information about New York Health Insurance visit: http://new-york.ixs.net</p>
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		<title>Low-cost Florida Health Insurance Scarce - Health Insurance Higher Than Minimum Wage</title>
		<link>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/01/15/low-cost-florida-health-insurance-scarce-health-insurance-higher-than-minimum-wage/</link>
		<comments>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/01/15/low-cost-florida-health-insurance-scarce-health-insurance-higher-than-minimum-wage/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://icps2009.org/?p=61</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Florida residents who can afford health insurance pay an average of $11,480 per year for family coverage, which is about what the average minimum-wage earner brings home. Premiums are up 87% according to Kaiser Family Foundation. The days of &#8220;low-cost&#8221; health insurance are all but gone unless you have help from a professional insurance consultant.
The [...]]]></description>
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<p>Florida residents who can afford health insurance pay an average of $11,480 per year for family coverage, which is about what the average minimum-wage earner brings home. Premiums are up 87% according to Kaiser Family Foundation. The days of &#8220;low-cost&#8221; health insurance are all but gone unless you have help from a professional insurance consultant.</p>
<p>The cost of caring for &#8220;disease&#8221; continues to rise faster than inflation according to an article this month in Newsweek magazine. It said &#8220;over 47 million Americans don’t have health insurance at all&#8221;. Those with low-cost health insurance usually get these from employers, but with costs rising, it is obvious that the health insurance situation in Florida is getting worse.</p>
<p><span id="more-61"></span></p>
<p>Taking care of employees is the primary concern of a good employer. But that has been perceived as &#8220;expensive&#8221; by some companies as it means providing the employee with vacations, bonuses, incentive pay, and of course, health insurance coverage. In the future, Florida businesses may be able to offer low-cost health insurance to residents who are willing to make a few changes in lifestyle.</p>
<p>The New England Journal of Medicine published a major study on health insurance recently that said low cost insurance rates may be made available to those willing to go through a certified &#8220;health risk assessment&#8221;. These health risk managers look at your lifestyle, and your current state of health, and certify that the person is &#8220;healthy&#8221; and a &#8220;low-risk&#8221; which can qualify the applicant for lower insurance rates. The only other way to get low-cost health insurance in Florida is to get it from your employer as part of their group health insurance plan.</p>
<p>There are many health insurance consultants out there who can help Floridians find low-cost insurance, such as Florida Health Insurance Web - www.FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb.com - insurance consultant, Morgan Moran said, &#8220;Change a few things about your lifestyle, and lower rates could be available&#8221;. The insurance industry believes, most people would change a few things to get lower insurance rates, and assure living a longer happier life. These changes may include a better diet, more exercise, and less high risk behavior like &#8220;skydiving&#8221; or &#8220;bungee jumping&#8221;. Until now, insurance plans rarely took behavior into account.</p>
<p>Many Floridians are looking for a quick fix. If they can take a pill or have a stint plugged into their heart they would, rather than change their lifestyle, after all, it does sound easier. The New England Journal confirmed what other research showed— that angioplasties and stints don’t prolong life and don’t even prevent heart attacks, yet $30 billion was spent on those last year. Mutual of Omaha found that almost 76% percent of people eligible for angioplasty or heart bypass surgery were able to &#8220;safely avoid it by making the comprehensive lifestyle changes&#8221;, saving almost $30,000 per person. It is plain to see that changing lifestyle is more cost effective than surgery.</p>
<p>Low-Cost Insurance Consultation</p>
<p>In an effort to find affordable health insurance rates, many are turning to health insurance consultants for help. In a phone interview, consultant Morgan Moran said, &#8220;The best way to find affordable, low-cost health insurance is to have an employer-sponsored group health insurance plan.&#8221; Group health insurance plans are the most affordable, low cost health insurance plans out there, aside from state-sponsored health insurance plans. If you can obtain health insurance from your employer, you will pay even less for your health insurance than you would if you purchased a group health insurance plan on your own.</p>
<p>Most employers have certain requirements an employee must meet before he or she can be a part of the employer-sponsored group health insurance plan. These requirements range from the number of hours the employee works, to the employee&#8217;s status, i.e., whether the employee works full-time or part-time. Employers sometimes have time requirements as well. This means the employee must be with the company for a certain amount of time before he or she is considered eligible for the employer-sponsored group health insurance plan.</p>
<p>Employer-sponsored group health insurance plans are usually the most affordable, low cost health insurance plans for a variety of reasons. If you have an employer-sponsored group health insurance plan, the health insurance premiums are either divided between you and your employer, or paid completely by your employer. This means one of two things. Either you are required to pay half of the health insurance premiums plus a low cost co-payment or you are only required to pay an affordable co-payment.</p>
<p>Employer-sponsored group health insurance plans like this have become even more affordable and low cost when you factor in your spouse and children. Rather than purchase individual health insurance policies for each of your family members, or pay out-of-pocket for health care costs, you can add your spouse and your children to your employer-sponsored group health insurance plan.</p>
<p>Rates on health insurance policies change daily, and vary from carrier to carrier so it’s a good idea to speak to a consultant like Moran. Their fees are paid by the carrier without passing the cost along to the consumer. Find out more at www.FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb.com</p>
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		<title>Florida Health Insurance Rate Hikes and Quotes</title>
		<link>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/01/08/florida-health-insurance-rate-hikes-and-quotes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/01/08/florida-health-insurance-rate-hikes-and-quotes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://icps2009.org/?p=63</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Florida Health Insurance Rate Hike
Florida Health insurance premiums have touched new heights! Every Floridian has the common knowledge that most annual health insurance contracts will endure a rate increase at the end of the year. This trend is not new and should be expected. Every time this issue pops up it seems as though the [...]]]></description>
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<p>Florida Health Insurance Rate Hike</p>
<p>Florida Health insurance premiums have touched new heights! Every Floridian has the common knowledge that most annual health insurance contracts will endure a rate increase at the end of the year. This trend is not new and should be expected. Every time this issue pops up it seems as though the blame game starts. Floridians blame Health insurance companies; Health insurance companies blame Hospitals, Doctors and other medical care providers, Medical care providers blame inflation and politicians, well, we really don&#8217;t know what they do to help the issue&#8230; No one seems to be interested in finding the real cause of the health insurance premium rate increase. Most individuals, self employed, and small business owners have taken Florida Health Insurance Rate Hikes as the inevitable evil.</p>
<p>Hard Facts</p>
<p>What are various reports telling us? Why do Health insurance premium have annual rate increases?</p>
<p>Rate of inflation and heath insurance premium rate increase.</p>
<p>America’s health expenditure in the year 2004 has increased dramatically, it has increased more than three time the inflation rate. In this year the inflation rate was around 2.5% while the national health expenses were around 7.9%. The employer health insurance or group health insurance premium had increased approximately 7.8% in the year 2006, which is almost double the rate of inflation. In short, last year in 2006, the annual premiums of group health plan sponsored by an employer was around $4,250 for a single premium plan, while the average family premium was around $ 11,250 per year. This indicates that in the year 2006 the employer sponsored health insurance premium increased 7.7 percent. Taking the biggest hit were small businesses that had 0-24 employees. There health insurance premiums increased by nearly 10.4%</p>
<p><span id="more-63"></span></p>
<p>Employees are also not spared, in the year 2006 the employee also had to pay around $ 3,000 more in their contribution to employer’s sponsored health insurance plan in comparison to the previous year, 2005. Rate hikes have been in existence since the &#8220;Florida Health Insurance&#8221; plan started. In covering an entire family of four, a person will experience an increase in premium rate at every annual renewal. If they would have kept the record of their health insurance premium payments they will find that they are now paying around $ 1,100 more than they paid in the year 2000 for the same coverage and with the same company. The same item was found by the Health Research Educational Trust and the Kaiser Family Foundation in their survey report of the year 2000. They found out that the premiums of health insurance that is sponsored by the employer increases by around 4 times than the employee’s salary. This report also stated that since 2000 the contribution of employees in group health insurance sponsored by employer was increased by more than 143 percent.</p>
<p>One business man predicts that if nothing is done and the Health insurance premiums keep increasing that in the year 2008, the amount of health premium contribution to employer will surpass their profit. Professionals within and outside the field of Florida health insurance, think that the reason for increase in Florida health insurance premium rates are due to many factors, such as high administration expenditure, inflation, poor or bad management, increase in the cost of medical care, waste etc.</p>
<p>Florida health insurance rate hikes affect whom?</p>
<p>Rising rates of Florida health insurance generally affects most of the Floridians who live in our beautiful state. The highest affected individudals are the minimum wage and low wage workers. Recent drops in the renewal of health insurance are mostly from this low income group. They just can’t afford the high premiums of Florida health insurance. They are in the situation where they can not afford the medical care and they can not afford the medical insurance premiums that are assosiated with adequate coverage. Almost half of all Americans are of the opinion that they are more worried about the high health insurance rate and high cost of health care, over any other bill they have on a monthly basis. A survey also finds that around 42% of Americans can not afford the high cost of health care services. There is one very interesting study conducted by Harvard University researchers. They found out that 68% of people who filed bankruptcy covered themselves and their family by health insurance. Average out-of-pocket deductibles for people filed bankruptcy were around $ 12,000 per year. They also found some co-relation between medical expenditure and bankruptcy. A national survey also reports that main reason for people not to take health insurance is the high premium rate of health insurance.</p>
<p>How to reduce Florida’s high health insurance cost? Nobody knows for sure. There are different opinions and experts are not agreeing with each other. Health professionals believe that if we can raise the number of healthy people by improving the lifestyle and regular exercise, good diets etc. than naturally they will need less medical care services which decreases the demands of health care and hence the cost.( This year in Florida the smoking rate has increased by 21.7 percent) One Floridian sarcastically suggested that there are ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ in health care that are needed to reversed. That the state of Florida is to ‘high’ in cost of medical care compare to other States and ‘low’ in the quality of health care.</p>
<p>Florida Health insurance rate hike has attracted many frauds. These frauds float many bogus insurance companies and offer cheap health insurance rate which attract many people to them. These companies usually through assosiations that are based in other states.</p>
<p>Meanwhile reputable Florida health insurance companies provide different types of health insurance like employer sponsored group health insurance, small business health insurance, individual health insurance etc. to vast number of employees and their families. Still there are many people in Florida that lack any health coverage. Today the employer also has found it challenging to decide how to offer employer sponsored group health insurance to their employees, so that both of them arrive at some point of agreement.</p>
<p>For Floridians it is very important to shop around for a quality health insurance program that doesn&#8217;t break the bank.</p>
<p>You need to find an agent or web portal like Florida Health Insurance Web, www.FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb.com that offers a variety of products. There you will most likely be able to get quotes, compare plans, and apply online.</p>
<p>Florida Health Insurance Consultants can help you!</p>
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		<title>Health Insurance in Florida is Out of Control</title>
		<link>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/01/01/health-insurance-in-florida-is-out-of-control/</link>
		<comments>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2008/01/01/health-insurance-in-florida-is-out-of-control/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://icps2009.org/?p=65</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Health Insurance premiums are out of control! The trend of higher costs and lower benefits is on the rise. Florida Health Insurance web suggests using an insurance professional to find the best available rates for your individual, small business, or self employed health insurance.
Voted the number one insurance portal by Florida consumers, Florida Health Insurance [...]]]></description>
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<p>Health Insurance premiums are out of control! The trend of higher costs and lower benefits is on the rise. Florida Health Insurance web suggests using an insurance professional to find the best available rates for your individual, small business, or self employed health insurance.</p>
<p>Voted the number one insurance portal by Florida consumers, Florida Health Insurance Web, reports nearly three million Floridians without health insurance in Florida. Thats nearly a quarter of the states population. That in mind medical bankruptcy is up - the leading cause of bankruptcy today.</p>
<p>Every Floridian without health insurance coverage is just one illness away from financial ruin. Florida Health Insurance Web, www.FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb.com, advises consulting an online source such as its service, before choosing any health insurance policy.</p>
<p><span id="more-65"></span></p>
<p>In the past, applying for health insurance had been an eye opening experience for many.</p>
<p>The difficulty obtaining affordable health insurance rates in the sunshine state has always been hard, but now it has reached epic proportions. Florida residents may experience any number of insurance-related problems, including claim denials, sky-high premiums, cancellations, or refusals to grant or renew their policies. Florida&#8217;s Governor Crist vows to fix the problem and bring affordable insurance to all Florida&#8217;s residents. Democrats are pushing a health-care-reform legislation during the current legislative session. They are sponsoring a bill that would ask voters in 2008 to insert a guarantee in the constitution that all children in Florida would have access to health insurance by July, 2010.</p>
<p>At a recent insurance conference in Orlando, one Florida health insurance agent, Margaret</p>
<p>Margolas explained the process, &#8220;Before issuing a health insurance policy in Florida, insurance companies offering individual health insurance policies evaluate certain information about you to determine how likely you are to have a claim.&#8221; This is called &#8220;underwriting.&#8221;</p>
<p>She spoke to hundreds of business owners about health care for the uninsured and individual company&#8217;s role in delivering that health care. Margolas said, &#8220;Individuals looking for health insurance usually cannot find policies to cover past health problems.&#8221; How does someone with a pre-existing condition get coverage? Hiring a health insurance professional &#8220;consultant&#8221; may help. These consultants usually work at no cost to consumers; their fees are paid by the health care provider.</p>
<p>For any health policy, a company might consider age, occupation, current health status and medical history. They can also look at lifestyle, and habits to see what type of health risks a person may have. If individual risk factors indicate that a claim is likely, the company may charge more for the policy or even worse, refuse coverage.</p>
<p>Before applying for an individual health insurance policy, lorida Health Insurance Web advises talking to a qualified health insurance consultant for advice on which policy to choose.</p>
<p>Most individual health insurance companies in Florida have certain clauses regarding risk factors and pre-existing conditions. Limits on risk and &#8220;pre-existing conditions&#8221; are a standard part of most health plans. These limits ensure that benefits are paid only for conditions that occur naturally and only after your health coverage becomes effective. Paying only for approved services and covered conditions helps control healthcare costs and prevent possible insurance abuse.</p>
<p>The legal aspect of all this is &#8220;failure to disclose pre-existing conditions could jeopardize future claims&#8221; or invalidate the policy. Individual health insurance companies may completely exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions by attaching an &#8220;exclusion rider&#8221; to the policy.</p>
<p>If an applicant lists their pre-existing conditions on the application and the company issues coverage without attaching an exclusion rider, the company must begin covering the pre-existing conditions when the policy&#8217;s pre-existing waiting period expires. Pre-existing condition waiting periods can be a maximum of two years on individual policies. Exclusion riders can be in-force indefinitely.</p>
<p>In Florida, and in other states like Texas, if a person moves from a group, government, or church health plan to an individual health insurance policy, they will not be subject to a new pre-existing condition waiting periods if they had 18 months of prior coverage, with no more than 63 days lapse in coverage.</p>
<p>What else can someone do to get individual health plans? Corporations are able to purchase health insurance that cover pre-existing conditions for their employees so many CPA&#8217;s recommend using S-corporations status instead of individual. Simply create an S-Corp online from a state like Nevada or Delaware, ($350) and then apply for insurance under the corporation.</p>
<p>Buying insurance without an S-Corp means more limitations to your policy; chances are the end result will be some sort of &#8220;Cash for Services&#8221; Plan, a PPO, or HMO plan. These plans are the most typical.</p>
<p>Margolas says, &#8220;One word of advice when it comes to applying for an individual health insurance policy: applicants should be forthcoming and honestly answer all questions about medical conditions. Withholding information about an illness or medication is bad, the health insurance company may deny subsequent claims.&#8221;</p>
<p>Ask questions, especially if the wording of the policy is difficult. Be sure about specifics of the health insurance coverage. Don&#8217;t be afraid to ask for clarification about policy details. For more help, have a Florida health insurance consultant give you an explanation. Try to get answers in writing.</p>
<p>If a person loses health insurance coverage from their job, they may opt to continue coverage with insurance called COBRA. COBRA stands for (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act). COBRA is a law that makes it mandatory for an employer to provide the option of retaining membership in their health insurance plan. However applicants will have to pay the entire monthly premium part which was paid by the company earlier. Most people are surprised at the high cost of the COBRA premium; which may run up to 500$ a month.</p>
<p>If none of the above ways to reduce insurance costs work,</p>
<p>then the only way is to go for standard individual health insurance policy. As mentioned earlier they are usually costly, but online websites can help Floridian&#8217;s weed through the mounds of policies and select the best price and coverage available.</p>
<p>About Florida Health Insurance Web Florida Health Insurance Web is an online source of health insurance agents and insurance carriers covering individuals in the state of Florida. Individuals can get insurance quotes, search rates online by city, read current insurance news and events.</p>
<p>Health Insurance In Florida Needs Change.</p>
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		<title>Auto Insurance Principles Should Apply To Health Insurance</title>
		<link>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2007/12/18/auto-insurance-principles-should-apply-to-health-insurance/</link>
		<comments>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2007/12/18/auto-insurance-principles-should-apply-to-health-insurance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://icps2009.org/?p=67</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
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 [...]]]></description>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>So why aren&#8217;t the auto insurance companies writing such coverage, either directly or through used auto dealers? And given the importance of reliable transportation, why isn&#8217;t the public demanding such coverage? The answer is that both auto insurers and the public know that such insurance can&#8217;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&#8217;t insurable. Yet we don&#8217;t seem to have these same intuitions with respect to health insurance.</p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>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&#8217;ll generically refer to both as insurance. Because auto third-party liability insurance has no equivalent in health insurance, for traditional auto insurance, I&#8217;ll examine only collision and comprehensive insurance - insurance covering the vehicle - and not third-party liability insurance.</p>
<p>Bumper to Bumper</p>
<p>The following are some commonly accepted principles from auto insurance:</p>
<p>* Bad maintenance voids certain insurance. If an automobile owner never changes the oil, the auto&#8217;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&#8217;t cover cars purposefully driven over a cliff.</p>
<p>* 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.</p>
<p>* 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.</p>
<p>* 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.</p>
<p>* No insurance is offered for normal wear and tear. Wiper blades need replacement, brake pads wear out, and bumpers get dings. These aren&#8217;t insurable events. To the extent that a new car dealer will sometimes cover some of these costs, we intuitively understand that we&#8217;re &#8216;paying for it&#8217; in the cost of the automobile and that it&#8217;s &#8216;not really&#8217; insurance.</p>
<p>* 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&#8217;t.</p>
<p>* Insurance doesn&#8217;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.</p>
<p>* 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.</p>
<p>* We pay for our own insurance. And with few exceptions, automobile insurance isn&#8217;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.</p>
<p>Each of the above principles is supported by solid actuarial theory. Although most Americans can&#8217;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.</p>
<p>Unsustainable Market</p>
<p>In contrast, similar principles are routinely violated in health insurance. To demonstrate this, let&#8217;s return to the same suburban mother from the opening paragraph. She&#8217;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&#8217;s obese, has a sedentary life, a bad diet, and hasn&#8217;t taken the time to go to the doctor in years. After a simple injury doesn&#8217;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&#8217;s never quite successful in implementing the necessary lifestyle changes.</p>
<p>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&#8217;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.</p>
<p>This just wouldn&#8217;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&#8217;s unsalvageable (death) or reaches 200,000 miles (Medicare), regardless of whether she even changes the oil (takes care of herself) in the interim.</p>
<p>As a society, we don&#8217;t expect this in private-market auto insurance, but we expect it in private-market health insurance. Furthermore, there&#8217;s a chorus of national and state interests, which continuously pushes us further away from the auto insurance principles.</p>
<p>The current private health insurance market isn&#8217;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&#8217;t want national health insurance with its bureaucracy and one-size-fits-all benefits. Yet, we&#8217;re trying to sustain a private insurance system, which violates the very principles we know are necessary for private insurance markets.</p>
<p>Yes, health insurance involves the sacredness of human life and is therefore different from auto insurance. But if we&#8217;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:</p>
<p>* As sacred as health care is, it&#8217;s still an economic transaction that has to be balanced by individuals and societies, against other economic choices. It can&#8217;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.</p>
<p>* 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.</p>
<p>* Although it&#8217;s hard to draw the line between abuse, neglect and ignorance, self-abuse shouldn&#8217;t be insured and we need to draw that line somewhere.</p>
<p>* The private market can&#8217;t provide unlimited, self-directed health insurance.</p>
<p>* Routine care and ongoing treatments of chronic conditions can be pre-funded, can even be subsidized, but they don&#8217;t constitute &#8216;insurable events.&#8217;</p>
<p>* Insurance can&#8217;t be expected to keep every human body in pristine condition. No amount of health care will prevent everyone&#8217;s ultimate death.</p>
<p>* Comprehensive, unlimited, non-subsidized private-market coverage isn&#8217;t possible for people with severely impaired health.</p>
<p>* The private health market can provide limited non-subsidized health insurance, such as protection from accidents, to even health-impaired individuals.</p>
<p>* Individuals who can afford to do so and who take good care of themselves should be able to &#8216;buy up&#8217; to better coverage. People have the option of buying up for everything else in life.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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&#8217;s individual officers, members, or staff</p>
<p>Contingencies, Jan/Feb 2007</p>
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		<title>Get Quotes Compare Online Health Insurance Quotation</title>
		<link>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2007/12/11/get-quotes-compare-online-health-insurance-quotation/</link>
		<comments>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2007/12/11/get-quotes-compare-online-health-insurance-quotation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://icps2009.org/?p=69</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
When you get a health insurance quote, you are getting a quote on a certain kind of plan. Get a free group health insurance quote online and find out more about a low cost group health insurance plan. Self employed health insurance tesco insurance online insurance quotes california health insurance plan geico insurance electric insurance. [...]]]></description>
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<p>When you get a health insurance quote, you are getting a quote on a certain kind of plan. Get a free group health insurance quote online and find out more about a low cost group health insurance plan. Self employed health insurance tesco insurance online insurance quotes california health insurance plan geico insurance electric insurance. The health insurance Quote Display allows users to view insurance company details, view plan benefits and exclusions, and compare many different quotes at once. Just select a plan that suits your need to receive health insurance quotes. to show you the options available with quotes that give you the health insurance plan you need at premiums you can afford. Get a free health insurance quote online and find an affordable, low cost health insurance plan anywhere in the United States.here for a health insurance quote. Enter your zip code, select your state, and click &#8220;begin quote&#8221; to start your health insurance quote. Click here to get your health insurance quote. Click below to research individual and family health insurance, and get health insurance quotes. For immediate online health insurance quotes you can click on this link.</p>
<p>Also, understand what your budget looks like when getting an online health insurance quote. For the most part getting an affordable health insurance quote is fast and free online. Getting a health insurance quotes for is easier than&#8230; Save big on your health insurance by getting up to five competitive health quotes from companies who compete for your business.</p>
<p><span id="more-69"></span></p>
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http://www.insurance-health-quote.com/</p>
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		<title>Why You Need Health Insurance</title>
		<link>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2007/12/04/why-you-need-health-insurance/</link>
		<comments>http://www.icps2009.org/index.php/2007/12/04/why-you-need-health-insurance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://icps2009.org/?p=71</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
The United States does not have socialized medical care. If you have no health insurance coverage, you have to pay for health care out of your own finances at the time of service. This can run into many thousands of dollars for serious illnesses.
You buy health insurance for the same reason you buy other kinds [...]]]></description>
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<p>The United States does not have socialized medical care. If you have no health insurance coverage, you have to pay for health care out of your own finances at the time of service. This can run into many thousands of dollars for serious illnesses.</p>
<p>You buy health insurance for the same reason you buy other kinds of insurance: to protect yourself financially. With health insurance, you protect yourself and your family in case you need medical care that could be very expensive.</p>
<p>You cannot predict what your medical bills will be. In a good year, your costs may be low. But if you become ill, your bills could be very high. If you have health insurance, many of your costs are covered by a third-party payer, not by you. A third-party payer can be an insurance company or, in some cases, it can be your employer.</p>
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<p>Many people in the United States are enrolled in some sort of managed care health insurance plan. This is an organized way of both providing services and paying for them. Different types of managed care plans work differently and include preferred provider organizations (PPOs), health maintenance organizations (HMOs), point-of-service (POS) plans and fee-for-service plans. Individuals enrolled in health care plans pay a monthly or quarterly fee as insurance for the time when they will need medical attention. At the time when a service is provided, the health insurance organization pays part or all of the fee, minimizing the amount you have to pay at the time you receive the service.</p>
<p>The information presented here will help you choose a health insurance plan that is right for you. If you are married or single, have children or no children, this information will help you to find out how to choose a health insurance plan that best meets your needs and your financial circumstances. Definitions of the health insurance terms used are included in the section called Understanding Health Insurance Terms.</p>
<p>Understanding Health Insurance Terms<br />
Coinsurance The amount you are required to pay for medical care in a fee-for-service plan after you have met your deductible. The coinsurance rate is usually expressed as a percentage. For example, if the health insurance company pays 80 percent of the claim, you pay 20 percent.</p>
<p>Coordination of Benefits A system to eliminate duplication of benefits when you are covered under more than one group plan. Benefits under the two plans usually are limited to no more than 100 percent of the claim. Co-payment Another way of sharing medical costs. You pay a flat fee every time you receive a medical service (for example, $5 for every visit to the doctor). The health insurance company pays the rest.<br />
Covered Expenses Most health insurance plans, whether they are fee-for-service, HMOs, or PPOs, do not pay for all services. Some may not pay for prescription drugs. Others may not pay for mental health care. Covered services are those medical procedures the insurer agrees to pay for. They are listed in the health insurance policy.</p>
<p>Customary Fee Most health insurance plans will pay only what they call a reasonable and customary fee for a particular service. If your doctor charges $1,000 for a hernia repair while most doctors in your area charge only $600, you will be billed for the $400 difference. This is in addition to the deductible and coinsurance you would be expected to pay. To avoid this additional cost, ask your doctor to accept your health insurance company&#8217;s payment as full payment. Or shop around to find a doctor who will. Otherwise you will have to pay the rest yourself.</p>
<p>Deductible The amount of money you must pay each year to cover your medical care expenses before your health insurance policy starts paying.</p>
<p>Exclusions Specific conditions or circumstances for which the policy will not provide benefits.</p>
<p>HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) Prepaid health plans. You pay a monthly premium and the HMO covers your doctors&#8217; visits, hospital stays, emergency care, surgery, checkups, lab tests, x-rays, and therapy. You must use the doctors and hospitals designated by the HMO.</p>
<p>Managed Care Ways to manage costs, use, and quality of the health care system. All HMOs and PPOs, and many fee-for-service plans, have managed care.</p>
<p>Maximum Out-of-Pocket Expenses The most money you will be required pay a year for deductibles and coinsurance. It is a stated dollar amount set by the health insurance company, in addition to regular premiums.</p>
<p>Non-cancellable Policy A policy that guarantees you can receive health insurance, as long as you pay the premium. It is also called a guaranteed renewable policy.</p>
<p>PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) A combination of traditional fee-for-service and an HMO. When you use the doctors and hospitals that are part of the PPO, you can have a larger part of your medical bills covered. You can use other doctors, but at a higher cost.</p>
<p>Pre-existing Condition A health problem that existed before the date your health insurance became effective.</p>
<p>Premium The amount you or your employer pays in exchange for health insurance coverage. Primary Care Doctor Usually your first contact for health care. This is often a family physician or internist, but some women use their gynecologist. A primary care doctor monitors your health and diagnoses and treats minor health problems, and refers you to specialists if another level of care is needed. In many health insurance plans, care by specialists is only paid for if your are referred by your primary care doctor. An HMO or a POS plan will provide you with a list of doctors from which you will choose your primary care doctor (usually a family physician, internists, obstetrician-gynecologist, or pedicatrician). This could mean you might have to choose a new primary care doctor if your current one does not belong to the plan. PPOs allow members to use primary care doctors outside the PPO network (at a higher cost). Indemnity plans allow any doctor to be used. Provider Any person (doctor, nurse, dentist) or institution (hospital or clinic) that provides medical care.</p>
<p>Third-Party Payer Any payer for health care services other than you. This can be an insurance company, an HMO, a PPO, or the Federal Government</p>
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