3 Places to Look For a Cheap Health Insurance

This attitude is completely off the rails. Health insurance is a must and getting affordable insurance for you and your family is not a pipe-dream. Taking out health insurance is like carrying an umbrella during the rainy season: if it does rain, you won't get wet. Likewise with health insurance, when you have it, it can save you a lot.

1. Every state supports a Medicaid program designed to assist low-income people which you may qualify for. The requirements are not the same in all states, but access is available from the Division of Family Services in your area. There a lot of people who qualify to apply for this insurance option, but think they do not.

You will be required to provide your financial status through filling an application that will be provided. The program can cover a family's entire health care needs: eye care, dental work, emergency care, doctors' visits, prescriptions and more. If you have children and your employer does not provide health care, you may qualify for this program. It is very easy to enroll into the program and could make your life that much easier.

2. Another source of cheap health cover is the Internet. Check out the many companies that offer a host of health insurance options to find a cover that could meet your family's needs and at a price you can afford. The costs, even for the same type of cover vary considerably, so research well before making a selection.

You need to check the credentials of the company as well: how long have they been in business and their reputation. Get quotes from as many sources as possible to increase your chances of good deals. Ensure that the company you select is licensed to operate in your state.

3. You also have the option of using insurance agents in your area. Look around for the agents and what they have on offer. There are many agencies who will work to get you the best deal possible for your circumstances. Even when the deal you get does not cover all the options you want, some form of cover is a good idea.

Check out advertisements for alternative health care and prescription card plans. You may find one that suits your needs to a T.

An affordable health insurance plan can be found if you look for it long and hard enough.

For more information about Cheap Health Insurance please go to Low cost health insurance guide.

No Health Insurance Coverage?

Over 45 Million Americans do not have health insurance. Of this number over 8 Million are children. Millions of people in today's workforce do not have an opportunity to get health insurance. Why? 33% of companies in the United States do not offer coverage.

With the skyrocketing costs of traditional medical insurance, home business owners and online business entrepreneurs need a solid alternative they can afford main reason.

Independent business owners have to find their own Medicals Benefits. The problem arises when:

The business owner or a member of their family is uninsurable.

The cost of family health insurance is priced to high. Cost of a nongroup member health insurance premium is many times not affordable.

As a result of no health insurance or being under insured, people die sooner. People without health insurance do not receive sufficient preventative care. Major diseases, such as Cancer, Diabetes or Heart Disease are less likely to be detected early when treatment of these conditions is essential.

Infants with no insurance are more likely to die then infants with health insurance.

People, with ongoing poor health and no insurance, lowers their lifetime earning ability greatly. It has been estimated better health increases the earning power of people 10 to 30%.

The good news is there a better way.

High Quality Membership Discount Medical Plans, these plans are not health insurance. They are discount medical plans for healthcare to ensure members medical well being. Anyone can become a member.

There is no having to qualify to become a member. No physical exams. All benefit payments and savings are paid directly to the member. The member is responsible for the payment to the medical service provider.

For many people High Quality Membership Discount Medical Plans are the answer for having better health. Those of us who are uninsurable can now have medical benefits. Children will not have to suffer from untreated diseases. With medical benefits, the standard of living is raised for many people by having good health.

Keep in mind, 70% of Americans are either not insured or are under insured.

About the Author: Alan Grundemeier helps people who are uninsured or underinsured find affordable alternatives to major medical insurance plans. Now Everyone can have medical benefits at affordable prices regardless of age or health issues. And, in addition, earn lucrative commissions. How? For more information about this Medical Benefits Opportunity, click here: http://www.secrets-of-making-money-online.com/nohealthinsurance.html

Email: aseller2@hotmail.com

The 5 Fundamentals Truths About Employee Benefit Plans - Day 2 of the 5 Day Course

Mark Combs (CLU, ChFC, CFP®, RHU, REBC, CFA®) Mark is a Vice-President, part owner of Horne/Guest Employee Benefits http://www.horneguest.com - one of the largest employee benefit advisory firms in South Carolina. Horne/Guest is also a Charter Member of United Benefit Advisors, which is the 3rd largest employee benefit advisory firm in the US. You can learn more about UBA via google. Mark is a graduate of Wofford College, with two undergraduate degrees (Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy and Philosophy & Bachelor of Science in Economics). He entered the individual financial services field directly out of college as a Certified Financial Planner® with John Hancock Financial, where he was selected as "Rookie of The Year" in 1998. Mark began working in the employee benefits arena with Marsh & McLennan Companies, specializing in large employee groups. Mark holds 6 professional designations & was honored in 2003 with the Distinguished Educational Achievement Award from the American College. As a veteran in the employee benefit industry, he brings tons of professional knowledge to the table. As a specialty, Mark creates processes that help employers save money while maximizing the value of their employer-employee relationships. His vast array of expertise allows him to automate processes, and system applications to make life easier for his clients and their employees. Mark also has a tremendous amount of expertise in creating Employer Wellness Programs, and is the author of The PlanWELL Method Wellness System. Applying Wellness and Disease Management Tactics effectively promises to be the biggest trend in healthcare over the next 10 years. The PlanWELL Method teaches employers the fundamentals of a well functioning, data-driven corporate wellness program. These type of programs consistently render return on investment of 5 to 10+ times initial investment. For more information, you can visit http://www.planwellmethod.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Combs

4 Things to Know About Low Cost Maternity Health Insurance

Surveys show that some 15% of American women are without maternity health insurance. Should there be medical complications the medical bills they will face can be devastating. This piece will show you how to obtain cheap health cover that to save you from penury.

What does maternity health insurance mean?

A health insurance cover with an in-built maternity option. As of today, there are no health insurance plans that cover only maternity health.

The plans available that include maternity health insurance cover are:

* This is an indemnity plan but is very expensive as it allows you to select a hospital or doctor of your choosing.
* The cheapest plans are the managed health care packages (PPO, POS, HMO) that will assign your medical care to a network of hospitals and doctors. These have the cheapest plans available.

What is covered by maternity health insurance?

The basic insurance cover will pay for about all you maternity related medical expenses: hospital fees, doctors' charges and any prescription drugs needed during the pregnancy.

Is maternity health insurance for pregnant women?

It is not availed anyone by private companies if you are pregnant on application. There are however some state run covers like Medicaid health and California's Medi-cal designed for low-income families. You can visit your state's website to find out if the state runs a maternity program for low-income groups.

If you are ineligible for state supported maternity health cover and are already pregnant, you should call hospitals in your locale and try to bargain for lower rates. A good number of hospitals can offer you a discount provided that you pay their fees in cash.

Where do I find low-cost maternity health insurance?

By visiting insurance comparison sites and getting quotes from many companies will be about the best way of finding the cheapest cover, unless you qualify for state funded programs.

For more information about Maternity Health Insurance please go to Low cost health insurance guide.

6 Ways How to Get a Low Cost Health Insurance

For a good few, low cost health insurance is the answer to their prayers. Should you be one of them, allow me to present a few well-proven steps that can help to realize your dream. You will be pleased to see your premiums going down without compromising the cover quality.

1. You may find that the health insurance premiums are tax-deductible if you are self-employed. If your employer provides a flexible spending account, why not get a tax advantage. Call in your tax consultant. You will find out what you can do to get the tax advantage and what will not.

2. Many health insurance covers will provide free medicals, mostly about two. By catching an ailment early, the cost of the treatment will be much lower than catching when it's full-blown. The service provider will normally reduce your rates because your proactive action reduces their risk.

3. You can assure yourself lower premiums through multi-policy discount by acquiring the health policy from your provider of insurance for home and automobile. You may well get better savings by shopping around. Getting cover from many insurers may prove a lot cheaper.

4. A good credit rating will have a positive effect on your health insurance premium, while higher premiums will be attracted by a poor credit history. Insurers all agree that there is a relationship between the level of risk and credit rating: good credit-lower risk, bad credit-higher risk. This consensus makes for higher premiums in all insurance products for persons with poor credit histories.

5. The medical bill will be lowered if you employ emergi- or no-appointment ambulatory care centers. This option is best if your visits to the doctor are few and traditional insurance is too high for you. The cost of care in these centers is much less than for emergency rooms hospitals.

6. It is a must that you go online and get quotations from reliable quote sites. At least five quotes is best. Apart from the advantage of ease and speed, it is free. You could find that your savings as a result of the quotes received can exceed $2,000. This saving would accrue just by choosing the lowest quote. You also need to appreciate that, the chances of getting the cover at the lowest premium is correlated with the number of quotes that you can get. So the more quotes you get, the greater your chances become.

For more information about Affordable health insurance please go to Low cost health insurance guide.

How to Get a Free No Strings Attached Health Insurance Quote

When you are after health insurance quotes, shopping around can pay big dividends. You can get very good deals out there if you look hard enough. As with any other business, you need to tread cautiously though, as there are plenty of sharks waiting for the unwary.

The best to and easiest place to get free quotations for health insurance is online. You can glom onto fantastic deals from some of the providers. Getting a quote usually entails the simple process of filling out a form on the Internet. You have the added advantage of being totally control. You will not need to contend with pushy salespersons who are only interested in making their good deal instead of finding you one.

Another good option is the insurance broker. The majority of brokers are well experienced and can give you very good options that fit your situation. You ought to be able to get free quotes from many companies to help compare costs. There are some sharks here too, who will just want your signature on the dotted line for their commissions. Do not let yourself be rushed or pressured into a deal you are uncomfortable with.

Due to the increasing profits that can be made in the health insurance sector, there are now many fake scams being touted. When comparing costs, be wary of the quote that is very good, check it out thoroughly. Many people have taken out health policies with fraudsters who will have disappeared by the time a claim is due. The fraud will only become known when the claim is rejected leaving a huge medical bill to settle.

When you are looking for free insurance quotes look out for the deals that best fit you requirements and financial limitations, but keep a weather eye out for the fraudsters who operating in this area and just waiting for a chance to pounce on the unwary.

For more information about getting a Free Health Insurance Quote please go to Low cost health insurance guide.

Choosing Health Insurance

Is a good health insurance online or offline company possible to find? Yes there are many good companies out there, providing multiple quotes and comparisons so that you can find the price that fits your budget. There are many companies that have taken their company online to save time and expenses. Also by going online, it has gave the customers more options when it comes to shopping prices to find the best match. Insurance today can have high costs whether online or off, one thing that will remain is that it can more costly to not have any health insurance at all.

There are many employees and self employed workers that go with out health coverage, but yet they don't know what they would do if something catastrophic happened. Let alone a simple trip to the ER (emergency room). No one wants or can imagine not being able to work, having medical bills, and no insurance. The best way to reduce your insurance premium is to know what you need and what you do not need.

Some factors to think about.

Health insurance is determined by many factors. A few include your health, the coverage you choose and your age, also the area you live in my play in to factor as well. So when you begin to think about what is the best coverage for you, you may want to sit down and do a health evaluation of yourself. Think about things like how many times have you went to too the doctor in the past year, what are some health areas that I know I am effected by? Back, allergies, heart attack, and so on. Once you can determine these things, then you can know what coverage's you need and which ones you may be able to cut back on to save yourself premium and still have the best coverage that fits you.

Doctor visits are one thing that most people think of with health insurance, but is also one factor that will increase you premium, so when you are deciding on this option, think about how many times you have went to your doctor in the past year, two or three years. Then see what the premium is just to add doctor visits on to your policy. You will see a difference. You can then make an educated decision on whether or not you need this option.

Also you always have a choice on your deductibles, the higher your deductible the lower your premium, but you want to find a happy medium that you can afford out of pocket before your co-pays start. Also look to see what benefits in your policy you can use with out meeting your deductible, most allow some preventive care, such as making a yearly doctor visit for a physical and so on.

H.S.A

Another option is H.S.A's (health care savings accounts) and what it is, is an account set up by either an employer, employee, or self employed, with a maximum amount allowed, $2,900 single and $5,800 per calendar year. It is basically setting up a savings account just for medical bills, but you can carry over that amount you saved and did not use, up to the limits above. Your contribution to your HSA is tax deductible, it grows tax-free, and when you have meant the deductible amount you have the same benefits as any other health coverage.

You will save money on premium and be saving money in your account, this is one option to look in to further. Shopping for the right coverage for the right price can be hard, there are many companies online and off, that offer different plans. With a wide range in prices, the best thing to do is to do a self-evaluation and determine what are your main needs when it comes to what is covered. Look to see if there is someone to speak to if your shopping online and have questions you want answered. No one should be with out coverage, so explore your options; there is a plan out there for everyone,

A tip to think about:

Don't be scared of the high deductible, and also one way to save money and off set some weak points in coverage like a higher deductible would be to look in to critical illness plans, or accident and sickness plans. What plans like these due (such as critical illness) is pay out a set amount of money if you would have some catastrophic event happen such as cancer, or a heart attack. It puts a check in your hands, for you to use how you see fit. One thing to do if something like that happened would be to use the money towards your deductible and then off set your medical bills. A lot of times selecting a coverage like this with a higher deductible medical plan will still save you money and will also give you additional well rounded coverage.

Mark S. Writes about Insurance products and knowledge, also on how to find the best a plan that fits your budget. You can learn my by visiting my blog http://choosing-health-insurance.blogspot.com

Insurance Verses Consumer Driven Health Care Plans

It seems today that the cost of nearly everything is rising. When this happens, everyone starts looking for less expensive alternatives. Gas goes up so everyone starts trying to find an alternative fuel. Energy prices go up so people try to find an alternative source. The same thing applies with health care. The costs of health care continue to rise, but most companies aren't making as much money so they reduce or drop the health coverage for their employees. When trying to find an alternative I have found consumer driven health care. Many people, I'm sure, have come across this as well, but most have no idea what it really is. They see that it's not insurance, but a discount and many assume it wouldn't save them enough money. So what is the difference between insurance and consumer driven health care/ discount dental and health benefits?

With insurance you usually have a monthly premium, which can sometimes be very high. The older you are or the more medical conditions you have, the higher your premium will be. Some people can't find an insurance company to cover them at all because they're told they have too many medical problems. There are also co-pays for doctor visits, prescriptions, etc., and a certain amount you have to pay each year. When you've reached that limit they cover the rest. Some insurance companies have a set amount they will cover. After that you have to pay everything else. Also, with insurance, the treatment or prescription you need isn't always approved. Then your doctor has to find an alternative. Most insurance companies will not cover cosmetic services either, like teeth whitening or adult braces. I've also found a lot of insurance coverage doesn't include dental insurance at all. And if it does, it tends to be very costly. To sum it up, insurance usually appears to save you lots of money when you look at your doctor or hospital bills. But when you add in those high monthly premiums, co-pays, and procedures they don't cover it really adds up.

With discount dental and health benefits, you have a monthly fee that is usually very affordable, ranging from $14.95 to $59.95 a month and you get a discount on all procedures ranging from 20% to 80%. Most discount dental and health benefit providers cover cosmetic procedures as well. There are no claim forms to fill out and no contracts to sign. There is also no chance of ever being denied because of your age or medical conditions. Everyone is accepted. This option leaves the treatment up to the doctor and patient because you will never be told "we don't cover that medicine or procedure." Also, with the discount dental benefits, you can usually use it with your current insurance.

To sum things up if you have no current health conditions, and are younger to middle aged then I would say the high cost premium insurance plans might be for you. But on the other hand if you are older, already have health conditions (pre-existing conditions), or maybe you are younger and healthier, and want to save money or want a procedure done that your insurance company wont cover, then the Consumer Driven Health Care Plans are probably your better option.

Scott Hughes
Here is a link to my blog:
Health Care Blog.

Health Insurance Money Saving Strategies - Why Pay So Much For So Little Health Insurance Coverage

Why are people paying so much money for one health plan? What is more disturbing is the number of people looking for that "golden egg" health policy that will pay every medical expense. These plans do not exist! Successful business owners know that it is not how much you spend but how much return you receive on what you spend that really matters. There is no difference in the realm of health insurance. As a business owner or individual looking for insurance, nothing matters more than a well-structured health insurance portfolio.

Unfortunately, not many business owners are aware of how to create a well-structured health insurance portfolio. It often comes down to the mindset that the best investment is a single policy that delivers the most coverage for the least amount of premium. These policies often fail to cover key areas of health care costs that many people often overlook. There are five key areas a health insurance portfolio should cover for a business owner:

• A Basic group or individual medical plan with a high deductible and coinsurance.
• Medical Gap plan that pays your deductible and coinsurance.
• Dread Disease plan (Cancer, Critical Illness, etc.) to supplement your medical plan for critical illnesses.
• Accident and Disability plans that supplement your medical plan in the event you are injured as a result of an accident or become disabled.
• Whole Life Insurance that includes an Accelerated Benefits Rider. This pays you a portion of the cash value of your life policy in the event of a terminal illness.

What should interest people most about this portfolio structure is the return on your monthly premium. Consider a typical scenario for a mechanic with his own business. While the mechanic has assets, he most likely does not have readily available funds to pay for a serious health problem. He seeks a health insurance plan with a low deductible and co-insurance to protect him against this contingency. But when his child is diagnosed with Leukemia, this single health plan will not cover enough of the expenses. The significant portion of radiology expenses alone may not be covered by his health plan. This is serious for the mechanic, whose assets are tied up in his business. Not only is the mechanic at risk, his business is at risk as well. He is paying into a single plan that does not account for a majority of contingencies he and his family could face. How does he avoid this?

First, instead of a low deductible, high premium plan, this business owner should investigate high deductible, low premium plans. His options for covering the high deductible are a Health Savings Account or a Major Medical Gap Supplement Plan. His Cancer Supplement coverage would pay in addition to his basic medical insurance plan, leaving a small amount, if any, leftover for him to pay. Even if the mechanic suffers an accident at a later point in time, he has the protection from his Accident Supplement policy and health plan combined to cover a significant portion of the medical expenses.

For about the same amount of premium per month as a single, low deductible health plan, this mechanic can have the protection of as many as five plans. This follows the logic of insurance, the principle of sharing risk. The return in coverage is greater as this risk is shared among more companies, and the costs associated with these plans are much lower than a single, low-deductible health plan. This is the solution for the business owner looking for the best value in health insurance. Several policies with specific functions and coverage are better than one policy that promises more than an insurance company can afford to pay.

Trends in health insurance have changed, and most individuals and families looking for private health insurance should be aware of these trends to protect their assets when a severe medical condition strikes. Health Insurance Money Saving Strategies is a 10-week campaign to spread the word to self-employed individuals and their families looking for private health insurance. Stop paying too much for so little health insurance protection! Learn how to improve your coverage and save money on health insurance by visiting http://www.edgeoninsurance.com right now. Take action today because it will make all the difference in how much money you spend on health insurance in the coming years.

Shaun Salem is a licensed insurance agent and contributing staff member to http://www.edgeoninsurance.com, providing free information about health insurance for individuals, families, and the self-employed. Here you can learn about the different types of health insurance plans available, from major medical and HMO plans to surgical expense and supplemental health insurance.

Find out how to combine private health plans to improve coverage and save money every month on health insurance! Edgeoninsurance.com has the latest secrets and strategies for making private health insurance affordable!

What Are Normal Health Insurance Rates?

Over the last six years, in the United States, health insurance rates have almost doubled. The good news though is that there are ways by which individuals can lower their health premiums.

Firstly, it is important for individuals to research and shop for various rates. An agent can help individuals to search the rates, which suit the budget of the buyer.

The other method by which individuals can lower their health insurance rates is by quitting smoking. Firms always charge more to smokers, as they are more prone to health problems and hence costs.

In addition, if individuals maintain good health or improve on their health, they can also cut down on their health insurance rates. With the help of few tips and precautions, individuals can get good health rates that can save them their hard earned money.

Important Factors:

Age is the most important factor, which affects health insurance rates. Young people pay a lower premium on their health plans.

One more factor that affects the health insurance rate is gender. Women pay lower health premiums as compared to men. The reason is women are less likely to suffer from diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, and other illness.

Some insurance companies in the U.S. offer discounts to individuals, if they pay their insurance premiums on time, since they are viewed as better customers.

Health insurance rates vary as per the variance in medical expense in different areas. The medical costs vary due to differences in medical practice, the degree of specialization in different fields of medicine, and the level of competition in that area. Most plans vary in their rates depending on the zip code. The address of the employer's business determines the rate.

Some policies pay only limited amount of health expenses. The insurer has to pay the remaining amount. Some plans have maximum lifetime coverage. Here, the policy will pay individuals until the amount reaches benefit's maximum. The remaining amount has to be paid by the policyholder.

Conclusion:

Health insurance is an agreement between the company that provides the insurance and the insurer. It is possible to renew the contract annually or monthly.

HMOs use the term health plan, whereas insurance companies use the term health insurance. A health plan can also be a medical care arrangement offered by health organization. These plans are similar to pre-paid dental plans. HMO stands for Health Maintenance Organization. It is costlier than a PPO. The major disadvantage of HMO is that, it gives limited choice in doctors that too present in the network provided by the policy.

PPO stands for Preferred provider Organization. The only difference between a HMO and PPO is the possibility to seek medical attention from outside the network.

POS stands for Point of Service. It has the features of both PPO and HMO. POS is considered as the best health insurance, although not the cheapest.

According to a recent study, health insurance rates are on the rise due to increased demand and new treatments. Advancements in medical technology are also responsible for increase in health insurance rates. Factors related to lifestyle also contribute to increase in insurance prices.

With all this in mind the only way to be certain if you are paying the lowest rates is to get a quote online for free. The good news is that you can do just that by vising one of the sites listed below.

Ian Wright wants everyone to be able to get the health insurance coverage that they need. So to help he has created pages on how to get: cheap health insurance quotes and free health insurance quotes

How to Get Health Insurance For Less

How to get health insurance is a common question that arises in the mind of an individual who contemplates to buy health policies. The first thing, people need to do is, make a study about the different types of health plans and policies available. Hence, to start with, there are four basic types of health insurance policies available.

The first type of plan is indemnity plan. Indemnity plan allows people to select their own doctors. In this plan, insurance companies pay up all the cost of medical expenses, if individuals are hospitalized. Indemnity plan is the most flexible of all the health insurance plans. However, this plan is also the most expensive amongst all plans and involves a lot of paperwork.

HMOs, PPOs and POS Health Plans:

Second type of plan is HMO (Health Maintenance Organizations) plan. In this plan, individuals have to pay monthly insurance premium. It enables people to seek treatment from different hospitals located anywhere in the country. However, these hospitals or clinics need to be in list of hospitals that insurance companies provide.

In this plan, individuals can choose physician of their choice but that physician needs be working in one amongst the hospitals mentioned in the list. HMOs are restrictive sort of health plans but are affordable. In this plan, individuals have to pay low insurance premiums.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organizations) is another plan where, individuals have to pay monthly insurance premiums to avail treatment from the network of doctors and hospitals. In PPOs plan, people may choose their own doctors or choose physicians from the network. Nevertheless, if individuals are choosing their own doctors, they will have to pay extra premium each month.

Next type of plan is POS plan (Point of service). POS plans are the amalgamation of HMOs plans and PPOs plans. Here, individuals need to select their physicians from the list of doctors as provided by the insurance companies. However, people may select any other doctor which may not be present in the list, without having to pay extra premium.

How to Choose the Best Plan:

After the in-depth study of these health insurance plans, people need to obtain quotes from different health insurance companies. For that purpose, they may approach any of the local health insurance agents. These agents work either for different health insurance companies or for a single company.

However, people need to approach those agents, who work for different companies. The reason is, such agents will be in better position to provide quotes of several companies. Individuals may also log-on to health insurance web sites and select the questionnaire form. Fill in few personal details such as health information, job status, address, and contact numbers and so on. Submit the form and people will obtain quotes of different top rated insurance companies in a matter of seconds.

Compare different quotes and choose the one, which offers best rates. While selecting the plans, people need to see if the chosen plan covers features that they need. Check the co-pays, premium rates, deductibles and so on. Thus, people need to compare the features and select a plan that fulfills all their needs. Isn't the procedure of how to get health insurance plans simple enough?

You can get started right now by getting quotes using the following resources.

Ian Wright wants everyone to be able to get the health insurance coverage that they need. So to help he has created pages on how to get the cheapest health insurance quote and free health insurance quotes.

Have You Run Diagnostics Lately on Your Health Insurance?

Just like any kind of insurance, you should be reviewing the status and amount of coverage you receive from your health insurance plan, at least once a year. What happens all too frequently is that coverages change, the deductibles change, the out of pocket amounts change, and you aren't aware of the significant ramifications of those changes.

Oh of course the health insurance company makes you aware of it, since they are required to do so by law. They send you a small "newsletter" via the US mail. Does that count? You bet it counts, although more than 85% of people only glance over those newsletters, if they read them at all. Based on the amount of pure garbage that comes in the mail daily, you figure they are trying to sell you something else and you glance at it and summarily toss it in the trash can. But you were notified, you simply elected not to read the notice.

That is exactly why you should examine your health insurance coverage annually. It is estimated that about 60% of Americans get their health insurance through their employer, who has them on some type of group plan. Group plans are very cost effective because they generally cover a large number of people, but depending on the plan your employer is providing, it may only be marginal protection, and you won't really discover this fact until the unexpected happens and you need to make claims on it.

Are just you covered or is your spouse and/or family covered as well? How much is it costing you, out of your paycheck, outside of what your employer pays on your behalf? Do you know how much coverage you have? Do you understand what is NOT covered and why? What is your annual out-of-pocket expense amount that you need to pay? How much is your co-pay amount? Are prescriptions covered as well? Do you get discounts on prescriptions if you elect to go with a generic instead of a name brand?

That is only a small portion of the number of questions you should be asking about your health insurance coverage. If you dig deep into your existing policy, you may be shocked to discover how little coverage you really have. However, NOW is the time to discover this fact, not when you are facing an emergency and find out something is not covered because the accident happened on a Tuesday between 1pm and 2pm, which is a blackout period. Don't laugh, there are stranger clauses and exclusions in many policies.

If you do not currently have any health insurance at all, you need to run not walk and get yourself and your family covered as soon as right now. With the sky rocketing costs of health care, even a relatively minor injury needing professional help or hospital expertise could ruin you financially.

But even if you already have health insurance, you are strongly encouraged to take out a notebook and start documenting your coverages, your deductibles and all aspects of your current health insurance policy. Then start shopping around to see what other policies are costing, both online and offline for the same or better coverage. You will likely be pleasantly surprised to find that affordable health insurance is right in front of you, and you can get the coverage you need immediately. The money you save will serve a much better purpose in your wallet than in the account of your old health insurance company.

For more insights and additional information about your Health Insurance Policy as well as getting a very aggressive online health insurance quote, please visit our web site at http://www.healthinsurancetipsguide.com

What Are Normal Health Insurance Rates?

Over the last six years, in the United States, health insurance rates have almost doubled. The good news though is that there are ways by which individuals can lower their health premiums.

Firstly, it is important for individuals to research and shop for various rates. An agent can help individuals to search the rates, which suit the budget of the buyer.

The other method by which individuals can lower their health insurance rates is by quitting smoking. Firms always charge more to smokers, as they are more prone to health problems and hence costs.

In addition, if individuals maintain good health or improve on their health, they can also cut down on their health insurance rates. With the help of few tips and precautions, individuals can get good health rates that can save them their hard earned money.

Important Factors:

Age is the most important factor, which affects health insurance rates. Young people pay a lower premium on their health plans.

One more factor that affects the health insurance rate is gender. Women pay lower health premiums as compared to men. The reason is women are less likely to suffer from diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, and other illness.

Some insurance companies in the U.S. offer discounts to individuals, if they pay their insurance premiums on time, since they are viewed as better customers.

Health insurance rates vary as per the variance in medical expense in different areas. The medical costs vary due to differences in medical practice, the degree of specialization in different fields of medicine, and the level of competition in that area. Most plans vary in their rates depending on the zip code. The address of the employer's business determines the rate.

Some policies pay only limited amount of health expenses. The insurer has to pay the remaining amount. Some plans have maximum lifetime coverage. Here, the policy will pay individuals until the amount reaches benefit's maximum. The remaining amount has to be paid by the policyholder.

Conclusion:

Health insurance is an agreement between the company that provides the insurance and the insurer. It is possible to renew the contract annually or monthly.

HMOs use the term health plan, whereas insurance companies use the term health insurance. A health plan can also be a medical care arrangement offered by health organization. These plans are similar to pre-paid dental plans. HMO stands for Health Maintenance Organization. It is costlier than a PPO. The major disadvantage of HMO is that, it gives limited choice in doctors that too present in the network provided by the policy.

PPO stands for Preferred provider Organization. The only difference between a HMO and PPO is the possibility to seek medical attention from outside the network.

POS stands for Point of Service. It has the features of both PPO and HMO. POS is considered as the best health insurance, although not the cheapest.

According to a recent study, health insurance rates are on the rise due to increased demand and new treatments. Advancements in medical technology are also responsible for increase in health insurance rates. Factors related to lifestyle also contribute to increase in insurance prices.

With all this in mind the only way to be certain if you are paying the lowest rates is to get a quote online for free. The good news is that you can do just that by vising one of the sites listed below.

Ian Wright wants everyone to be able to get the health insurance coverage that they need. So to help he has created pages on how to get: cheap health insurance quotes and free health insurance quotes

How to Get Health Insurance For Less

How to get health insurance is a common question that arises in the mind of an individual who contemplates to buy health policies. The first thing, people need to do is, make a study about the different types of health plans and policies available. Hence, to start with, there are four basic types of health insurance policies available.

The first type of plan is indemnity plan. Indemnity plan allows people to select their own doctors. In this plan, insurance companies pay up all the cost of medical expenses, if individuals are hospitalized. Indemnity plan is the most flexible of all the health insurance plans. However, this plan is also the most expensive amongst all plans and involves a lot of paperwork.

HMOs, PPOs and POS Health Plans:

Second type of plan is HMO (Health Maintenance Organizations) plan. In this plan, individuals have to pay monthly insurance premium. It enables people to seek treatment from different hospitals located anywhere in the country. However, these hospitals or clinics need to be in list of hospitals that insurance companies provide.

In this plan, individuals can choose physician of their choice but that physician needs be working in one amongst the hospitals mentioned in the list. HMOs are restrictive sort of health plans but are affordable. In this plan, individuals have to pay low insurance premiums.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organizations) is another plan where, individuals have to pay monthly insurance premiums to avail treatment from the network of doctors and hospitals. In PPOs plan, people may choose their own doctors or choose physicians from the network. Nevertheless, if individuals are choosing their own doctors, they will have to pay extra premium each month.

Next type of plan is POS plan (Point of service). POS plans are the amalgamation of HMOs plans and PPOs plans. Here, individuals need to select their physicians from the list of doctors as provided by the insurance companies. However, people may select any other doctor which may not be present in the list, without having to pay extra premium.

How to Choose the Best Plan:

After the in-depth study of these health insurance plans, people need to obtain quotes from different health insurance companies. For that purpose, they may approach any of the local health insurance agents. These agents work either for different health insurance companies or for a single company.

However, people need to approach those agents, who work for different companies. The reason is, such agents will be in better position to provide quotes of several companies. Individuals may also log-on to health insurance web sites and select the questionnaire form. Fill in few personal details such as health information, job status, address, and contact numbers and so on. Submit the form and people will obtain quotes of different top rated insurance companies in a matter of seconds.

Compare different quotes and choose the one, which offers best rates. While selecting the plans, people need to see if the chosen plan covers features that they need. Check the co-pays, premium rates, deductibles and so on. Thus, people need to compare the features and select a plan that fulfills all their needs. Isn't the procedure of how to get health insurance plans simple enough?

You can get started right now by getting quotes using the following resources.

Ian Wright wants everyone to be able to get the health insurance coverage that they need. So to help he has created pages on how to get the cheapest health insurance quote and free health insurance quotes.

Have You Run Diagnostics Lately on Your Health Insurance?

Just like any kind of insurance, you should be reviewing the status and amount of coverage you receive from your health insurance plan, at least once a year. What happens all too frequently is that coverages change, the deductibles change, the out of pocket amounts change, and you aren't aware of the significant ramifications of those changes.

Oh of course the health insurance company makes you aware of it, since they are required to do so by law. They send you a small "newsletter" via the US mail. Does that count? You bet it counts, although more than 85% of people only glance over those newsletters, if they read them at all. Based on the amount of pure garbage that comes in the mail daily, you figure they are trying to sell you something else and you glance at it and summarily toss it in the trash can. But you were notified, you simply elected not to read the notice.

That is exactly why you should examine your health insurance coverage annually. It is estimated that about 60% of Americans get their health insurance through their employer, who has them on some type of group plan. Group plans are very cost effective because they generally cover a large number of people, but depending on the plan your employer is providing, it may only be marginal protection, and you won't really discover this fact until the unexpected happens and you need to make claims on it.

Are just you covered or is your spouse and/or family covered as well? How much is it costing you, out of your paycheck, outside of what your employer pays on your behalf? Do you know how much coverage you have? Do you understand what is NOT covered and why? What is your annual out-of-pocket expense amount that you need to pay? How much is your co-pay amount? Are prescriptions covered as well? Do you get discounts on prescriptions if you elect to go with a generic instead of a name brand?

That is only a small portion of the number of questions you should be asking about your health insurance coverage. If you dig deep into your existing policy, you may be shocked to discover how little coverage you really have. However, NOW is the time to discover this fact, not when you are facing an emergency and find out something is not covered because the accident happened on a Tuesday between 1pm and 2pm, which is a blackout period. Don't laugh, there are stranger clauses and exclusions in many policies.

If you do not currently have any health insurance at all, you need to run not walk and get yourself and your family covered as soon as right now. With the sky rocketing costs of health care, even a relatively minor injury needing professional help or hospital expertise could ruin you financially.

But even if you already have health insurance, you are strongly encouraged to take out a notebook and start documenting your coverages, your deductibles and all aspects of your current health insurance policy. Then start shopping around to see what other policies are costing, both online and offline for the same or better coverage. You will likely be pleasantly surprised to find that affordable health insurance is right in front of you, and you can get the coverage you need immediately. The money you save will serve a much better purpose in your wallet than in the account of your old health insurance company.

For more insights and additional information about your Health Insurance Policy as well as getting a very aggressive online health insurance quote, please visit our web site at http://www.healthinsurancetipsguide.com

Where Can I Get Health Insurance Help?

Here is some good health insurance help for people who want to apply for a health insurance policy, but do not have any knowledge about health insurance. However, before discussing in detail about health insurance plans, let us observe why health insurance is important.

A need for health insurance plans has arisen due to rising medical costs. It is impossible for individuals to bear all expenses on their own during certain situations when unplanned health expenses creep into their budget. Therefore, it is necessary for people to opt for ideal health insurance plans.

Types Of Health Insurance Plans:

When individuals approach any health agent for health insurance help, insurance agents suggest four types of policies to them. They are as follows:

Major medical plan:

Major medical plans are those plans in which individuals need to pay deductibles to health coverage companies to obtain benefits. Deductibles are nothing but a part of the amount, which people have to pay while applying for a policy. Later, health insurance firms pay about 80% of medical bills and insurers have to pay the remaining 20% of billed amounts.

Buyers may select any doctors to get medical services and pay fees to these doctors directly. However, they need to obtain a bill and furnish it to the insurance companies, who in turn reimburse 80% of the bill amount to the insured. This type of health insurance plan is a traditional health plan.

HMO plan:

An HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) is a type of health policy that focuses mainly on life long health care of the insured. This plan is more affordable than the major medical plan. People need to select their doctors from a list of doctors furnished by insurance companies. These doctors provide medical services to them. If required, they also co-ordinate with other specialists and hospitals, to provide the best available health service.

As a result, most people across the US prefer this type of health plan.

PPO health plan:

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) is similar to an HMO plan. Health insurers refer in-network doctors and insured people refer their own out-network doctors. Here, people may choose in-network or out-network doctors as per their wish.

However, if people choose out-network doctors they will have to shell out a huge amount as fee because in-network doctors charge a reasonable amount. Whether insured people choose in-network or out-network doctors, health companies pay only 80 % of the medical bill amount to insured people.

POS Health Plan:

POS (Point of service) health plan has properties of both PPO plan as well as of HMO plan. Here, people need to select the doctors referred by insurance companies. However, people may then seek treatment from out-network doctors after informing and taking permission from their in-network doctors. This plan is slightly more expensive than other health plans.

Thus, refer to this health insurance help and choose the best health plan to cover the medical bills so that the unexpected cost does not hamper the monthly budget.

Ian Wright wants everyone to be able to get the health insurance coverage that they need. So to help he has created pages on how to get a medical insurance quote online and online group health insurance quotes.

What Are My Health Insurance Options?

Health insurance is the most significant kind of insurance made available for Americans. There are different kinds of options available while selecting health coverage. However, the main aim of any health plan is to offer buyers with financial coverage that helps them to pay the cost of care during their illness.

Health insurance also covers things such as lab tests, medicines, hospital beds, surgeries, X-rays and other medical expenses. Health coverage pays for costs of medical expenditure due to illnesses, disease, childbirth and accidents. Each plan is diverse and hence, it is best to check what kinds of services the plan covers when selecting and comparing health insurance policy.

Private Sector Health Insurance is the most common form of health insurance. Health coverage varies from life insurance in several ways. First, people usually buy health coverage annually. Secondly, there is almost a 100% guarantee that the premium amount will increase every time the policy is renewed.

Various Health Insurance Options:

Health insurers ask insurance buyers to undergo medical tests before qualifying for coverage. Based on outcomes of these medical tests, buyers may or may not become eligible for coverage.

Unfortunately, several people are going through tough times in their day-to-day life, since health and cash problems are important issues in recent years. Hence, it is better to have health coverage, so that any future emergencies get covered easily without spending lots of money.

There are numerous policies available. Different service brokers and providers offer a wide range of health insurance to eligible people. The people, who cannot pay for premiums of medical insurance, may qualify for government health coverage through their state. There are two programs run by the US government, namely Medicaid and Medicare.

Some regional counties also provide free health insurance coverage to uninsured people through certain programs that have federal subsidy. Many people believe that they cannot pay for premiums of health coverage offered by employers. Even for such people, there are quite a few health insurance options available.

The first step to determining if company health coverage is affordable is to negotiate with the Human Resource department, and check if there are any plans that cater to employees' needs. Such people also have the choice of researching for health insurance agents or brokers present in the online world. Indeed, this is a great way to find a free quote and contact many brokers easily.

Conclusion:

Finally, it is imperative to choose health coverage wisely. A policy is a lawful binding agreement. Buyers will have rights to health services and covered rate once they enter this contract.

It is necessary for buyers to know their rights and be aware of the conditions of their chosen policy. Most buyers agree that, quality health insurance is the main benefit that firms offer to their employees. Remember to read the terms and conditions of the policy thoroughly. Buyers' careless steps may prove to be mistakes, later. If you need to purchase your own health coverage you can use the following useful quote services below.

Ian Wright wants everyone to be able to get the health insurance coverage that they need. So to help he has created pages on how to get: affordable health insurance quotes and online dental insurance quotes.

More Affordable Health Care Might Be Available

While it might come as a surprise to think you really are able to get cheaper Texas health insurance, the fact is also true that it's out there. All you have to do is be willing to surf the Internet, carefully read what you find and call a Texas health care agent to ask questions.

Not everything you see on a health care insurance website is the gospel truth as you'd like to know it. You are only seeing part of a huge network of people dealing with thousands of variables as they try to quote health care insurance prices to thousands of people - most of whom want the cheapest fix they can get but the best coverage money can buy. Obviously, with so many competing interests, the situation is rather complicated.

Sure, you might find insurance agents that can quote you a price that suits your budget, but when you get to chat about pre-existing health conditions, suddenly the price changes - drastically. So you scratch that carrier and move on to find one who will accept you. You may find one, and their price may be better than the first company you talked to, except they exclude your pre-existing medical condition. This basically means you're no further ahead than you were when you started calling around.

Cut to the chase when you call Texas health insurance agents, and let them know right up front if you have any pre-existing health conditions. This will save you time on the phone and will also tell you who will cover you and who won't. Chances are in the long run, you will need to go with a carrier who will cover you, pre-existing condition and all.

The exclusion of pre-existing health conditions is rather an odd form of discrimination against people with an illness and indicates the insurance company would prefer to only insure healthy people as they're less of a risk. There's food for thought.

Richard Cantu is with Texas Health and Life, a Texas health insurance and Texas life insurance agency. To learn more, visit Texashealthandlife.com.

How to Get Health Insurance For Less

How to get health insurance is a common question that arises in the mind of an individual who contemplates to buy health policies. The first thing, people need to do is, make a study about the different types of health plans and policies available. Hence, to start with, there are four basic types of health insurance policies available.

The first type of plan is indemnity plan. Indemnity plan allows people to select their own doctors. In this plan, insurance companies pay up all the cost of medical expenses, if individuals are hospitalized. Indemnity plan is the most flexible of all the health insurance plans. However, this plan is also the most expensive amongst all plans and involves a lot of paperwork.

HMOs, PPOs and POS Health Plans:

Second type of plan is HMO (Health Maintenance Organizations) plan. In this plan, individuals have to pay monthly insurance premium. It enables people to seek treatment from different hospitals located anywhere in the country. However, these hospitals or clinics need to be in list of hospitals that insurance companies provide.

In this plan, individuals can choose physician of their choice but that physician needs be working in one amongst the hospitals mentioned in the list. HMOs are restrictive sort of health plans but are affordable. In this plan, individuals have to pay low insurance premiums.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organizations) is another plan where, individuals have to pay monthly insurance premiums to avail treatment from the network of doctors and hospitals. In PPOs plan, people may choose their own doctors or choose physicians from the network. Nevertheless, if individuals are choosing their own doctors, they will have to pay extra premium each month.

Next type of plan is POS plan (Point of service). POS plans are the amalgamation of HMOs plans and PPOs plans. Here, individuals need to select their physicians from the list of doctors as provided by the insurance companies. However, people may select any other doctor which may not be present in the list, without having to pay extra premium.

How to Choose the Best Plan:

After the in-depth study of these health insurance plans, people need to obtain quotes from different health insurance companies. For that purpose, they may approach any of the local health insurance agents. These agents work either for different health insurance companies or for a single company.

However, people need to approach those agents, who work for different companies. The reason is, such agents will be in better position to provide quotes of several companies. Individuals may also log-on to health insurance web sites and select the questionnaire form. Fill in few personal details such as health information, job status, address, and contact numbers and so on. Submit the form and people will obtain quotes of different top rated insurance companies in a matter of seconds.

Compare different quotes and choose the one, which offers best rates. While selecting the plans, people need to see if the chosen plan covers features that they need. Check the co-pays, premium rates, deductibles and so on. Thus, people need to compare the features and select a plan that fulfills all their needs. Isn't the procedure of how to get health insurance plans simple enough?

You can get started right now by getting quotes using the following resources.

Ian Wright wants everyone to be able to get the health insurance coverage that they need. So to help he has created pages on how to get the cheapest health insurance quote and free health insurance quotes.

Have You Run Diagnostics Lately on Your Health Insurance?

Just like any kind of insurance, you should be reviewing the status and amount of coverage you receive from your health insurance plan, at least once a year. What happens all too frequently is that coverages change, the deductibles change, the out of pocket amounts change, and you aren't aware of the significant ramifications of those changes.

Oh of course the health insurance company makes you aware of it, since they are required to do so by law. They send you a small "newsletter" via the US mail. Does that count? You bet it counts, although more than 85% of people only glance over those newsletters, if they read them at all. Based on the amount of pure garbage that comes in the mail daily, you figure they are trying to sell you something else and you glance at it and summarily toss it in the trash can. But you were notified, you simply elected not to read the notice.

That is exactly why you should examine your health insurance coverage annually. It is estimated that about 60% of Americans get their health insurance through their employer, who has them on some type of group plan. Group plans are very cost effective because they generally cover a large number of people, but depending on the plan your employer is providing, it may only be marginal protection, and you won't really discover this fact until the unexpected happens and you need to make claims on it.

Are just you covered or is your spouse and/or family covered as well? How much is it costing you, out of your paycheck, outside of what your employer pays on your behalf? Do you know how much coverage you have? Do you understand what is NOT covered and why? What is your annual out-of-pocket expense amount that you need to pay? How much is your co-pay amount? Are prescriptions covered as well? Do you get discounts on prescriptions if you elect to go with a generic instead of a name brand?

That is only a small portion of the number of questions you should be asking about your health insurance coverage. If you dig deep into your existing policy, you may be shocked to discover how little coverage you really have. However, NOW is the time to discover this fact, not when you are facing an emergency and find out something is not covered because the accident happened on a Tuesday between 1pm and 2pm, which is a blackout period. Don't laugh, there are stranger clauses and exclusions in many policies.

If you do not currently have any health insurance at all, you need to run not walk and get yourself and your family covered as soon as right now. With the sky rocketing costs of health care, even a relatively minor injury needing professional help or hospital expertise could ruin you financially.

But even if you already have health insurance, you are strongly encouraged to take out a notebook and start documenting your coverages, your deductibles and all aspects of your current health insurance policy. Then start shopping around to see what other policies are costing, both online and offline for the same or better coverage. You will likely be pleasantly surprised to find that affordable health insurance is right in front of you, and you can get the coverage you need immediately. The money you save will serve a much better purpose in your wallet than in the account of your old health insurance company.

For more insights and additional information about your Health Insurance Policy as well as getting a very aggressive online health insurance quote, please visit our web site at http://www.healthinsurancetipsguide.com

The 5 Fundamentals Truths About Employee Benefit Plans (Day 3 of 5, Course)

One of the most valuable things you can have is a group of Employee Leaders who are raving fans of your company. Use our system and you'll have this down cold.

The core ingredient to creating Raving Employees is CREDIBILITY and COMMUNICATION.

For most business-to-employee relationships, an effective employee benefit communication process is the simplest way to gain credibility with employees.

It is a public statement about how the company cares for and rewards the value employees bring to the company.

Promoted and leveraged properly, your employee benefit program will create new employee "CONVERTS" ever day. Be purposeful, use your program to impact employee culture, and watch what happens.

Having two-way communication with employees about their problems, gaining agreement on their problems, and then providing solutions that work can be the most powerful feature of your benefit plan.

Your job is to continuously advertise the company's commitment to employee well being. In essence, you are trading it for your employees' positive responses, and nurturing WORD OF MOUTH.

If you haven't already, you might consider reading Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point, a tremendous book and fun read. In the book, Gladwell talks at length on the dynamics of social systems, and specifically on how information is transferred from person to person.

It turns out there are only a few key people you need to have on board to create a word-of-mouth epidemic. Literally, in a workforce of 100 there are likely less than 5 people you would need to have as raving employees in order to create a huge "APPRECIATION EPIDEMIC" for your employee benefit plan.

Wouldn't that be great!

So, put some time into your planning strategy and figure out who the movers and shakers are in your company. Devote extra effort to them and then sit back and watch them sell the rest of your company on how great a place it is to work!

Tomorrow: HR Integrity is CRITICAL!

Mark Combs (CLU, ChFC, CFP®, RHU, REBC, CFA®)
Mark is a Vice-President, part owner of Horne/Guest Employee Benefits http://www.horneguest.com - one of the largest employee benefit advisory firms in South Carolina. Horne/Guest is also a Charter Member of United Benefit Advisors, which is the 3rd largest employee benefit advisory firm in the US. You can learn more about UBA via Google.

Mark is a graduate of Wofford College, with two undergraduate degrees (Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy and Philosophy & Bachelor of Science in Economics). He entered the individual financial services field directly out of college as a Certified Financial Planner® with John Hancock Financial, where he was selected as "Rookie of The Year" in 1998.

Mark began working in the employee benefits arena with Marsh & McLennan Companies, specializing in large employee groups. Mark holds 6 professional designations & was honored in 2003 with the Distinguished Educational Achievement Award from the American College.

As a veteran in the employee benefit industry, he brings tons of professional knowledge to the table. As a specialty, Mark creates processes that help employers save money while maximizing the value of their employer-employee relationships. His vast array of expertise allows him to automate processes, and system applications to make life easier for his clients and their employees.

Mark also has a tremendous amount of expertise in creating Employer Wellness Programs, and is the author of The PlanWELL Method Wellness System. Applying Wellness and Disease Management Tactics effectively promises to be the biggest trend in healthcare over the next 10 years. The PlanWELL Method teaches employers the fundamentals of a well functioning, data-driven corporate wellness program. These type of programs consistently render return on investment of 5 to 10+ times initial investment. For more information, you can visit http://www.planwellmethod.com

Health Savings Accounts Enable Consumers to Make Medical Choices

Less out-of-pocket, lower premiums-any intelligent North Carolina health insurance consumer is on the hunt to lower their insurance budget. With low premiums, though, comes another kind of cost: greatly increased deductibles, which can stress an already complicated situation, like accident recover, or a severe illness. In fact, it's often simply unwise to chase lower monthly health insurance premiums at the expense of outlandish deductibles.

Many prudent insurance customers, though, have discovered the perfect way to avoid the crunch of high deductibles. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are a relatively new insurance vehicle, allowing consumers the option of tax-deductible savings toward the resolution of future medical problems. That's still not enough, though: currently, less than 10% of consumers nationwide (a mere three million) are taking the intelligent step of enacting a low-premium, high-deductible health insurance plan linked to a tax-free health savings account.

HSAs are tax-free-completely. Deposits, earnings, and withdrawals to these accounts cannot be taxed, provided the accounts are used to fund legitimate medical expenses. Yearly, an individual can contribute up to $2900 tax-free; a family, $5800. An additional benefit resides in the tax-free status of any earnings on these accounts, a bonus which no standard health insurance plan can claim.

Additionally, these plans are completely self-directed, which means they aren't confined to the rigorous regulations of standard insurance policies, with their "preferred care providers" and "preferred networks." This means that HSAs are often able to cover alternative procedures and treatment plans that standard insurance policies would leave completely uncovered-and which you would have to pay for out-of-pocket.

Finally, health savings accounts have the advantage of portability; because they are linked to an individual's tax return, they travel with the owner, regardless of where they work or how often they change jobs.

Ultimately, it simply boils down to this: traditional insurance policies just can't compete with health savings accounts, as long as consumers are wise enough to save appropriately for their medical expenses.

Todd McLeod of McLeod Insurance Agency, an agency that has been helping clients find the right North Carolina Health Insurance for over 35 years and offers plans from Blue Cross and Blue Shield North Carolina (R). For more information please visit Nchealthbenefits.com

Understanding Short Term Health Insurance

Have you recently been laid off or otherwise found yourself out of a job? If so, one of the most devastating effects of losing your job is the loss of health insurance coverage. After all, it only takes one accident or illness to catapult you into a world of financial trouble if you do not have health insurance coverage. Therefore, if you are confident you will land another job soon that provides health coverage, you might want to consider obtaining a short term health plan.

What is Short Term Health Insurance?

As the name implies, short term health insurance is a type of coverage that is only meant to be in place for a short period of time. For this reason, it is also commonly referred to as gap plan or temporary health plan.

What is Covered by Short Term Health Insurance?

The types of expenses covered by short term health insurance are generally the same as any other comprehensive plan. Expenses that are typically covered include:

• Daily hospital room and board
• Miscellaneous hospital services
• Surgical services
• Anesthesia services
• In-hospital services
• Out-of-hospital care

Just as with any other type of insurance policy, you will still be expected to pay any applicable deductibles and the procedures that are covered will be subject to certain limitations.

How Long Can Short Term Health Insurance Be in Place?

The available term length for short term health insurance policies will depend upon the company you work with. Most companies, however, offer polices ranging in length from just 30 days to one full year. It is important to note, however, that you will have to determine a termination date when you apply for short term health coverage. Therefore, your coverage will no longer be in place once this termination date is reached. With some companies, you can cancel the policy before the termination date without any negative consequences, so ask about this option before you sign up for a policy and error on the side of acquiring a policy that is longer than you need rather than one that won't be in place long enough.

Why Should I Get Short Term Insurance Rather than COBRA Coverage?

If you are in the middle of switching jobs, you are legally able to obtain COBRA coverage to provide you with the insurance coverage you need before your new coverage begins. Unfortunately, COBRA is quite costly and many people cannot afford to keep it in place. Short term health insurance, on the other hand, is available at a reasonable cost that will provide you with the coverage you need until your new insurance policy kicks in.

Steve Klein is Mr. Insurance of Maryland. He is an independent health insurance broker, representing not just one company, but the best carriers in Maryland. His independent status enables him to offer a wide variety of health insurance plans and a policy perfect for every client's needs and budget.

Steve's agency and Web Site, http://mrinsuranceofmaryland.com are dedicated to creating educated consumers of health insurance in Maryland. Learn more about short term plans at http://mrinsuranceofmaryland.com/Short-Term-Health-Insurance.html

Things to Consider When Buying Health Insurance

One of the first things you should be doing is taking a hard look at your possible maximum out of pocket expense, also called your co-insurance maximum. Before you lay out any money, know the figures first. The dollar amount indicates the max you may spend in a year on in-network and out-of-network medical expenses. Put another way, you'd get the costs (roughly) for the deductible and co-insurance limit.

For this next tip, you need to read the fine print on your policy. There are a lot of companies that have pretty good lifetime maximums for expenses during the life of your policy. If you've got a figure that's close to or slightly over $3 million, that's usually good enough. Here's where you read the fine print - some plans have a per incident/per year maximum and they supersede the lifetime maximums. So beware.

Just about everyone has a budget. Have that in hand when you go health insurance shopping. Hook up with a good insurance agent who is able to walk you through comparable plans with all his carriers and be on the same wavelength as your budget. This saves time and ultimately money.

You'll find enormous differences between carriers for the various Medicare supplement plans so don't be too surprised. Just make sure you have a calculator to run figures to see which plan suits your financial situation.

There are two major networks in Texas for family and personal health care plans - the Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) and the Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). HMO's are reasonably priced but you will give up being able to go to any doctor you want. If you happen to need regular medical care outside your HMO area you foot the bill yourself, period.

PPOs let you go to any doctor you want, but the insurance company pays more if you head to a facility that takes your insurance company. Call this scratching each other's backs at the expense of the consumer. Basically if you want good prices, service and options, you have to look out for yourself and work with a competent health care insurance agent who can help you cut some corners.

Richard Cantu is with Texas Health and Life, a Texas health insurance and Texas life insurance agency in Texas. To learn more, visit Texashealthandlife.com.

Find Your Best Deal in Health Insurance Online

A good health insurance online company is possible to find. There are many who have taken their business online to save the time and expense of renting an office for their business. With the high cost of insurance today, you may feel you cannot afford it online or off, but the fact is you cannot afford not to have health insurance.

Many workers are without health coverage and do not know what they would do were the unthinkable to happen. They cannot imagine being out of work, requiring hospitalization, and having no insurance. One way you may keep your premiums at a minimal level is to determine exactly what type of insurance you need.

The health insurance you choose should be determined by your age, health, and what type of coverage you think you may require. A guide to general types of health insurance online can help you to decide which one is right for your needs. If you are looking at a basic coverage package that covers hospitalization in case of an accident or illness and outpatient services, these are certainly available.

Keep in mind that the more extensive coverage you choose, the higher the premiums are going to be, so remember to evaluate this carefully and only elect coverage that you absolutely feel you must have, and then if your budget allows it, you can add more coverage options.

The more comprehensive care that covers doctor visits, wellness checkups and prolonged hospital visits will be more expensive. According to the latest statistics available, there were 47 million Americans who did not have any type of health insurance. These numbers are staggering considering the high cost of medical care, but this is the plain hard fact for many people.

With a doctor visit alone costing anywhere from $50 and up, the rising cost of medical care makes health insurance a necessity. Health insurance online sites can offer the most comprehensive plans available for the best price possible... The only way you are going to keep ahead of the skyrocketing costs of health care is to have insurance that will cover your expenses.

When you take the risk of not having health care insurance, you are walking a very dangerous line. The odds of having an illness or accident are quite high and can be exacerbated by the occupation in which you are engaged. Self-employed people are at a very high risk unless they have an insurance policy to protect themselves from financial ruin in the event of an accident. Doctor bills and hospitalization can wipe out a savings account in a short period of time, even overnight.

Online health insurance companies can make the job of finding affordable health coverage simpler by allowing you the convenience of shopping around to find the best deal available.

Because 8 out of 10 uninsured are from a typical working family, the question is often between paying an insurance premium or paying bills. The health care costs can be adjusted to cover the insurance you need and none of the "extras" or "frills". If someone thinks they cannot afford health insurance, they really need to check on the coverage available online. The insurance companies are coming up with different packages that are more tailored to suit the working family than ever before.

Before deciding that health insurance is out of your reach, you should definitely check out the health insurance online sites and see what they offer. It may be more affordable than you think.

For more insights and additional information about finding Health Insurance Online as well as getting a free and very aggressively priced health insurance quote online, please visit our web site at http://www.healthinsurancetipsguide.com

Finding Cheap Health Insurance and Prescription

Health Insurance is a Family Matter, it analyzes the effects being uninsured can have on the health, finances and general well-being of the family. It also examines the health of uninsured children and pregnant women to see whether they also receive less care and suffer worse health outcomes than do those who are insured. Health may be the most important type of insurance for anyone to carry. In a country where medicine is not socialized, good health insurance can be the key to getting good health care.

Individual covered entities can evaluate their own situation and determine the best way to implement addressable specifications. Health can mean a safety net for you and your entire family.A good example is the health insurance quotes in Ohio, Kentucky and Texas are outrageous, In this uncertain world of man made and natural disasters, we all need a provision of basic security.

Health insurance is a complicated business. It's designed this way so that the insurers are protected against excessive charges by private doctors and also to restrict patient benefits. Health insurance isn't a right, and the medical provider community isn't a charity. Ever had trouble paying your uninsured "out of pocket" costs like deductible, copay, and coinsurance?

Health quotes are something that most American's have to go through some time in their life. The cycle can be just a tedious as buying your first home.Cheap Health insurance and prescription, either taken individually or provided as group cover, is helping some sections, though this remains a minority phenomenon in the overall scheme. getting the cheapest health insurance for families with good coverage has become very hard to find.You now can get free online health insurance quotes, and affordable health insurance choices.

Author: Gregory Wadel
Get Your No Cost Health Insurance Quotes Fast and Easy.
http://www.squidoo.com/free-health-insurance-quote

Is There Any Cheap Health Insurance?

While Britain's National Health Service is fairly unique compared to some other countries in that it offers free healthcare, more and more people have been turning to some form of private health insurance either to replace or to supplement the publicly provided services.

And as the numbers have grown, different levels of cover have been developed so that there is a medical insurance plan to suit most pockets and this, of course, includes cheap health insurance.

In the past, the major barrier to a greater take-up of private health provision lay in its relatively high cost. Because demand continued to grow apace, however, insurers have developed alternatives to traditionally quite expensive comprehensive private medical insurance plans, that sought to provide cover for the whole range of acute conditions, treatments, surgery and hospitalisation.

The alternatives today, therefore, provide access to private health insurance for a much wider section of the population, from fully comprehensive cover to relatively cheap cover. The different levels of cover available now, therefore, include "mid range" schemes and budget plans that offer cheaper types of health insurance.

Hospital cash plans are a form of medical insurance that takes care of everyday medical costs. Many will pay for dental or optical treatment up to a set limit every year; physiotherapy; specialist consultations etc. Many now also will cover the cost of so-called 'alternative' treatments such as acupuncture. These types of plans are often known as 'budget' plans.

The range of schemes also includes forms of specialist insurance, which is limited to cancer and heart conditions, and is therefore cheaper than fully comprehensive cover. All forms of health insurance are designed to work alongside the NHS (which continues to handle all responses to accident and emergencies, for example) and this is also reflected in the ability of insurers to offer policies with generous no claims discounts. If the policy holder chooses to make no claim on the private health plan and instead opts to use the NHS, then a discount on the private health insurance premiums can be earned.

Similar reasoning lies behind the option offered by many health insurers for policy holders to wait for a certain period (typically six weeks) to see if the treatment they need will be available within that time on the NHS. Only if it is not, will the health insurance need to kick in with private treatment.

Another way in which cheap health insurance can be provided is by the policy holder sharing some of the risks and costs of health care by opting to pay a reasonably high excess. If this is set at a rate of £1,000 or £2,000, for example, then the health insurance can be reserved for just the more serious and expensive procedures, surgery and medical care.

That concept of the policy holder sharing in the responsibility for their own health is also reflected in the health insurance discounts available to those who opt to lead a healthier lifestyle.

In summary, therefore, cheap health insurance has been developed to give almost every section of the population an opportunity to share in the benefits of private medical insurance.

Confused.com is one of the UK's biggest and most popular price comparison services. Confused.com helps consumers save money on everything from health insurance to mortgages.

Free Health Insurance? Yes, it is Possible With a Health Savings Account

Now, we all know there is no such thing as a FREE lunch. People say that Health Insurance isn't affordable. Can you imagine that the government knows it is affordable and they are giving you incentive to go buy your own insurance?

HSA (Health Savings Account) is designed and introduced to reduce the health care cost for both employers and employees since their inception in 2003 by Congress as defined in section 213(d) of the Internal Revenue Code. HSA is tax privilege savings plan offer to tax payers in the U.S. to deposit money to cover current and future medical expenses. HSA provides tax-free savings account for medical expenses and introduced to reduce the current health care costs.

Your HSA account can be used for a wide range of medical goods and services. Of these expenses they do have to be "Qualified" medical expense. Here is a list of some, but not limited to, "Qualified" medical expenses:

" Acupuncture
" Artificial Teeth
" Car Modifications
" Chiropractor
" Contact Lenses
" Eye Surgery and Glasses
" Guide Dog
" Legal fees to authorize treatment of mental illness
" Long-term care
" Non-prescription medications
" Nursing home and services
" Oxygen
" Prescription Medication

If you want a full list Qualified and non-Qualified medical expense refer to your HSA coordinator, Health Insurance Specialist or an on-line search for resources.

Not all HSAs are the same and in order to insure you are maximizing your benefits from this cost-saving measure, you need to have the facts of how to establish a Health Savings Account.

You can't just set aside your HSA contributions in a shoe box, or even a safe deposit box or in an ordinary bank or other account-the money has to be set aside in an account specially designed for this purpose.

An institution that holds your balances for your, receives and records contributions and processes distributions. In general, an insurance company or a bank can be an HSA trustee or institution, as can any entity already approved by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). However, be warned, not all of theses companies will provide the same level of service or support. Many banks that offer HSAs know little about the health care side of these accounts, while insurance companies may lack knowledge about the banking aspect. Do your homework about the quality of products offered before you sign up with a provider. This includes Set up fees, transaction fees, maintenance fees, other fees and your interest rate based on the balance in the accounts.

Arthur "Butch" Zemar is a health insurance specialist and author. He is committed to preserving the health and wealth protection interests of his client and sincerely believes that quality, affordable health insurance should top your list of necessities - right after food, shelter and clothing. With his passion of working with professionals and entrepreneurs, he has established a reputation as a health insurance "specialist" with a deep understanding of the industry, the options and the most intelligent and cost-effective ways to obtain and maintain comprehensive health care.

After years of studying, reading, and working with several mentors in the field, Butch Zemar is now making presentations on the options and services of the health care industry. He is committed to clearing the "fog" on subjects such as: deductibles, out-of-pocket expenses, Health Savings Accounts, and co-insurance rates. For more information please visit http://www.EliteBenefits.net

Your Health Insurance is Gone, Now What?

Do you know someone who has suffered a heart attack, a stroke or has had cancer? If there was a program which would have written them a check for $10,000, $20,000, or $25,000, do you think it would have had a better impact on them - at least financially? What if in six months you or your spouse suffered a critical illness - how would that impact your family?

Ninety-five percent of men and seventy percent of women will suffer from cancer, stroke or heart attack during their lifetime. A married couple has an 83% chance of one of them getting cancer. The first 3-6 months are critical. Your expenses can range anywhere from $13,460 to as much as $50,000. What about the things that aren't medically related. You still have a house to take care of, a family to feed, maybe a wedding to pay for or college tuitions. What if this happened to you or your spouse? How prepared are you?

Bill Clinton said it best back during his presidency "Millions of Americans are just a pink slip away from losing their health insurance, and one serious illness away from losing all of their savings. Millions more are locked into the jobs they have now just because they or someone in their family has once been sick and they have what is called the preexisting condition. "

A fairly recent Harvard study states that 54.5% of all bankruptcy filings are due to medical bankruptcy. Most of them were middle class and nearly three-quarters of them had insurance. Often illness led to job loss, and with it the lost of health insurance. Out-of-pocket medical cost (such as co-payments, deductibles and uncovered medical services) averaged $13,460 for those with insurance at the onset of their illness, vs. $10,893 for the uninsured. In many cases, high medical bills combined with a loss of income as illness forced breadwinners to lose time from work.

Most of the medically bankrupt were average Americans who happened to get sick. Health insurance offered little protection at the time of the onset of the illness. Families with coverage had unaffordable co-payments, deductibles and bills for uncovered items like physical therapy. Even the best job-based health insurance often vanished when illness caused job loss precisely when families needed it most. "Too often, health insurance is an umbrella that melts in the rain."

The study mentioned uncovered items like physical therapy. In just about every major medical, employer or private insurance has a separate limitation on physical therapy. How much do you think physical therapy cost now a days? Some of these limitations are lower than the average deductible or even worse insurance companies only pay up to a small number of visits or only $25-$30 for each visit. Now, you pay the difference.

The biggest question here is how prepared are you? How protected is your income as well as your assets? What if you did lose your job due to a critical illness? Check with your health insurance expert on programs that write you a check for an amount you choose, based on what you can afford, not tied to your income. The investment is small compared to the benefit of receiving that check when your family needs it the most.

Arthur "Butch" Zemar is a health insurance specialist and author. He is committed to preserving the health and wealth protection interests of his client and sincerely believes that quality, affordable health insurance should top your list of necessities - right after food, shelter and clothing. With his passion of working with professionals and entrepreneurs, he has established a reputation as a health insurance "specialist" with a deep understanding of the industry, the options and the most intelligent and cost-effective ways to obtain and maintain comprehensive health care.

After years of studying, reading, and working with several mentors in the field, Butch Zemar is now making presentations on the options and services of the health care industry. He is committed to clearing the "fog" on subjects such as: deductibles, out-of-pocket expenses, Health Savings Accounts, and co-insurance rates. For more information please visit http://www.EliteBenefits.net

Health Care Crisis Out of Control

Some say this health care crisis is getting out of control. Finding the best value when it comes to health insurance there are 7 things to look for.

Pre-existing conditions - This is conditions that are diagnosed, past or present. Most insurance companies won't cover pre-existing conditions for 6-12 months. This might surprise you. Ask yo0ur agent to SHOW (not tell) you what the pre-existing clause states in your policy.

The Sucker's Bet - These are benefits you pay more in premium for, supposedly added value, so the insurance company can give it back to you later. Insurance companies are in business to provide benefits, at a profit. They are not giving anything away for free. So why give your money away "just incase" something happens. Good examples of this are Doctor Visits and Maternity Coverage.

Exclusions - Don't ever assume that everything is covered. After your agent finishes telling you what is covered, ask him/her what is NOT covered.

The deductible - Be suspicious of insurance agents that recommend health insurance deductibles under $1,500.00. The money you save with higher deductibles will almost always exceed any potential additional out-of-pocket.

Co-insurance - Over whelming majority of policy holders have no clue the importance of the "stop-loss" (the amount you pay after your deductible). These people often wind up owning policies with extremely high co-insurance maximums. Your out-of-pocket could be unlimited. Read your policy.

Separate limits - Despite the lifetime max of the policy - many policies restrict the most the insurance company will pay for specific medically necessary services.

Lifetime Maximums - You should be covered for at least $2 Million. However, be careful with a serious illness or accident, you could exceed $2 Million. Also, look out for misleading $5 Million lifetime but cap out $500,000 - $1,000,000 per Injury or Sickness.

There are several ways to keep insurance premiums affordable while making sure your family is protected. Currently there are tax savings benefits that could off-set your premiums making it more affordable for the family.

Arthur "Butch" Zemar is a health insurance specialist and author. He is committed to preserving the health and wealth protection interests of his client and sincerely believes that quality, affordable health insurance should top your list of necessities - right after food, shelter and clothing. With his passion of working with professionals and entrepreneurs, he has established a reputation as a health insurance "specialist" with a deep understanding of the industry, the options and the most intelligent and cost-effective ways to obtain and maintain comprehensive health care.

After years of studying, reading, and working with several mentors in the field, Butch Zemar is now making presentations on the options and services of the health care industry. He is committed to clearing the "fog" on subjects such as: deductibles, out-of-pocket expenses, Health Savings Accounts, and co-insurance rates. For more information please visit http://www.EliteBenefits.net