In this day and age of skyrocketing medical costs, health insurance is something you can’t afford to be without. Here’s how to find an affordable Massachusetts health insurance plan.
Exploring Your Options
Most people get health insurance through their employers. However, if you’re unemployed or your company doesn’t offer health insurance, there are still ways for you to get coverage:
* If you left a job that offered health insurance, look into COBRA coverage. COBRA lets you remain covered under your former employer’s health insurance plan for a few months at your own cost.
* Look into the state health insurance programs. These programs provide health insurance for Massachusetts residents who can’t afford private insurance. You can learn more Massachusetts’s state health insurance programs by visiting the Massachusetts Division of Insurance website.
* Group insurance from an organization. Employer health insurance plans cost less because you get a lower group rate. Buying health insurance through an organization such as your college alumni group or a professional group can get you the same type of discount.
If you don’t qualify for these options, you can still buy an affordable individual health insurance plan. Many types of individual plans are available: comprehensive coverage, major medical coverage, emergency coverage, short-term coverage, PPOs, HMOs, and more.
Finding Cheap Massachusetts Health Insurance
If you decide that an individual health insurance plan is your best option, then you need to start searching for an affordable policy. An insurance comparison website is the best place to start. On such a website, you complete a form with information about yourself and your health insurance needs. You then get fast quotes from multiple A-rated health insurance companies.
The best websites also let you talk with insurance professionals so you can ask questions and make sure you get the best health insurance plan for your needs and your budget (see link below).
By: Brian Stevens
Posts Tagged ‘Individual Health Insurance’
Pre-Existing Conditions in Florida Health Insurance
January 13th, 2010
Pre-existing conditions in Florida health insurance is an area of health insurance that seems to suffer from a murky cloud of confusion. What is a pre-existing condition? How are pre-existing conditions handled in Florida? Are there differences in how pre-existing conditions are handled depending on whether it is a Florida group health insurance plan or a Florida individual health insurance plan? All of these are valid questions concerning pre-existing conditions and their effect on obtaining health insurance coverage in the state of Florida.
The obvious first question is, “What is considered a pre-existing condition in Florida?” Typically, most health insurance companies in Florida will look at an applicant’s health history going back as far as 10 years to determine an applicant’s health status (in the case of an application for individual health insurance; group health insurance in Florida will not levy quite as much scrutiny towards a pre-existing condition). Therefore, in the strictest type of scenario; any adverse medical conditions or medical issues within the 10 years prior to the application being submitted is considered a pre-existing condition. (This is not the case for all areas of pre-existing conditions as in the case of certain conditions the health insurance company is only concerned with say high cholesterol [just an example] or nicotine use [just an example] in the past 5 years or 2 years rather than the full 10 years). Generally speaking, any type of medical condition or issue that happened further back than 10 years ago does not exist for the sake of the Florida health insurance application.
The obvious follow up question is, “How are these pre-existing conditions handled by the health insurance company that one is applying with?” The classic attorney answer happens to fit in this instance, “That depends.” The way that a specific pre-existing condition is handled in an application for individual health insurance in the state of Florida is solely at the discretion of the underwriting department of the health insurance company. Of course, common sense would tell us that a pre-existing condition of cancer will be treated much differently than a pre-existing condition of the tendency to develop a cold: just as Diabetes will be treated much differently from hay fever.
There are probably 3 main general groupings of pre-existing conditions in the state of Florida when it comes to individual health insurance. There are the pre-existing conditions that will signal an automatic decline by the health insurance company such as diabetes, cancer, extreme obesity, and rheumatoid arthritis (only a few examples), those that will prompt the insurance company to either not cover the particular pre-existing condition (exclude that specific condition but cover everything else – a “rider”) or charge an additional premium (“rate – up” or rate increase) such as asthma/allergies, back disorders, and high cholesterol (only a few examples), and then there are those pre-existing conditions that present a risk so minor that the health insurance company will cover everything and not charge an additional premium (such as infections, disorders, or surgeries where there has been a Doctor certified 100% recovery, common cold, common childhood ailments, etc) (again, only a few possible examples).
The important thing to do if you have a serious pre-existing condition and have health insurance is to NOT cancel your health insurance coverage! There may still be other options available to you such as a HIPAA guaranteed issue plan (cannot be declined due to pre-existing conditions) or a group health insurance plan. There are a number of criteria that you must meet in order to be eligible under HIPAA. Consult with a knowledgeable Florida independent health insurance agent that will be able to assist you in finding appropriate Florida health insurance coverage.
By: Joel Ohman
How Can I Get Cheap Health Insurance Coverage?
January 1st, 2010
Lately the costs of medical treatment have increased. Because of this, the demand for less expensive health insurance plans increase everyday. Less expensive health plans are what people are looking for. Nevertheless, these plans provide limited facilities.
Cheaper health coverage plans involve the cost of doctors’ visit, medicines, hospital stay and other medical costs. Sometimes a health plan will exclude the expenses incurred at the doctors’ offices and the price of prescriptions. Thus each person must make sure that he chooses the correct basic coverage policy and that it suits his individual needs. You can save money on coverage by getting a family plan. This is less costly than buying individual health insurance.
To receive inexpensive health insurance plans, people may have to sacrifice a few things they have always loved to do. Different companies are given different quotes for insurance. No medium surpasses the Internet when it comes to finding the best prices.
Compared to the monthly premium option, yearly premium payments offers the best value in health coverage. Monthly payments are easier to make many insurance companies reason. If you want to get this scheme, you need to pay more. A transaction tax is included in this plan when a check has to be processed. If you pay monthly, you will be charged twelve transaction fees. The scheme of annual payment requires only one check. There is only one payment per year. Your monthly premiums could increase due to administrative and service rates.
You never know if you are going to get a serious health condition in the years to come. As a precaution, it’s always smart to buy low cost health insurance coverage. The two primary factors which play a role in deciding your rate for a medical plan are your age and health status.
Group health insurance needs to be a well thought out decision. It is a terrific option if it is affiliated with a group or an association. Organizations may offer affordable medical insurance to their members. Using an association group is another great option Some credit card companies offer low cost group health insurance coverage.
Some consumers might prefer looking into private health insurance, if money is a particular concern. As an example a man whose age is 30 years and who is in good health in Texas will need to pay just $37 every month if he has taken a private policy. National employees with individual coverage pay $250 more each year. But the thing is that you require a lot of time to buy cheaper private insurance.
Many states will sponsor programs and are willing to provide health coverage for less than the commercial companies. Females and kids have a better shot at getting coverage. For instance, a pregnant women living in California can make up to $63,000 a year and still get free health care through Medicare, the state insurer.
To be eligible for government health insurance a person must be at least 65 years old. (Medicare insurance). Find out if the previous company offers health insurance for retired people included with their retirement package. There is a big chance that retired people pay higher premiums. It is less expensive than buying health insurance yourself.
By: Ian E. Wright