Health Insurance Coverage

Low-cost Florida Health Insurance Scarce – Health Insurance Higher Than Minimum Wage

Zane Durant asked:

Florida residents who can afford health insurance pay an average of $11,480 per year for family coverage, which is about what the average minimum-wage earner brings home. Premiums are up 87% according to Kaiser Family Foundation. The days of “low-cost” health insurance are all but gone unless you have help from a professional insurance consultant.

The cost of caring for “disease” continues to rise faster than inflation according to an article this month in Newsweek magazine. It said “over 47 million Americans don’t have health insurance at all”. Those with low-cost health insurance usually get these from employers, but with costs rising, it is obvious that the health insurance situation in Florida is getting worse.

Taking care of employees is the primary concern of a good employer. But that has been perceived as “expensive” by some companies as it means providing the employee with vacations, bonuses, incentive pay, and of course, health insurance coverage. In the future, Florida businesses may be able to offer low-cost health insurance to residents who are willing to make a few changes in lifestyle.

The New England Journal of Medicine published a major study on health insurance recently that said low cost insurance rates may be made available to those willing to go through a certified “health risk assessment”. These health risk managers look at your lifestyle, and your current state of health, and certify that the person is “healthy” and a “low-risk” which can qualify the applicant for lower insurance rates. The only other way to get low-cost health insurance in Florida is to get it from your employer as part of their group health insurance plan.

There are many health insurance consultants out there who can help Floridians find low-cost insurance, such as Florida Health Insurance Web – www.FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb.com – insurance consultant, Morgan Moran said, “Change a few things about your lifestyle, and lower rates could be available”. The insurance industry believes, most people would change a few things to get lower insurance rates, and assure living a longer happier life. These changes may include a better diet, more exercise, and less high risk behavior like “skydiving” or “bungee jumping”. Until now, insurance plans rarely took behavior into account.

Many Floridians are looking for a quick fix. If they can take a pill or have a stint plugged into their heart they would, rather than change their lifestyle, after all, it does sound easier. The New England Journal confirmed what other research showed— that angioplasties and stints don’t prolong life and don’t even prevent heart attacks, yet $30 billion was spent on those last year. Mutual of Omaha found that almost 76% percent of people eligible for angioplasty or heart bypass surgery were able to “safely avoid it by making the comprehensive lifestyle changes”, saving almost $30,000 per person. It is plain to see that changing lifestyle is more cost effective than surgery.

Low-Cost Insurance Consultation

In an effort to find affordable health insurance rates, many are turning to health insurance consultants for help. In a phone interview, consultant Morgan Moran said, “The best way to find affordable, low-cost health insurance is to have an employer-sponsored group health insurance plan.” Group health insurance plans are the most affordable, low cost health insurance plans out there, aside from state-sponsored health insurance plans. If you can obtain health insurance from your employer, you will pay even less for your health insurance than you would if you purchased a group health insurance plan on your own.

Most employers have certain requirements an employee must meet before he or she can be a part of the employer-sponsored group health insurance plan. These requirements range from the number of hours the employee works, to the employee’s status, i.e., whether the employee works full-time or part-time. Employers sometimes have time requirements as well. This means the employee must be with the company for a certain amount of time before he or she is considered eligible for the employer-sponsored group health insurance plan.

Employer-sponsored group health insurance plans are usually the most affordable, low cost health insurance plans for a variety of reasons. If you have an employer-sponsored group health insurance plan, the health insurance premiums are either divided between you and your employer, or paid completely by your employer. This means one of two things. Either you are required to pay half of the health insurance premiums plus a low cost co-payment or you are only required to pay an affordable co-payment.

Employer-sponsored group health insurance plans like this have become even more affordable and low cost when you factor in your spouse and children. Rather than purchase individual health insurance policies for each of your family members, or pay out-of-pocket for health care costs, you can add your spouse and your children to your employer-sponsored group health insurance plan.

Rates on health insurance policies change daily, and vary from carrier to carrier so it’s a good idea to speak to a consultant like Moran. Their fees are paid by the carrier without passing the cost along to the consumer. Find out more at www.FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb.com

Family And Individual Health Insurances For Californians

CharlesPeter asked:

The field of medicine has made impressive advancements both in the diagnosis and treatment of most diseases. But, the soaring prices of health insurance plans make it difficult for low-income wage earners. They claim that getting a health insurance policy is out of their reach.

However, health insurance has been made mandatory by law in California. The need for health insurance both for families and individuals is critical as health insurance provides timely financial security to the insured during sudden medical emergencies. The state of California has a plethora of health insurance companies engaged in fierce competition to provide quality service to its customers. As a result the consumers are the beneficiaries as they can obtain the best plans at the most affordable prices.

Every state in the U.S. has its own health insurance regulatory board to oversee and regulate the practices of insurance providers within their jurisdiction. In the state of California, they aim to provide affordable health insurance outreach programs particularly to medium and low income wage earners. Health insurance laws in California are rigidly enforced.

The Medicaid program was created specifically for low wage earners in California to provide affordable health insurance coverage to the maximum number of uninsured individuals. This insurance outreach program is funded by both the federal and the state governments. There is yet another advantage as some employers do not include the families of employees in their insurance coverage. Such employees can avail of the Medicaid program if they want to include their families in their insurance coverage. Applicants are required to furnish some documents that may include proofs of their employment and income. They will also be subjected to a credit check to qualify.

For those residing in California, there are various health insurance providers with a variety of health plans to choose from. But you will have to do some research to find the health coverage that will be best suited for you and your family. Individual health insurance plans in California that are directly purchased by the individuals are certainly more expensive than group insurance. Family health insurance plans, as the name implies, includes the applicant and all the family members in its coverage. There is a California health insurance coverage that is best suited for you and your family in the event of unforeseen medical expenses. You have to exercise discretion and do proper research to find the best affordable health insurance you need.

Owing to the growing number of immigrants coming into the state of California, the number of uninsured individuals is steeply rising. It was due to this factor that the California Health Insurance Act was passed in 2003 to provide the largest possible number of workers and their families with affordable health insurance coverage.

There are health insurance policies galore in California and most of them are regulated by the California Department of Insurance and you have to select the one from many different kinds, depending upon your needs, budget and health care requirements. Some of the policies are: Indemnity Policies (Traditional Fee-for-Service Insurance), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs or Managed Care), Self-Insured Health Plans (Single Employer Self-Insured Plans) and Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements (MEWAs). There are also special policies like: Major Risk Medical Insurance Program (MRMIP), Healthy Families Program (HFP), Access for Infants and Mothers Program (AIM), Pacific Health Advantage (PacAdvantage), and other Supplemental Health Insurance Policies.

How To Get mediclaim Health Insurance Coverage For A Family

Laxmi Wadhwa asked:

Family comes first and so does their health. We all care for our family memebrs and it’s important to secure their health by buying the best mediclaim health insurance coverage that can meet the health related needs of your family. Mediclaim health insurance coverage comes with a variety of benefits to ensure your family’s wellbeing. If your major concern is availing cheap and quality health care services and coverage, we have perfect solutions for you.

The family health insurance services cover the entire health care expenses and long-term nursing or custodial care requirements. The most affordable mediclaim health insurance policies come with easy health care premiums these days. The health insurance coverage for families includes medical care and treatment of ailments and accidents. Some companies also feature critical illness cost within the mediclaim health insurance coverage. Diagnosis, lodging, surgery and ICU charges are covered by the family health insurance policies. Family health insurance plans also include benefits of tax exemption as stated under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act.

The leading health insurance companies today, offer affordable group health insurance and family health insurance coverage. What’s more! In the time of ascending health care costs, mediclaim health insurance companies are charging easy premiums. Most of the famous health insurance companies offer a wide variety of floater plans ideal for the health care of families. Family floater plans are ideal to cover health care expenses for an entire family. This unique policy allows you to cover your family’s medical expenses under one umbrella. The sum insured remains fixed, while the premium keeps changing. Tax saving benefits is calculated on basis of the changing premium.

Apart from covering costs on illness and surgeries, the family floater health insurance includes coverage for emergencies arising out of acts of terrorism. Cashless facility comes to you across the network hospitals listed on your insurance company’s coverage list. As additional benefits, the floater plan offers you a 2-year continuous coverage with no change in premium in the second year.

Go through the rates and premiums of insurance policies online before you purchase a mediclaim health insurance plan for your family! Family health insurance plans offered by the various companies include coverage for emergency illness as well as regular health check up expenses. Premium discounts are offered for every claim free year. Some insurance companies offer you Standard, Exclusive and Premium Family health insurance coverage. These plans vary in premiums and coverage. You can select from health care premiums ranging between Rs 1 lac to Rs 10 lacs. This way you can make sure that you have chosen a best health plan for your family. Insure your family members and ensure peace of mind.