Lack Of A Health Insurance Policy Invites Financial Disaster.

In 2003 health care spending rose four times the rate the inflation. The annual premium for an employer health plan covering a family of four averaged nearly $10,000. The cost of medical care continues to rise at the fastest rate in history.

Health insurance premiums will rise to an average of more than $14,500 for family coverage in 2006.

Surveys reveal that the number one reason many people have no coverage is because health insurance is too expensive. 23% percent of people who do have health insurance have had to drastically change their spending habits so that they could make the insurance payments.

You've read about the rise in the number of bankruptcies. A study shows that the average medical debt of those who filed for bankruptcy is $12,000... And 50% of bankruptcy filings were partly the result of medical expenses. Every minute two people in the U.S. file for bankruptcy because of serious medical problems.

Research shows that even when one member of a family is uninsured and requires a hospital stay, or costly medical treatment, the medical bills can effect the financial position of the entire family as they try to help with costs. Government officials agree that health care costs must be controlled, but they continue to argue about how to do it. Some say it must be done with price controls and by imposing strict budgets on health care spending. Others cry for free market competition as the solution to the high cost of medical care.

An important step in the right direction would have all of us adopting healthy eating habits and lifestyles. We all would require less medical care and those costs would drop.

For individuals and families is vital that you have at least some form of health insurance policy. It may be sensible to keep your health insurance cost as low as possible by having coverage for only a catastrophic illness. The expense of most medical treatment can be paid for over time. It is the unexpected major, life threatening injuries and diseases that can wipe you out financially.

One thing is certain. To protect your financial future you must have at least some type of health insurance policy.

Mark Walters presents an online guide to health insurance of kinds at http://www.HealthInsuranceMonster.com

How to Find Affordable Health Insurance

Affordable health insurance - it seems, especially today, those words just don't belong together in the same sentence. Health insurance monthly premiums have become the biggest single expense in our lives - surpassing even mortgage payments. In fact, if you have any permanent health problems, such as diabetes, or have had cancer at one time in your family history, your monthly cost could easily be more than the house and car payment combined.

Shopping for affordable health insurance can certainly be an eye-opener. If you have always had a health insurance benefit where you work - especially a state or federal employee - and now have to buy your own, you may not be able to afford the level of health insurance coverage you have become used to.

Affordable health insurance, however, is definitely available -if you know how and where to look.

When you are looking for affordable health insurance, you want the lowest cost per year that will fit your budget, of course. But, even more importantly, you want a company that has a good record for paying without fighting with you on every detail. Just as there is a car for just about any budget, there is also affordable health insurance. You may not be able to afford a "Cadillac" policy - but then you probably don't need all the frills anyway.

Shopping for health insurance on the internet is the easiest and best way to find affordable health insurance. Here are five reasons why.

1. You don't need a local agent to help you submit the claims for health insurance. The medical provider does it for you. You save money because the health insurance company saves money by not paying the agent commission. This could amount to an 8% to 12% savings to you.

2. All the top health insurance companies are at your fingertips on the internet. Most local agents can only quote you from the few companies that they represent. They may not offer you what is best for you financially or health-wise but only what they happen to have available.

3. Health insurance companies have to be extremely competitive because it is so quick and easy to compare them with their competitors on the internet today. In the past you would have had to visit physically eight to ten agents to do a similar comparison. Most folks just didn't have the time or desire for that.

4. You can change your coverage, deductibles, and payment options with just a few clicks rather than going through the paperwork delay with a local agent (and then finding out he/she made a mistake - more delay).

5. Charging to a credit card means you aren't going to forget a payment and be without insurance. Also, it gives you another 30 days before you actually have to pay. Also, many companies today give an additional discount for "auto-pay".

The key, however, to finding affordable health insurance is realizing that the purpose of any health insurance is to protect you from a major financial loss - not to protect you from spending small money on clinic visits and sliver removal. These small expenses may be cumbersome but they generally will not hurt you. It's the $100,000 heart operation that will break you. That's the financial disaster health insurance was originally designed to prevent.

Also, keep this in mind. Health insurance, as with any insurance, is a gamble. You are gambling that you will draw out more than you pay in. Your health insurance company is gambling they will pay out less. The odds are in their favor for two reasons. They have all the facts for millions of families to average out, so they know the risk in advance. Also, they get to set the rules and the prices. The higher you set your deductible, the more risk you take. This is not a bad thing at all. You will most likely be the winner in the long run.

Yes, finding affordable health insurance is much easier than most people think.

Taking more of the risk with higher deductibles, spending a little time on the internet comparing eight to ten different companies, and deleting coverage that you will not likely need (such as maternity for many folks) will make it very possible to find your own affordable health insurance.

Dr. Deepak Dutta is the creator of SemanticBay.com - an interactive social network website based on user shared text and picture contents on any topics. Website creators, publishers, and maintainers can promote their website at SemanticBay.com using website articles. Users can join for free, invite friends, maintain buddy lists, rate contents, comment on contents and earn points.

Affordable Health Insurance, an overview

Affordable Health Insurance offers you a wide variety of medical insurance policies to protect you and your family against the high costs of health care. Affordable individual health insurance is likely for all of us who are in need of it. We just have to do a little homework to understand what is available, and ask ourselves what we need and what we can afford.

Affordable Health Insurance offers you a wide variety of medical insurance policies to protect you and your family against the high costs of health care. Affordable individual health insurance is likely for all of us who are in need of it. We just have to do a little homework to understand what is available, and ask ourselves what we need and what we can afford.

Affordable health insurance can be of different types. It can be like affordable individual health insurance, affordable family health insurance, affordable child health insurance, affordable employee health insurance known as group health insurance, affordable business health insurance etc.

The web is amazing in all of its diverse sources of information, and with all the possible that are out there in the insurance world, it is very likely that by using there in the insurance world, it is very likely that by using the internet as a resource, you can find affordable health insurance policies. You can also discuss your possibilities with an insurance broker, or you can call the customer service departments of the major health care providers. There are many ways to obtain the information you need in order to find the right policy for you.

Affordable individual health insurance is likely for all of us who are in need of it. We must have to do a little homework to understand what is available, and ask ourselves what we need and what we can afford. After we have done the research, we can begin to fill out the applications and be on our way to have the health care coverage we need.

For more you may visit: http://www.healthinsurancedepth.com/affordablehealthinsurance.html

Mr. Ariful Anam
- Internet Resource Executive
- Web Designer
- SEO Expert
Email: ariful@rediffmail.com

Choosing a Health Insurance Quote: The Best Bang for your Buck

Most people get a series of health insurance quotes when shopping around. Everyone requires health insurance of some sorts, whether you are single, married have kids or are a student and quotes help narrow down your options. However, the process can be quite a tedious one! Not only will this decision affect your levels of medical care, it will also affect your pocketbook. This article will help you manage the choices available to you when shopping for a health insurance quote, so that your medical requirements and budget are both met satisfactorily.

Most of the health insurance quotes that youll receive will be grouped into one of three categories:

Health Insurance Quotes: Indemnity of Fee-For-Service Plans
The plans that our parents used to use were probably indemnity plans; these health insurance quotes allow you to visit any doctor of your choosing. Highly desirable by many people, these types of health insurance quote are in great demand, however, they are becoming harder and harder to come by, and seem to be creeping up in price. But many consumers are willing to pay this price, because of the convenience and flexibility these plans offer.

Health Insurance Quotes: Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)
HMOs are becoming more and more common lately; most health insurance quotes are for this type of plan nowadays. HMOs are, essentially, a group of health service providers who bundle their services together in a fixed price option. If your doctor doesnt refer you to certain care, then you wont be eligible to receive payment for it under your health insurance quote. These types of plans are good for people who know they wont need any specialized services, and if your budget is a factor, this is one of the lower, and more predictable options.

Health Insurance Quotes: Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs)
PPOs are a health insurance quote that combines aspects the two aforementioned plans. PPOs offer the same type of managed group services as HMOs, but also allow users to go outside of their network without a referral. It only makes sense, though, that using this option will cost you more out-of-pocket expenses, but it is covered partially. PPOs are a good middle ground health insurance quote option; you get the flexibility of using your group of health care providers or ones outside of the network, and the costs for this type of plan are in the middle range of the three (although costs can be a bit less predictable).

Health Insurance Quotes: Where to Go?
Many consumers get their health insurance quotes from their workplace, which may or may not be partially paid for through the company. If your company doesnt offer this benefit, perhaps talk to professional organizations, unions, banks, club or other group that you belong to they may have an option that is attractive to you. If you cannot find group coverage this way, you can always opt for individual coverage but this is by far the most expensive health insurance quote option out there. Talking to an insurance agent who can assist you with the quote process is a good idea, if this is your only avenue.


For more more information about health insurance quotes please visit http://www.1health-center.com/articles/Beat-Your-Competition-By-Controlling-The-Cost-Of-Your-Health-Insurance.php

HIPAA Made Easy

HIPAA made easy

In 1996, a major legislative act was passed affecting health care administration called the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act or HIPAA. Whenever the legislature writes new laws it's up to the rest of society to understand the legal jargon and find how what the new law is all about. That's the aim of this article- to help simplify and state the main concepts of HIPAA.

There are two main parts to HIPAA that need to be understood. * The first part of HIPAA amended the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986. * The second part is directed at streamlining and standardizing some of the administrative aspects of health care administration and information systems.

The second role of HIPAA is what will be focused and discussed as this is the part which mostly affects health care providers. Again the purpose of HIPAA was to simplify health care administration. There are deadlines for compliance; HIPAA does provide penalties and legal action for noncompliance. There are four parts to HIPAA: * Standards for Electronic Transactions * Unique Identifiers Standards * Security Rule * Privacy Rule Before HIPAA there really wasn't much standardization among health care providers regarding filing claims and identification. This created a lot of problems, headaches and extra work. HIPAA aims at saving time and making the process more efficient. It affects how health care providers file and process claims and conduct other business electronically. HIPAA also makes provisions for how health care providers are identified. There was no standardized way of identifying health care providers in: (1) being identified to Medicare and other government health organizations and (2) in being identified with other health care providers. The security and privacy rules were created to ensure secure transmission of electronic data and to protect individuals' personal medical information.

Many health care providers use electronic means for filing, billing and claim work. There has yet to be any adopted standards for this, with each individual provider using whichever forms they like. This led to complications in filing claims with Medicare and in transferring information from provider to provider. HIPAA has changed that though making electronic filing forms standardized. When filing electronic claims or when sending an electronic medical record providers will now be using the same forms. Medicare will require that all providers use the same form when filing an electronic claim with them. Providers who do not file or process claims electronically will not be affected by HIPAA. Also a standardized set of codes must be used on records in relation to physical conditions, diseases, health, etc. Most providers and institutions already use this practice. There will be enforcement of compliance; HIPAA has set deadlines for when providers must be using the approved forms.

Also new with HIPAA is how providers will be identified. Health care providers, doctors, hospitals and health plans are required to have a unique identifier and current they are using either tax-id numbers or employer identification number.

The security and privacy rules contain provisions to ensure that people's personal records and information will be protected and kept confidential. Along with all other privacy laws there will be penalties for non compliance, HIPAA provides for fines up to $250,000 and possible jail time for severe enough violations. But don't be worried about too many places avoiding compliance, HIPAA was created to make the massive process of health care administration easier.

Rick Lorenzen writes for 10x Marketing. To learn more about HIPAA compliance, electronic claim software and electronic medical record software visit www.AdvancedMD.com.

Health Insurance; COBRA; OBRA; HIPAA; Medicare; Definitions, Relationships

 

Health Insurance; COBRA; OBRA; HIPAA; Medicare. If asked, could you state that you knew that all 5 of these topics had the same thing in common: medical insurance coverage for you and, perhaps, your family? Would you know the qualifications for each? Well, in this article, we will discuss them. For a timeline that depicts, graphically, the time relationship between them, please see the timeline in www.disabilitykey.com.

HEALTH INSURANCE Coverage from Work

If we are lucky, we, and/or our spouse, work for a company that provides, as a benefit, health insurance coverage for us and our family. If so, we are very lucky. Even if that is true, there are some key things that you might want to look at to see if you have ENOUGH coverage.

1) From your Human Resources Department (or wherever else you would go to get information about your health insurance) get what is called a "Summary Plan Description" (SPD). This document should be kept where you can always find it, as it contains all the information you will need about what your insurance covers and what it doesn't.

2) Look up "Coverage" and "non-coverage" in your SPD.

These will tell you what your plan covers and doesn't cover. You need to see if, perhaps, you or one of the covered members of your family has a condition or circumstance that might not be covered, where you need additional coverage. For example, let's say that your family has a history of cancer; perhaps your plan restricts the number of hospitalization days for care; or, restricts the days per condition. In this case, (like my children) you might want to get additional "cancer insurance" (I think that AFLAC might provide this type of coverage).

It would be a good idea to contact a Health Insurance benefit Broker and ask him/her to read your SPD and see if you have any gaps in coverage. They then can help you supplement coverage BEFORE YOU NEED IT!

NO HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE

You might be one of the growing members of our society that, through one circumstance or another, does NOT have health insurance coverage for your family. In this case, I strongly encourage you to contact a Health Insurance Broker and get immediate coverage of what is called "catestrophic" (not sure if I spelled this correctly) coverage. In this type of coverage, you will generally have large deductibles, but will have coverage if, say, one of you has to go into the hospital.

CONTACTING A BENEFITS INSURANCE BROKER

Whenever you call or email a Health Insurance Broker, it is very important to prepare ahead of time. WHAT, specifically are you looking for; how much can you afford to pay every month; what circumstances do you want to make sure that your family is covered for. In this way, you can make sure to focus on your critical needs.

COBRA

COBRA is an acronym ( how can I spell acronym correctly, yet not be sure that I spelled catestrophic correctly?) that stands for: Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. Basically, it is a federal law that allows you to pay for your Company-paid health insurance, as an active member, if you no longer work for that company for, generally 18 additional months.

1) COBRA is "triggered" (that is, you, or a covered member of your family, become eligible for COBRA) by events such as the following: resignation from the company; termination (FOR ANY REASON) from the company; divorce of a spouse; a covered chile's birthday makes them ineligible for coverage. These are the main "triggering" events for COBRA.

2) Now, when eligible for COBRA, you will be asked to pay for 100% to 105% of the company's employee/employee and family coverage amount. You should get a letter from your company explaining what that amount will be. BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO TAKE COBRA, there are some important things for you to consider.

What will be your cost, and what will be the coverage for that cost? Sometimes the cost is too much for the coverage. In these cases, you might want to select HIPAA coverage, instead (see HIPAA below).

Or, you might just want to get catestrophic coverage as was mentioned earlier, and wait for full coverage under your next job.

Part of this decision should be whether or not you or a member of your family has what is called a "pre-exisitng coverage" condition.

Here again, before automatically taking COBRA, it would be wise to contact a Benefits Insurance Broker and give him/her all of your options, and get their input. I have worked extensively with a Benefits Insurance Broker, and he is absolutely fantastic!

OBRA

What, you ask, is OBRA? I've never heard of it, you say, and no one I know has heard of it either! Well, that's because, 99% of Human Resource or Benefit folks that I know have never heard of it! OBRA is a federal law that was passed that extends COBRA for an additional 11 months FOR DISABILITY PURPOSES ONLY!! Why, you ask, is this important? Thanks for asking, let's see if I can explain.

If you are as nieve (did I spell this wrong too? sorry!) as I was when I first started looking to bridge my health insurance from working to Medicare, I assumed that when I got through all of the hoops to qualify for SSDI (Social Security Disabililty Insurance) I'd IMMEDIATELY be eligible for Medicare, RIGHT??? WRONG!!!!

When you FINALLY qualify for SSDI, you have to wait for 5 months before you get your first check. AND, the rules state that, you are eligible for Medicare 2 years (24 months) FROM THE DATE OF YOUR FIRST SSDI PAYMENT. Well, if you add 24 + 5 you get, 29 months between qualifying for SSDI, and Medicare coverage.

OK, I said earlier that COBRA is for 18 months of coverage. Well guess what 18 months of COBRA + 11 months of OBRA equal - 29 months!

BUT, there are two catches to OBRA; first of all, you have a small window of 30 - 60 days to apply ( this window opens the date of your SSDI approval); and, it can cost up to 150% of your plan coverage amount. BUT, if you have a "previously existing condition" this might be the best way for you to proceed.

Again, it is important to contact a Health Insurance Broker to help you with the risk/cost ratio of all of these situations.

It is also improtant to know all of these deadlines as you plan to ensure that you and your family have important health insurance coverage.

HIPAA

HIPAA is a federal law that is called, briefly, the "portability" law for health insurance. What that means is that when you leave a group (read company-paid plan), the carrier that provided that plan, must offer to you, another plan, different from COBRA, when you leave the group coverage. Generally this will be what is called a "bare bones" plan. Again, the best thing for you to do is to call/email a Health Insurance/Benefits Broker with all of your information: SPD, COBRA info, HIPAA info, needs, cost limits, and let him/her help you find the optimum plan coverage for you.

MEDICARE

OK, now, finally, we've reached Medicare! BUT (you really didn't think it would be that easy, did you?) if you have qualified for Medicare because of disability, there are RESTRICTIONS (of COURSE there are!).

First of all, if you are qualifying for Medicare because of disability, you are probably under the age of 65 - normal retirement age.

Medicare coverage does NOT cover prescription drugs, which, those of us with disabilities probably need, and which cost lots.

But, Congress prescribed that states (all but 11) offer what is called "Medicare supplement" plans, some of which do offer prescription coverages. BUT, these plans ARE NOT REQUIRED TO, and do not, offer these medicare supplement plans that offer prescription coverages to folks who qualify under age 65! So, if you are qualifying because of disability, your medical insurance plan doesn't cover one of your primary cost expenditures!

Here again is where you need to contact a health insurance/benefit broker. Again, he/she can work with you, and your specific circumstances, to get you the coverage you need.

Hope that this information was helpful to you. If you have any questions, please feel to ask them by commenting on this blog, and I'll be happy to get you an answer.

About Disabilitykey.com & Carolyn Magura:

Disabilitykey.com is a website designed to assist each person in his/her own unique quest to navigate through the difficult and often conflicting and misleading information about coping with disabilities.

Carolyn Magura, noted disability / ADA expert, has written an e-Book documenting the process that allowed her to:

a) continue to work and receive her “full salary” while on Long Term Disability; and

b) become the first person in her State to qualify for Social Security Disability the FIRST TIME, in UNDER 30 DAYS.

Click here to receive Carolyn 's easy-to-read, easy-to-follow direct guide through this difficult, trying process. If you are disabled, don't let this disabiling process

 disable you. Read Carolyns Disability Key Blog.