Posts Tagged ‘cobra’

Pre-Existing Conditions And Can’t Afford COBRA – How I Finally Got Health Insurance

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

I had a really hard time getting health insurance for me and my family. I had insurance through my employer but when I lost my job and couldn’t afford the COBRA payments, I lost my health insurance. Not having health insurance is very scary when you have a wife and four children to take care of.

I applied for individual insurance through a local agent. I went through the application process and submitted everything back to the agent online.

The agent eventually told me that we were declined coverage because of a “pre-existing condition.” I had some minor back issues throughout my life and the insurance company declined us as a result.

I was at a loss. I needed insurance but couldn’t afford COBRA. I found a website called Health Insurance Anthem Blue Cross. I filled out the application there and was contacted by the agent for Blue Cross. He told me that I could apply as a group and I wouldn’t need to worry about the “pre-existing” conditions – that I couldn’t be declined. My wife and I had an LLC that we filled a few years prior so we used that LLC to call ourselves a “group” and submitted the application accordingly.

We went through the process of applying online and had to show proof that the LLC was active and that my wife and I were members of the company. After about a week, Blue Cross issued our policy! My wife and I (and all of our kids) finally had coverage and we were very happy with the way things turned out. We opted for a PPO and it was the type of coverage that paid our medical bills at 100% as soon as the annual deductable was met. Because my fourth child was born and my wife had to have a C-Section, our deductable was met almost immediately and all of our medical bills for the rest of that year were covered at 100% by Blue Cross! That policy saves us something like $40,000 that year because as it turned out, I needed to have another back surgery after all!

It’s very convenient to apply for health insurance online but I think it’s also very important to have a live agent that can guide you through the process and answer questions along the way. This site gave us the best of both worlds.

Learn more about California Health Insurance. Stop by Eric Sachs’ site where you can find out all about Blue Cross Health Insurance and what it can do for you.

Finding Health Insurance In Middle Age

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

If you are between the ages of 50 and 65 and you are going to be looking for health insurance or are looking for health insurance you need some help. This is a tough age (of course what age isn’t starting with the terrible twos) because you are at a prime age to start developing health problems. Statistically speaking and statistics is the only language insurance companies speak, the insurance company can predict they are going to spend more on 50-65 year old than a 20-45 year old. For that reason premiums are much higher for the older person.

However, we have not reached middle aged without learning how to work the system. Older people do have options, and we need to take the time to consider them.

If you currently have a job and are looking to retire or start your own business, you have a couple of avenues you can investigate. First you can inquire if your company will let you buy health insurance through the company plan. If your company will let you do this your employer (assuming we are talking early retirement) may subsidize part of your premiums. If not, you still get group rates which are a whole lot cheaper than individual rates. If you are married and your spouse is still working strongly consider adding yourself to his/her plan if that option is available to you.

If you have been terminated from your job, as so many have been recently, you may be entitled to COBRA health plan benefits. This simply means that some companies must extend benefits for several months past the termination date. Not all employers have to do this. And you will probably have to pay the entire premium without an employer contribution. This means it will cost more. Taking the COBRA extension is a good option for many former employees, but it does not work for everybody.

Have you been declined by a private major medical insurance company? You still have some sort of high risk health plan in your state. Each state is different, so you have to find the one in the state where you live. In some states the premium still can cost a lot.

Some people get their coverage through a professional alliance. These plans may use their buying power to get higher benefits or lower prices than an individual could bargain for. If you are a member or any organization, check out this option.

Finally, there is the individual health insurance option. There has been some progress in terms of offerings of policies for the 50-65 year age group market mainly because insurers see this age group as a potential growth market. Many Baby Boomers are in good health and have higher income than younger people. Also insurance companies hope that retirees will still purchase their products, such as supplemental insurance, even after they’re eligible for Medicare. Some of policies currently offered may have premiums as low as $200 per month for people who are in good health and willing to pay a high deductible. Many insurance advice columnists recommend combining a high deductible individual health insurance policy with a health savings account. HSA contributions are made with pretax dollars, and any money left over in the account at the end of the year is rolled over for future use. Withdrawals are not taxed if used for qualified medical expenses.

Consider these unemployment health insurance alternatives .

Finding Cheap Medical Insurance – Is It Even Worth The Money?

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Healthcare costs are on everyone’s minds lately and finding cheap medical insurance is everyone’s goal. Even couples making six figures a year are having trouble buying decent medical insurance. Even with company sponsored plans, the employee usually needs to pay a small fortune for either all the premium, or the majority of the premium. Some states are outrageously expensive because of the makeup of the state’s population. In areas where there are high percentages of elderly and poor people looking for free medical care, it’s the consumer who has a policy that pays the price for everyone.

Even though the Obamma administration is trying to put through some serious health care reform, these reforms are not due to take effect for another five years or so. And, even with these reforms in place, no one can agree on how affordable these options might be.

As any consumer knows, however, you get what you pay for. Whether it’s a used car, a pair of shoes, or medical insurance, there are good deals and bad when it comes to what you get for your money. And, as educated consumers, it’s up to us to make sure we know where the deals are what we are paying for.

Although “cheap” insurance exists, it’s usually nothing worth the money it costs. The major reason why any type of insurance would be considered cheap is that there is an unreasonably high annual deductible usually well over $5, 000 for the family, and the plan doesn’t cover what we’d expect. Some of these cheap policies don’t cover emergency room visits without prior authorization which, in most cases, in an unrealistic expectation.

One of the first drawbacks to this type of cheap insurance is that there aren’t many doctors who will take what the company wants to pay. Any doctor who is willing to accept these very low unrealistic payments should be held as suspect. Why would a good doctor willingly work with a company who pays him less than all the other insurance companies?

Before buying one of these policies, check out the doctors on the plan. Do some internet research on your state’s website where they list the licensed doctors in your state. Check their education, their licensing status, and see if there are any complaints or lawsuits against them.

They also are able to keep their premiums lower than most because they take your money for months before insuring you. Sometimes it could be nine months before you can submit a claim and expect to be paid. Usually these costs don’t even apply toward your annual deductible!

And still another way for insurance companies to reduce premiums is by paying you, not your doctor. Doctors like this arrangement because they know they will be paid immediately. Unfortunately, this means you need to be able to pay for your expenses on your own, submit your claim, and hope you get reimbursed for the entire amount. It could take a few months to even get a check. Key here is to know that insurance companies, especially like these, are in the business to make a profit. Their goal is to pay out as little as possible. Keep this in mind when researching cheap insurance.

Just like Murphy’s Law states, if something is going to go wrong at the absolute worst time, it will. Private Health Insurance Arizona Since elected president, Obama has announced that he is ready to tackle healthcare reforms. They offer flexibility to the customers to receive care when they like.

Health Insurance Quotes – Finding The Deals

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Getting quotes for anything can be confusing and time consuming. Getting health insurance quotes can be downright frustrating. It takes time and it takes patience. Doing all this online will usually save time but it’s always recommend to talk to “humans” whenever possible.

When you start reviewing your quotes, be sure you know that you are comparing the same line items. Even though the quotes might all have the same general information, they will differ enough to make it confusing. Don’t just look at the bottom line price and make a rash decision.

There are many factors to take into consideration when getting quotes. Getting a quote is only a small portion of what you need to take into consideration as you try to find and decide on a company to do business with. Things like their insurance rating and years in business are very important to know. The rating will tell you how well equipped they are to handle numerous claims at once – one major catastrophe such as a flu pandemic can put an insurance company out of business, long before they get around to paying your particular claim.

One area to consider when you are looking at these quotes is to know what doctors you will be able to choose from. Will you need to change doctors? Does it matter to you? If you do need to change doctors, is it worth it? Are the premiums so low that you don’t care about needing to use a new doctor? Do as much research as possible on the doctors working with this plan. Also find out the turnover rate. All too frequently doctors decide not to renew their contract with an insurance company and you either need to once again change doctors, or find another insurance company.

It’s also important to know how your past and present health will affect your rates. Not all insurance companies use the same actuarial tables. “Obese” at one company might mean something very different than at another company.

At some companies a pre-existing condition means something you have been treated for previously and had an insurance company pick up the bill. If you paid for service out of your own pocket, this wouldn’t count. However, other companies take these conditions into consideration as well because they feel there is a good chance they’ll be stuck with your next round of bills.

Understand the copays and how deductibles are treated. Is it per person or per family? The higher your deductible, the lower the premium – just like car insurance. However, something to consider is your overall health. If you never get sick you might want to find a reasonably priced policy with a high deductible.

Just be sure that when you have all your quotes, you actually take the time to talk to representatives at each company that interests you. They will be able to give you a better idea of that particular policy will fit your needs.

With so many options for a provider and so many different plans available, you are sure to find the right one for you. Travel Insurance Quote Be sure to check the deductible amount on the policy before you make the purchase. A mix between the HMO and the FFS is the POS, abbreviation for the Point of Service plan.