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What are My Personal Health Insurance Options?
Posted by | Posted in Health Insurance | Posted on 28-05-2010
Health coverage has always been a social problem in the US, the increasing rates on insurance options has kept several people away from such services, however this is not a healthy or recommended practice because sooner or later you will need to go to the doctor in order to have your ailment taken care of.
If you are between jobs and you had health coverage provided in part by your employer you might want to learn more about COBRA and the many options they offer in order to extend your coverage while you are not employed. Getting in touch with this agency is crucial if you don’t want to get caught uninsured at a crucial moment.
If you work for an employer who offers group health insurance you pretty much have to accept their terms if you want to get the benefits of a lower payment, on the other hand personal health insurance can be tailored to your unique needs which will fit your budget. It is very common for personal health insurance to be more expensive than group health insurance because you are no longer sharing the costs with your employer, however there are many benefits you will get by using a personal health insurance such as:
- Extended health insurance which will cover you when you are between jobs, this is a very important benefit that you get with personal health insurance which is not offered by group policies because once you stop working for your employer the health coverage stops.
- If your current plan doesn’t offer certain treatments or doesn’t offer all the benefits you want, you can use personal coverage in order to cover the gaps left by your current provider.
- You can also have a customized long-term health insurance policy which will benefit your entire family, not just you.
If you opt for the personal coverage option you will want to shop around in order to get the best rates possible which will cover each of your requirements. Having house insurance can sometimes be of great help because such companies also offer packages where you can get yourself medically insured at a discount rate so make sure to ask these companies. Remember that the healthier you are the lower the costs will be so try to quit any bad habit you may have and set your deductible as high as possible, this will lower your monthly payments but be careful to set it at an amount you can afford.
Watch the video related to personal health insurance
personalhealth-insuranceplans. Blog about personal health and how to manage your insurance plans
Help answer the question about personal health insurance
Can I transfer my personal health insurance policy to be paid through my S corp?Im the sole owner of an S Corp. I have a personal health insurance policy. Can I simply change the billing of my current policy to be paid through my corporation?
Thanks
You definitely need to look into private policies to see how long the waiting period is for maternity before either a) your husband quits his job or b) you get pregnant. Unfortunately in this day and age, insurance, not when we want to, dictates our timelines on just about everything. Such as when we get pregnant, when we can quit our job, when we can start a new job, and when we can retire.
You don't say why your husband is changing jobs, but here is my humble advice: (and this is assuming you are covered for maternity), I would either wait to have a baby (possibly a year), or your husband should stay at his job to keep the insurance. I don't know what state you live in, but I believe that most policies are the same. More and more policies are making people wait one full year before they will cover any maternity benefits. I think a year is ridiculous but in a way, you can see their point. Women would get on for a month, pay a few hundred bucks, get them to pay for a $12,000 pregnancy, then the woman drops the insurance the day after the baby's born. Like I said, please check before you get pregnant because I think a one year waiting period is becoming the norm instead of the exception.
Another problem that's happening more and more is employers dropping maternity insurance altogether. It has become so ridiculously expensive that its hard for them to pay. This has happened to me personally. The job I've had for 7 years which has always had maternity coverage dropped it at the beginning of the year. If any of us girls happened to get pregnant, we're on our own. My husband also just started a new job so we looked at how good his insurance was to see if I should switch. It doesn't offer any maternity benefits either.
Honestly I don't know what women are supposed to do. You do the right thing and have insurance, and nobody will cover your maternity. Looks like insurance companies and employers just expect medicaid to cover the costs.
Sorry so long, but I don't want you to be caught without any coverage! Good luck to you on starting your family.
ehealthinsurance is a good place to see what is available but don't buy from them unless you like talking to people in a call center. Call a local agent that works with all the major companies; you'll get the same rates, you'll get the same office each time you call and you'll get personalized service. Also, if you have any pre-existing conditions or are out of the normal height and weight guidelines the agent will be able to find the company that will accept you and that will have the best coverage for your situation. ehealth just submits your application and they don't worry if it gets declined.
No one here on Y/A will state if this is a good deal or bad since we don't have all the details.
When he calls back, ask him to e-mail you the details of the policy to you. Most have like a 2 page summary that would show deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance amounts. It also shows what is covered and what is not covered. The main thing you need to look for is the small print at the bottom, since some of these policies out there will state; THIS IS NOT HEALTH INSURANCE, and if it does, run, don't buy it. These are what some call limited benefit plans that cover very little like the doctor visits, but if you were to go to the hospital and get treated, it may only pay a fraction of the bill and you are left holding the bag owing to the hospital.
When you get this, either call your parents or a friend that has some understanding based on experience if this sounds good or not. Your parents most likely from experience of the last 20 to 30 years has dealt with health insurance and could explain some of the things to you.
If the agent states I cant forward the details unless you buy, that could be a problem also. You can also get the name of the insurance company and plan and do a google search to see if there are a lot of complaints on this company. Have pen/paper ready when you talk to this agent and have someone else look at it to see if this is what you need.
good luck
Your video was referred to me through a member of Caboodle, can you sell insurance in Florida?
@Rollix100
Hi Roll,
I am licensed in the states of Texas and Georgia. Even though I can’t write a policy for you, I’ll be happy to answer any insurance related questions you might have. Let me know if you need help. Also, I have a friend in Florida that should be able to help if you would like for me to contact him for you. Take care
Reggie.
When my sister had her baby she didnt have insurance either, but she went throught the Department of Human Services (called different things in different areas) and they paid for prenatal, birth, and post-baby everything! Its basically medicaid, i would suggest going throught the Dept of Human Services or Children and Family Services in your area. Good luck and congrats on the baby! I think its great that you and your boyfriend have decided to take responsibility for your actions and have the baby!
If you are on a medication you can call the company that makes it and they often will give you a discount on the price and sometimes supply it to you for free. Also if you can change insurance to something that covers mental health, I would. It sure doesn't make sense that they don't cover mental health like they do all other health issues. mental health is a physical problem of the brain, so it really makes me mad that they don't consider this.
Visit a doctor immediately – you may be worrying over nothing.
But if you do have cancer, the earlier you catch it the simpler and cheaper the treatment. Once you know if your fears are confirmed, it is then time to check out your options.
Go to http://www.after-cancer.com/contacts to the list of various cancer charities, and ask them – they may have plans or funds available to help.
And good luck.
Verite R
I'm in California and contrary to what Desiree P said above Medical does not cover you even if you make too much after the first 30 days. They will give you a share of costs but that depends on your income. I didn't have insurance when i got pregnant and tried to get medical and my share of cost was going to be $1,600 before i could see a doctor. Alot of insurances would cover me because it was a prior condition. I found out and applied for Access for Infants and Mothers (www.aim.ca.gov) and was approved. My final cost is going to be $417.00 out of pocket and I am making $30 monthly payments. Good luck I hope you get this figured out before you become pregnant so you don't get stuck like i did =).
Not all insurance companies have the same underwriting guidelines.
In addition to comparing rates and hopefully saving some money this is another reason why it will pay off to shop around.
Just make sure that you are choosing among reputable companies (in Texas: BCBS, UniCare, United Healthcare, Aetna, etc.) and once you find a few that you like then speak with a Texas independent health insurance agent to get some guidance.
Be sure and compare quotes from at least 3 different companies. Here is some more information on finding Texas health insurance: