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| Health Insurance |
I have been a health insurance broker for more than a decade, and every day I read more and more "horror stories" on the internet about health insurance companies that refuse to pay claims to cover some illnesses and doctors who are not receiving reimbursement for medical services. Unfortunately, insurance companies are motivated by profits rather than by people (although they need people to make a profit). If the insurance company finds a legal reason not to settle the loss, it is likely to see it, and you, the consumer, will suffer. What most people do not notice, however, is that there are very few deficiencies in an insurance policy that give the insurance company an unfair advantage over the consumer. Insurance companies seek to clarify the limits of their insurance coverage by giving their policyholders ten days (for customers) to spend (a free 10-day review period) to revise their policy. Unfortunately, most people pocket their insurance card in a drawer or filing cabinet during the 10-day free check in the wallet and the police. It is usually before they receive a "letter of rejection" from the insurance company that they take their policy to read it.
Most people who take out their health insurance rely heavily on the insurance agent who sells the contract to explain the coverage and the benefits of the plan. In this case, many individuals who take out their health insurance can say very little about their insurance, except for the number of their premiums and the amount they have to pay to qualify for their deductible.
For many consumers, removing Medicare can be a big task. Buying health insurance does not look like buying a car because the buyer knows that the engine and transmission are standard and that power windows are optional.
Of course, we all complain about insurance companies, but we know that they serve a "necessary evil." And while taking out health insurance can be a frustrating, daunting, and time-consuming task, as a consumer, you can take some steps to make sure you have the kind of health insurance you need. At a fair price. ,
Recently, I've read several comments on various blogs advocating 100% coverage (no deductible and no co-insurance), and although I think such plans have a great "charm," I can say that in person. The experience that these plans are not for everyone. Do 100% of health insurance offer more security for the insured? Probably. But is 100% health insurance essential for most consumers? Probably no! When you take out health insurance, in my opinion, you have to find a balance between four important variables. Want, needs, risk, and price. As with buying options for a new car, you must weigh all these variables before spending your money. If you are in good health, are not taking any medications, and rarely go to the doctor, do you need a 100 percent plan with a $ 5 overpayment for prescription drugs if it costs $ 300? More per month?
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| Health Insurance |
Is it worth paying $ 200 more a month to get a deductible of $ 250 and a $ 20 banknote / $ 10 general payment compared to an $ 80 $ 80/20 plan? Also offers a generic $ 20 / one copy mark? $ 10 generic after payment? Once a year 100 Rx deductible? Does the 80/20 program still not provide enough coverage for you? Do not you think it would be better to deposit that extra $ 200 ($ 2,400 a year) into your bank account if you paid your $ 2,500 excess or needed to buy an amoxicillin prescription at $ 12? Is not it safer to keep the money that costs you so much rather than paying higher premiums to an insurance company?
Yes, you can keep more money than you would typically give an insurance company in the form of higher monthly premiums. For example, the federal government encourages consumers to use H.S.A. (Health Account) notes H.D.H.P. (High Franchise Health Plans) to give you more control over how your health care money is spent. Consumers who have H.D.H.P. Each year, Qualified by H.S.A. may reserve additional funds on an interest-bearing account to use to cover its medical expenses. Even procedures that are not usually covered by insurance companies, such as: As laser eye surgery, orthodontics and alternative medicine, are 100% tax-deductible. If there are no entitlements this year, the funds deposited with deferred taxes at H.S.A. may be transferred the following year, resulting in an even higher interest rate. If there are no significant entitlements for several years (as is usually the case), the insured will create a substantial account with similar tax advantages to those of an I.R.A. Most H.S.A. Directors are now offering thousands of free mutual funds to transfer their funds. H.S.A. Means for you to earn an even higher interest rate.
In my experience, people who buy their health insurance plan more to their liking than their needs feel somewhat disappointed or "cheated" by their insurance company and insurance agent. I hear almost identical comments from nearly every shop owner I speak to. I think I've been to the doctor twice in the last five years "and" my insurance company keeps raising my rates and I do not even use my insurance! "As an entrepreneur, I can understand your frustration, is there a simple formula that anyone can follow to help you get health insurance?" Yes, you become an informed consumer.
Whenever I contact a potential client or call one of my references, I put a few specific questions that are directly related to that person's policies, in their filing cabinet or drawer. They know the system they have bought to protect them from bankruptcy for medical debts. The plan was completed to cover $ 500,000 of life-saving organ transplants or the 40 chemotherapy treatments that they could undergo if they discovered cancer.
In your opinion, what happens almost always when I ask these people "basic" questions about their health insurance? You do not know the answers! Here is a list of 10 items I often ask a prospective health insurance client. Let's see how many people can respond without consulting your policy.
1. With which insurance are you insured, and what is your health insurance?
2. What is your deductible per the calendar year and do you have to pay your deductible for each family member if everyone in your family gets sick at the same time? (For example, most health insurance plans include a deductible per person of $ 250, $ 500, $ 1,000 or $ 2,500 per year, but some health insurance only charges 2 per year, even though all members of your family need critical medical care.
3. What is your coinsurance percentage and how high is it (stop-loss) based? (For example, a good plan with 80/20 coverage means you pay 20% of a dollar amount.) This amount in dollars is also called a "stop-loss" and may vary depending on the type of policy you have purchased small as 5,000, 10,000 or up to $ 20,000, or some systems on the market do NOT offer any amount of money for stop-loss.
4. What are your expenses per year? (for example, all deductibles plus all coinsurance rates plus any access fees or other applicable charges)
5. What is the maximum lifetime benefit the insurance company pays when you become seriously ill, and your plan has a maximum or "ill" limits? (For example, some programs have a maximum lifetime of $ 5 million, but have a maximum life of $ 100,000 per disease, meaning that you will need to develop many separate and unrelated life-threatening illnesses that will cost you $ 100,000 or less to support to qualify for lifetime coverage of $ 5 million)
6. Is your plan a calendar because you only pay a certain amount for a specific list of procedures? (For example, Mega Life & Health and Midwest National Life, supported by the National Autonomous Association, NASE is known for its schedules.) 7. Does your plan include medical copays and is limited to several visits to the doctor each year? (For example, in many projects, the number of visits to the doctor per year is limited to one additional payment, and it is often 2 to 4 visits.)
8. Does your plan cover prescription medications, and will you be paying part of your prescription medications, or will you have to pay a separate deductible for drugs before? To get benefits or to have a drug discount card? Required? Just? (For example, some plans offer you the drug plan immediately, others need you to pay a separate deductible before you can get prescription medication as a co-payment.) Many programs do not offer a co-payment option and only offer a discounted prescription drug card. Get up to 20% off all prescription drugs.
9. Is your plan foreseeing a reduction in organ transplant benefits and, if so, what is the maximum amount you will pay for when you need an organ transplant? (Some plans, for example, only pay a maximum benefit of $ 100,000 for organ transplants for a procedure that actually costs between $ 350 and $ 500,000, and this maximum of $ 100,000 may include reimbursement of expensive medications, if that is the case is, you often have to pay for all the medication, so you refuse to put the bag.)
10. Do you have to pay a deductible or "access fee" for each admission to the hospital or each visit to the emergency room? (Some plans, such as Assurant Health's CoreMed plan, include an additional $ 750 hospital admission fee to pay for the first three days of your hospital stay, and many programs include outpatient services such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, chemotherapy, Capping "may only be $ 500 for each outpatient treatment, leaving you with an invoice for the remainder of the remainder. The access fees are additional fees you pay for any treatment, for example, for each outpatient Charge chemo for a fee An "Access Fee" of $ 250 may be charged for the treatment, and for 40 chemotherapy treatments, $ 40 x $ 250 = $ 10,000 will be charged, in addition to your deductible on your diet).
After reading the list of questions, I'm asking a prospective health care client, ask yourself how many items you can answer. If you can not solve the ten problems, do not be discouraged. This does not mean that you are not an intelligent consumer. This may mean that you are dealing with a "bad" insurance agent. How do I know if you are dealing with a "bad" insurance agent? Because an "excellent" insurance agent would have taken the time to help you truly understand the benefits of your insurance. An "excellent" agent spends a lot of time asking you questions to help you understand your insurance needs. Want, needs, risk, and price. An "excellent" agent will give you enough information to evaluate all your options and make an informed buying decision. And finally, an "excellent" agent looks for YOUR best interest and NOT the best interests of the insurance company.
How do you know if you have an "excellent" agent? , if you could answer the ten questions without consulting your health insurance, you have an "excellent" agent. If you could answer most items, you might have a "good" agent. However, if you can only answer a few questions, you probably have a "bad" agent. Insurance agents are no different from other professionals. There are insurance agents who care a lot about the clients they work with and others who avoid answering questions and avoiding customer calls by leaving a message about outstanding claims or tariffs. Health insurance triggered.
Remember that buying your health insurance is just as important as buying a home or car, if not more. So do not be afraid to ask your insurance agent many questions to make sure you understand what your health plan covers and what does not. If you do not agree with the type of coverage your broker suggests, or if you think the price is too high, ask if you can choose a similar plan to conduct a parallel comparison before you buy. First of all, read the small print in your health insurance booklet and take the time, if you receive your policy, to read it during your free 10-day review period.
If you do not understand something or do not know what the asterisk (*) is next to the terms of insurance coverage, contact your sales representative or the insurance company to clarify this.
Take your time for your due diligence. For example, if you're investigating MEGA Life and Health or the Midwest National Life Insurance Company, which is supported by the National Association of Self-Employed Workers (NASE), you'll find that 14 class-action lawsuits have been filed against these companies since 1995. She then: Would a company that I trust would pay my health insurance claims?
A "trapped" agent may recommend a health plan that does not precisely meet your needs, as this is the only plan you can sell. An "independent" agent or "insurance broker" can usually offer you a variety of insurance products offered by many quality assurance companies and can often tailor a plan to your needs. Insurance and your budget.
Over the years, I have built strong and trusting relationships with my clients based on my insurance experience and the level of my service. This is one of the main reasons why I do not recommend buying health insurance online. In my opinion, there are too many variables that Internet insurance buyers generally do not consider. I firmly believe that taking out health insurance requires the level of experience and personal attention that only an insurance professional can provide. And since buying your health insurance through a representative or broker does not cost a penny more, I would advise you to use eBay and Amazon for your smaller purchases and to contact us an independent, competent, ethical and reputable agent or broker. The most important investments you will make ... your health insurance.
If you have concerns about an insurance company, contact the state insurance department BEFORE purchasing your policy. Your state insurance department can tell you whether the insurance company is registered in your state and whether the insured person has filed a complaint against this company. If you believe that your agent is trying to sell you a fraudulent insurance policy (for example, you need to become a union member to qualify for insurance coverage), or if you are not honest with you, your state's insurance department may as well Verify that your agent is licensed, and you have already taken disciplinary action against him.
Finally, I hope that I have provided you with enough information to become an INFORMED insurance customer. However, I remain convinced that the following words of wisdom are always useful: "If it sounds too good to be true, it is likely!
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