Calcium Health » Low Cost Health

How the Poor Find Health Insurance

admin — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:04:37 +0000

Poor people need decent health insurance too. It is estimated that the number of uninsured adults in Ohio is well over 60% and the number of children without insurance is even higher. While some of the poor or working poor will qualify for some help from Human Services, (now known as Job and Family Services), many more will not. These people will continue to need low cost health insurance, but where can they find it?

Employers are feeling the pinch of the slow economy as well, with many of them changing or dropping benefits to save themselves some money, Sadly, health care insurance is usually one of the first things to go for these employers, and that translates to even more of the working poor looking for health insurance in Ohio. Health care costs are high, and for a family that is living hand to mouth, usually out of reach. It is hard to add yet another expense to an already straining budget.

Getting quotes on line will save time and money and will give you an idea of what you can realistically be expected to pay for a health care policy. Call and speak to an agent and tell him flat out exactly what your budget will be able to handle. Of course, if there is nothing in your price range, what can you do?

Let’s return to employer based health care for a second. It is bad business practice, and sends a horrible message to the employees when health care if dropped in favor of a slightly bigger profit cushion. Yes, the company needs to make money so that it can stay afloat, no one will benefit it the doors have to be closed. But, the cost incurred by frequent sick days is high as well and could be prevented with some access to better health care. A healthier employee is a happier, more productive one and having affordable health care insurance would help toward that end. Companies could qualify for a better rate for policies than an individual could, and could pass those savings off to their workers. Even the smaller companies could help out with some consideration so that the poor people in Ohio could continue to have health insurance.

New insurance companies and products are offered every day. If you are one of the poor people trying to find affordable health care insurance in Ohio, it pays to remain vigilant on any development in finance, business and insurance. New products such as the pay for fee policies may well be worth looking into. In these policies, you choose the services that you think you would most likely be using, and pay accordingly. These are not full health care policies, more like a la carte service.

One more tip, if you do have to go to the doctor, even without health care insurance, make sure that you are prescribed one of the medicines that are on the $4 prescription list- Wal Mart, Krogers and many other pharmacies have entire lists of medications that are available at this price to help their customers, especially those who cannot find or afford health care insurance.

By: Lucy Bushman

Purchasing Affordable Health Care Insurance

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:15:07 +0000

There are a number of health care insurance providers around you, and the number is still rising. That is why, you, as the primary consumer of such products, are given a vast array of offers, products and rates for medical insurance. Because the economic situation around the world is very upsetting, it would be practical to insure your health, and of course, purchase an affordable medical insurance policy.

Almost all governments around the world require employees to be covered by health care insurance policies. Most of these governments also offer subsidies to their constituents who apply for health insurances. Just like any other forms of insurances, medical insurances will also require the applicant to pay premiums, which can be in monthly, quarterly or annual terms, depending on the applicant’s spending power.

Securing Affordable Health Care Insurance Is A Must

More people feel that securing affordable health care insurance is a must nowadays, but alas, they also find the task very ardent, tedious and sometimes stressful. The wide options in the market can sometimes lead to further pressure. Everyone wants to save on medical insurance premiums so the ability to find low-cost medical insurance deal would be a great advantage for anyone.

Finding an affordable health care insurance does not require great talents. The name of the game would be reliability, resourcefulness and an innate skill to shop and compare prices. Patience would be required. The following is an easy and simple guideline on how you, the budget-conscious buyer of medical care insurance, could successfully secure and buy a low-cost health care insurance policy.

• Talk to or ask your trusted health insurance agent or broker. People have their own jobs, and they become experts in their job fields. That is why agents are to be considered experts in medical care insurance policies, it is their job.

• Visit the nearest health insurance provider’s office and ask for their rates or quotes. Just make sure that you would get premium rates or quotes from two or more insurers. This way, you could be able to compare prices and pick the cheapest offering.

• Visit medical insurance companies’ Websites. This way, you would be able to save on transportation costs and your time would not be wasted. Through online inquiries, you could also easily compare health insurance rates and practically easily select the low-cost health insurance policy you have been looking for.

• Check on government health offices and seek advice on discounts and subsidies provided by the government for citizens’ health insurances. Governments’ primary goal is to oversee and protect constituents’ welfare so it follows that they have flexible health insurances to people.

You could also seek recommendations, referrals and advice from your friends and peers about their experiences in buying affordable health care insurance policies. Learn from their mistakes and follow their successful practices. Low-cost health insurances are, indeed, must-have nowadays. Health is wealth, but sometimes the inevitable comes. It is better to be prepared for possibilities than be left helpless and empty-handed when health situations come.

By: Johny J

Health Insurance For Low Income Americans

admin — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:49:49 +0000

As many as 47 million Americans have no health insurance, and in any given two year period about a third of Americans will go without health insurance at some point. For low income Americans, the prospect of spending some of their hard earned cash on insurance just doesn’t seem possible-it is difficult enough making ends meet. When these people end up sick or injured, however, the costs are even more intense, and millions have gone bankrupt under these circumstances.

Yet between government programs and low cost insurers, getting at least basic coverage is in fact possible for low income families. Here’s what you should know.

First, there is the main federal health insurance program for low income individuals and families-Medicaid. Medicaid is financed in part by each of the fifty states, and each state runs its own Medicaid program. As a result, eligibility differs from state to state-in most places you must be below the poverty line to receive these benefits. Pregnant women, people with HIV/AIDS and people with disabilities may be eligible at higher income levels. The poverty line in the US is $10,830 a year for an individual and $22,050 for a family of four.

Another government program available to low income families is the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (or SCHIP). Like Medicaid (and as its name would suggest), SCHIP is administered on the state level, and so eligibility differs from place to place. In general, you must be over the poverty line (otherwise ineligible for Medicaid), but have a family income less than 200% of the poverty line. The program will cover your children, and if you are pregnant it will provide prenatal care.

Some insurers also offer low cost health insurance, typically with restricted coverage. This is to say that dental and eye care are likely not covered, and your benefits may max out at only a few thousand dollars. When researching low cost insurance options, beware that you aren’t paying more in premiums every year than you would be receiving in coverage. Most often these programs simply cover emergency or catastrophic costs, while doing little to cover checkups or routine medical care.

Health insurance exists to provide you with peace of mind. When your income makes getting such coverage difficult, the government and some insurers may be able to help. Do your research and you can find a plan that works for you today!

By: Jackie Jones

Health Insurance For Low Income Earners

admin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 04:17:00 +0000

Getting a good health plan is important to ensure that you are able to get the best health care available. If you happen to get sick you should make sure that you have the best care available. Unfortunately, there are many people who can’t afford to get a health care plan. Health insurance for low income earners is available if you look around for the right insurance plan.

Depending on the state you live in, you may be able to get a low cost health insurance plan that is subsidized by the government. These plans give health insurance for those who can’t afford normal coverage. People under these plans get subsidized which means that they would only have to pay a small monthly premium.

These low income insurance plans that are run by the government are best suited for very low income earners. There are other companies that do offer low cost insurance coverage also. The best place to find these companies is on the internet. Do a comprehensive search and look up different providers who give out low cost insurance plans. Make sure that you check the full details before you accept any low cost health insurance plan that is offered.

No matter where you get your insurance coverage, you should be sure to look around for the best deal. Whether you are getting a subsidized insurance plan or not, you still need to focus on trying to get the best insurance for your family. Health insurance for low income earners is very important to ensure that you are covered in case something happens to your health.

By: S Kung

Health Insurance Savings Tips 1

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 22:34:30 +0000

Do you want to save on your health insurance spend? Then you’ve come to the right article. I’ll show you a number of tips that will help you either get more affordable rates or reduce your cost in other ways…

1. Some persons are not poor enough to qualify for plans for low-income earner and as well have financial challenges that make standard policies costly. If you are among such people, you’ll benefit much if you get a discount medical card.

With these cards you are given medical attention from a network of doctors who have agreed to render services to card carriers at lower rates. This card is not issued by insurance companies.

It is as well a great choice for individuals with a pre-existing health condition that will disqualify them from most health insurance providers or make them pay very exorbitant premiums. This kind of card does not decline anyone for any reason.

Just make your monthly payments and you’ll use a network of doctors who will bill you less for their services.

2. You can lower your rates by avoiding alcoholic beverages. Alcoholics pay more for health insurance. You are aware that several ailments are caused heavy drinking.

What quantity of alcohol can you take without any side effect? I cannot advise you on that since I am not a specialist on such matters.

But here’s what I’m sure of: Staying away from alcohol in its totality will do you a world of good. If you cannot stay away totally, drink in moderation if you want to reduce your risk.

It is just that for most people drinking in moderation is even more difficult than quitting. You can be assisted if you really want to quit drinking.

3. If you’re married you will save by being on one policy. You have to go through your options though to see which gets you more savings. This is because depending on your details and health conditions, you may save more by buying two separate policies.

4. Don’t become shortchanged by the cheapest quote as you shop for low cost health insurance. You have to avoid a cheap quote that does not give you the desired value. You can get very cheap quotes that give you the quality you are after if you do your shopping extensively. Nevertheless, if you are required to pay little more for adequate coverage, then do so.

I say this because some cheap quotes could be so because they have much value to offer you. A health insurance package that gives inadequate coverage isn’t worth it even if it’s five times less than the quote that offers you the right coverage.

5. It is profitable to be loyal to the same insurer. Some insurers will give you discounts of about 5 percent once you stick to them for over 3 years while others will give you discounts for staying up to five years. The longer you stay with the same insurer, the more the discount you’re likely to be given.

6. You could save several hundreds or even a few thousand dollars by simply obtaining quotes from at least five insurance quotes sites. The entire process is quick, easy and free.

By: Chimezirim Chinecherem Odimba

Commonwealth of Virginia Low Cost Health Insurance

admin — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:37:46 +0000

Finding low cost health insurance in the Commonwealth of Virginia does not mean you have to be eligible for a group health insurance plan through your employer, nor does it mean you have to qualify for Medicaid or state-sponsored health care services. Virginia residents in search of affordable health care can purchase individual health insurance plans.

Because individual health insurance plans can be expensive – which isn’t exactly the equivalent of “low cost” – you want to make sure you are getting exactly your money’s worth. Take these tips into consideration when shopping for an individual health insurance plan in the Commonwealth of Virginia:

o Make sure the health carriers and insurance agents selling individual health insurance policies are licensed to sell health insurance in Virginia – if you purchase health insurance from a company or agent not licensed to do business in Virginia, you will find it difficult to obtain protection against fraud.

o Don’t lie and don’t risk it. If you know a particular health insurance company won’t insure you because of a pre-existing medical condition, don’t lie about that condition in order to get low cost health insurance. You’ll only be cheating yourself, because you still won’t have coverage for the health issue. Wouldn’t you rather feel safe in knowing you’re covered should complications arise?

o Don’t give up. If one health insurance company denies you medical coverage, move on to the next company. Each individual health insurance company follows different standards and criteria for offering health insurance – whatever the price. Just because you are not eligible for one company’s policy does not mean you will not be eligible for another company’s policy.

Many people cringe when they think about purchasing an individual health insurance policy; however, by shopping around and being honest with several different health carriers and insurance agents in the Commonwealth of Virginia, you will find the low cost health insurance plan that is right for you.

By: Elizabeth Newberry

Low Cost Health Insurance In Texas

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:19:38 +0000

Texas health insurance options are pretty good if you need to get individual or family health insurance because you are self-employed or it’s not available any other way. There are different types of plans, and costs and coverages can vary quite a bit. Here’s how you can find health insurance coverage.

Like in most states, you can get health insurance in Texas that basically falls into two categories: Fee-for-service and managed care.

Fee-for-service: With this type of health insurance policy, you can see any doctor or provider you want and typically go to a specialist without a referral. The provider may bill the insurance company, or you will need to submit a claim form to the health insurance company to reimburse you for the expenses that they cover. The insurance company may cover from 80 to 100 percent of the expenses. You will pay a premium, a deductible, probably a coinsurance amount and will have a maximum yearly limit to your coverage. Texas law requires health insurance companies to pay claims promptly.

Managed care: A managed care plan uses doctors, hospitals, and other providers that are associated in a network. You would become a member of an HMO, PPO or POS network and usually have to use the providers in the group to receive benefits. This put some limitations on who you can visit for health care, but these plans usually provide an affordable health insurance alternative to fee-for-service. Also, Texas law is very comprehensive about protecting your rights when you join a network.

You should get several quotes when shopping for health insurance — at least three. In Texas, one of the easiest ways to get multiple quotes is to go online to an insurance comparison site. These sites allow you to enter your information into a “quote box” or form, and then they’ll provide you with multiple quotes from different companies or agents. Since coverages and plans all differ, make sure to see if the plan you like is giving you the service and coverages that you and your family needs.

By: Scott Lunt

Health Insurance Info

admin — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:15:26 +0000

Five Ways to Cut your Health Insurance Costs

Nearly one-third of all health-insurance premiums increased to 30 percent or more. At that rate, the average cost of health insurance per employee will exceed $3,000. Seventy-three percent of senior executives believe health-care costs will continue to increase 20 percent or more each year for the next three years. The message here is clear: If you haven’t already gotten serious about cutting your company’s health-insurance costs, now is the time. It can be done. The first thing you should do is learn how the system works–or doesn’t work. Most small employers spend fewer than four hours a year thinking about their company health plans. Learn what your options are. Your insurance agent can help you shop for cheaper plans. But don’t stop there. Compare plan benefits, insurance-company records, and service guarantees.

Consider Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans and HMOs (health-maintenance organizations), even if your agent doesn’t handle them. The Blues in some areas, offer clear advantages to small companies. Experts regard HMOs as the best buys in health care. Find out if your company is eligible for new, low-cost health insurance plans now available in five states. In addition, foundation-funded pilot projects in several parts of the country are demonstrating that it is possible to cut health-coverage costs 30 to 40 percent. In short, health insurance isn’t as simple as it used to be. And the pace of change is accelerating, offering new hope for a truce in the business battle with exploding health-care costs. The next couple of years present as much potential for change as at any time in the past 20 years. You can be part of that change by putting at least some of the following 5 ideas to work for your company.

1) Increase Cost Sharing By Employees

This recommendation is at the top of every consultant’s list. Small companies tend to pay far more of their workers’ total health-care bill than large companies do. Yet research shows that insulating employees from the costs of care encourages unnecessary use of health services. Fifty-two percent of the companies responding to the Nation’s Business health survey said they pay 100 percent of their employees’ health-insurance premiums. But 45 percent said they intended to implement or increase employee contributions to these premiums. An equal number said they plan to increase employee deductibles. Insurance companies first attached $100 deductibles to major-medical plans in the early 1950s. But 40 percent of employers still set deductibles at $100 or less. Raising a $100 deductible to $250 would cut premium costs for single coverage by about 11 percent. A $500 deductible would cut costs by about one-fourth. A $1,000 deductible would save about one-third.

2) Allow Employees To Pay For Health Premiums With Tax-Free Dollars

Set up a so-called flexible spending account, which allows your employees to pay their share of health-insurance premiums and un-reimbursed health-care expenses with pretax dollars. A flexible spending account could save employees 20 cents to 35 cents on the dollar, because state and federal income taxes and Social Security taxes are not imposed.

Moreover, the company saves by reducing the employee’s base salary on which it pays Social Security and other taxes. Hire an outside payroll accounting firm to handle the paperwork. You can pay the service fee and still come out with a net savings. The monthly administration fee would run between $2 and $5 per employee.

3) Transfer High-Risk Employees To The State’s High-Risk Pool

Insurance premiums soar whenever someone in a small-group plan becomes very ill–with cancer or heart disease, for example. As an employer, you should explore the possibility of moving employees with serious health problems into a state high-risk pool and then negotiating a lower premium for the healthy members of your group.

4) Switches To An Open-Enrollment Blue Cross And Blue Shield Plan

Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans operate as de facto high-risk pools in a number of states by providing “open enrollment” periods during which any group can buy insurance. Among the 74 Blue Cross and Blue Shield organizations nationwide, 21 offer open enrollment. All the Blues once used community rating to set premium levels. But that began to change in the 1960s when commercial insurers started to lure away firms with low risks by offering them cheaper health insurance.

5) Replace Your Traditional Health Plan With An HMO

Unlike traditional health insurance, HMOs cover all medical needs, including routine preventive care, for a flat monthly fee that typically is less expensive than traditional health insurance. Moreover, two types of HMOs, the staff and the group models, have proven to be more effective at controlling costs than any other form of health-care delivery. Staff models employ physicians directly and put them on salary.

For more articles related to this subject and others please visit Health Insurance.info

By: XTRA INFO

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

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:32:30 +0000

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

By: Zane Durant