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 you’ll 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 doesn’t refer you to certain care, then you won’t be eligible to receive payment for it under your health insurance quote. These types of plans are good for people who know they won’t 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 doesn’t 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.

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Average Premium For Health Insurance - Any Idea?

What do you understand about Health Insurance?

It is an insurance coverage that pays for your medical expenses when you suffer from illnesses or accidents. Before making decision to purchase this medical insurance, many people are very concern about their investment cost - the premium. Does the premium cost a lot? Is it affordable by a normal employee? This article brings you a brief idea about the average premium for healthcare coverage.

First of all, let's see what key factors that determine the premium of the insurance.

• The type of health insurance, i.e. individual or group insurance
• The age of the policy holders
• The health status of the policy holders; whether pre-existing conditions are included or excluded
• The coverage and benefits required by the policy holders
• The specific regulations set by each of the state government
• The duration of the policy, i.e. short term or long term
• The lifestyle of the policy holders, for instance, smokers or non-smokers, alcohol drinkers or non-drinkers

Now, after knowing the factors that affect the premium, we explore further.

For group policy, the average premium for an employer to pay for his individual employee is about USD 4,800 per year. If the coverage includes the employee's family (a family of four members), the premium is at the average of USD 17, 700 annually.
Due to financial crisis, the employers who are suffering from the hard times have another option. They can opt for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) coverage. The employers who use COBRA will spend around USD 350 per month on premium, which is relatively low if compared with the premium of standard group policy.

On the other hand, for individual policy, the premium varies due to different needs of the individual. In the market, there are a wide range of selections offered by many insurance providers to suit different individual needs. The premium can be high if the applicants have pre-existing conditions. The cost can also be low and afforded by most of the people.

In fact, obtaining the calculation of premium precisely is quite difficult. It varies from one individual to another. It also varies from a group of people to another. However, for those who are uninsured at the moment, having a rough idea about the average cost for medical insurance is important in assisting them to allocate their budget.

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The Reasons Why People Are Denied Medical Insurance

Every day hundreds of applicants are denied medical insurance. For years, insured individuals assumed it was a lack of income or the absence of a stable employer that caused many in the United States to not have medical insurance. While expenses and employment do play a role in those who are denied medical insurance there are many other issues that contribute to the problem of why millions of Americans are uninsured. There are several reasons big health insurance carriers deny millions of people and below are a few of them:

Medications From the Past - Almost any type of medication that was prescribed by a doctor can result in an individual being denied coverage in the future. Most people assume that medications for conditions that have to do with the major organs such as the heart, brain, or stomach or all reasonable reasons for denial, but even medications for simple ailments raise red flags with insurance companies. A MSN report in 2008 explained how a woman was denied medical insurance for taking a fertility drug to conceive her two sons. A past history of taking medications such as anti-depressants are also a huge reason many people are denied medical insurance.


Incurable STDs - Medical insurance company will not insure most individuals who have an STD such as herpes, HPV, or HIV. Although denial claims vary from state to state, in most states an individual with an STD is considered uninsurable.

Smoking and Drinking - Individuals who drink socially or smoke are almost instantly denied health insurance due to their increased risk of illness. Most medical insurance companies request that you disclose information about your drinking habits and association with cigarettes. Any association with alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs results in an instant denial of medical insurance.

Weight - In most cases a medical insurance company will deny someone coverage because they are overweight. In these cases the medical insurance company will simply state that the individual doesn't meet the height and weight guidelines that are required to be insured. Some medical insurance companies will evaluate the denial if the individual loses the weight. Underweight individuals are also frequently denied health insurance.

Family History - People who have family histories of cancer, diabetes, or any disease that is considered genetic have a higher rate of denials than those with a healthy family. In these cases, the individual is not evaluated based on their own health but on how healthy family members are.

Pre-existing Conditions - Most insurance companies will deny any applicant that has a pre-existing condition. A pre-existing condition could be something less serious such as allergy problems or something more serious such as diabetes. A pre-existing condition is one of the main reasons that many people are denied medical insurance.

An individual who is denied medical insurance has a few options available. One option is to appeal the denial. By appealing the denial, questioning the insurance company, and finding out how coverage could be possible, some people are able to get their denials overturned. Another option is to evaluate other health insurance companies that have guidelines that could possibly allow the person to become covered. A final option is to receive a plan from a high-risk pool. Many states have an option called a high-risk pool that allows individuals who are considered medically uninsurable to obtain coverage despite the risk.

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Government Measures to Help With Health Insurance

The rising unemployment rate is causing not just job loss but also the loss of valuable health insurance coverage for many people. In response, the federal government has enacted new legislation to help with COBRA coverage as well as state aid to families with children.

Changes to COBRA

COBRA stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1986. Under COBRA, if you worked for a company that had more than 20 employees, then you are able to continue on the group health insurance plan for as much as 18 months. The downside of COBRA is that it can be quite expensive. In most states, recipients report that COBRA payments account for more than 75% of their unemployment benefit. However, under the recently passed Economic Stimulus Package, you could be eligible for assistance with 65% of your COBRA premium.

To qualify for the program you must have lost your job between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. Your income must be less than $125,000 for an individual and less than $250,000 a year for a family. If you did not take advantage of COBRA initially, you can still sign up for it. If you did sign up for COBRA coverage, you won't get any money back for the premiums you have already paid, but you will be eligible for assistance from the point after the law has taken effect. Under the new law you will pay 35% of the premium, and the government pays the other 65%. Your assistance could continue for as much as nine months.


State Children's Health Insurance Program

Another measure the federal government has taken recently to help people with health insurance coverage is to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program or SCHIP. The law will provide $32 billion to the program over the next five years and expand coverage to from 7 to 11 million children. SCHIP is designed to provide health care coverage for children up to age 19 and pregnant women, in families whose income is low, but not low enough to qualify for Medicaid. A portion of the funding will come from an increase in the tax on cigarettes.

Under SCHIP, the federal government provides the states with matching funds to provide health care for families with children. To qualify, families could earn only up to 200% of the poverty level. Under the new law, families can earn up to 300% of the poverty level and still qualify for SCHIP. Each state has set up their program differently, so programs can vary from state to state.

If you find yourself out of a job and out of health insurance, two recent measures by the federal government may provide some assistance. The first are changes to the COBRA program in which the government could pick up to 65% of the cost of your health insurance premium. The other is the expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Either of these options could provide short-term assistance with health insurance coverage.
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