Archive for the ‘Types of Health Insurance’ Category

How Much Does Health Insurance Cost?

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

health insurance costsYou know that health insurance is really expensive but have you ever taken a moment to really understand what your health insurance net really costs you? You know how much your paying  for your health insurance premium, so it’s easy to know when this cost increases, but what about all the other costs involved with health insurance? Before you’re hit with an excessively large medical bill take some time to understand what other costs there are besides just the premium.

Premium

The premium is the amount you’ll pay for the benefits covered under your health insurance plan. The premium is typically broken down into equal monthly payments.

The Deductible

If your health insurance policy includes an annual deductible, it’s important to understand the details. The deductible is the amount that you are responsible for paying before the insurance company begins paying anything. Just like most other types of insurance, the higher the deductible the lower your premiums will be.

The Co-Payment

A co-payment is a fixed dollar amount that you have to pay each time you use the plan. The co-payment amount differs based on the type of health insurance plan you have. Sometimes there are co-payments for prescriptions and doctor’s office visits.

Co-Insurance

Co-Insurance is the amount of your claim that you are responsible for paying once the deductible has been met. A very common plan would be 80/20 where the insurance company pays 80% of the claim and you pay 20%. In a PPO plan your percentage will usually increase if you go outside the network.

These are the things you’ve got to know when requesting quotes, especially online health insurance quotes. When you’re comparing quotes from different insurance companies, it’s important to know all your costs, not just the premium.

Now that you’ve done your research and compared prices based on comparable benefits you’re wondering
how to apply for health insurance. Whether you apply online or off will depend on your comfort level

Health Insurance Comparisons

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

healthinsurance1)Uninsured. This is where an individual has no insurance. It is estimated at least 15% of Americans fall into this category.

2) Managed Care Plans. Managed Care Plans fall into three categories. All are essentially networks to provide contracted services by specific providers at contracted prices:

i) Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) are prepaid plans in which members pay a fixed monthly fee, regardless of how much medical care is needed in a given month. HMOs usually insist that you stay within the network when you need services from physicians and hospitals and the amount you have to pay is little to nothing for your’ care.

ii) Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO) are groups of doctors and hospitals that provide medical service to members at a pre negotiated fee. PPO members receive a higher co-insurance benefit if they go in network typically pay a higher out of pocket if they go out of network.

iii) Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) and Point of Service (POS) are hybrid plans of PPO and HMOs. These plans are not very common.

3) Indemnity Plans enable participants to seek health care whenever they need. Participants can visit any doctor or specialist, as often as they feel necessary. There are no restrictions when it comes to seeking medical help, but this is by far the most expensive type of health insurance plan.

Which of these types of health insurance is right for you will depend on your personal situation. Choosing health insurance coverage is a time-consuming task and it can certainly be frustrating, but it’s something that everybody needs to consider sooner rather than later.