Compare Health Insurance for Affordable Rates and the Best Plan for You!

surance rates and plans depend upon many factors, including your own health history, where you live, state insurance laws, your gender, your age, and even your credit report! This can make the process of shopping for an individual health insurance plan a very long and complex process.

Various health insurance companies may add to your premium if you have a history of health claims. Furthermore, some health habits can add to your premium, even if you have not made any claims. Smoking and carrying excess weight are two examples of that. Some health problems may increase your premium by 25% - 50%, especially if they are combined by some poorer health habits.

Health insurance companies may even decline coverage to some applicants with more severe health problems. In that case, every state has some sort of high risk coverage plan. You will need to contact your state insurance department or a qualified health insurance agent for help.

On the other hand, good health habits like abstaining from smoking or drinking, and maintaining a normal weight, may qualify you for health insurance discounts. These discounts can shave more than 20% from a standard price. Some insurance companies may allow these discounts for applicants of any age, but some may cut them off at a certain age band like 39 or 49. Middle aged applicants may have trouble finding discounts no matter how healthy they are.

To make matters more complicated, insurance companies do not all give the same weight to various factors. A high blood pressure history may get a substantial rate up by one company, but be considered standard by another company. If blood pressure is high on one doctor’s visits, you may be able to qualify for a lower rate if you can manage it for six months with diet, exercise, or medication.

Keep in mind that even within the same health insurance company, different health plans may have different underwriting guidelines. Higher deductible health plans tend to have easier underwriting and less rate increases than health plans that are designed to cover every single trip to a medical provider.

So what can you do to find the lowest health insurance rates? First, you must decide why you are buying health insurance, and that should be to protect your financial situation in case of a major health problem. If worked for a company that provided health insurance, or at least one that paid part of the plan’s premium, you may have to accept a higher deductible plan when you must pay the whole premium yourself.

Second, you must compare the rates and plans that are available in your area. Insurance regulations vary by state. That means that some states mandate coverage that will make premiums more expensive. The cost of health services vary by zip code. The cost of health services in an area will affect the premium too. So it is impossible to tell a person which medical plan they should consider without knowing where they live, what their budget is, and what their expectations are.

What do you think about the health insurance law they are trying to pass?

Who wouldn’t love to have health insurance. Most people don’t have it because it’s too expensive and they can’t afford it right?

Well how now if the law is passed people who don’t have health insurance will be fined. Health insurance isn’t cheap.

I don’t know about you but to me that is really unfair to people who can’t afford it. Especially in this economical times. I would love to have health insurance.

What is your opinion?

Why Is Healthcare So Expensive?

Drug companies need research money and doctors have to cover their rears from lawsuits. Also many of us lead lifestyles that are unhealthy. By taking charge of our lives and taking better care of ourselves, we can lead longer, healthier lives and spend less on healthcare. A few simple things you can do include: Get 8 hours of sleep a night Eat healthier Stop smoking Cut down or eliminate alcohol consumption and Exercise Stay Smart Stay Healthy See more vidoes at: www.youtube.com…

What are some websites that healthcare payors use?

I’m trying to look into the healthcare industry as a possible career. I was just wondering what kind of sites healthcare payors use to see how their day to day is and what kind of information they look at. Thanks.

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Take the Healthcare Spending Quiz: Do you Know your Dollars and Cents?

There has been a lot written about the state of healthcare in America. And if you’ve been paying attention, you know that a lot of money gets spent. A lot by the federal government in medicare and legislation. A lot by state agencies. A lot by employeers. And even more by employees themselves.

But how much is really being spent? And where does all that “spending” go? To test your healthcare spending IQ, take the Healthcare Spending Quiz. Then you decide if all those dollars make GOOD sense.

1. How much is spent on healthcare each year in the US?

a. $1.5 billion

b. $2 Billion

c. $5 Billion

d. $2 Trillion

Answer: The answer is “d”. According to Modern Healthcare Online, overall spending on US healthcare was $2 TRILLION in 2005 and is projected to increase 20% by 2015.

2. How many personal bankruptcies are caused by illness or medical bills?

a. 10%

b. 50%

c. 33%

d. 75%

Answer: The answer is “c”. Half of all personal bankruptcies are caused by illness or medical bills, a number that increased 2200% between 1981 and 2006 (according to Health Affairs Journal, “Medical Bankruptcy: Myth v. Fact”, David Dranove and Michael L. Millenson, March/April 2006; 25(2): w74-w83).

3. How much of every dollar do private insurance companies spend on administrative overhead?

a. 10 - 20%

b. 20 – 25%

c. 25 – 30%

d. 30% or more

Answer: The answer is “d”. More than 30% of every healthcare dollar is spent on administrative overhead in private insurance and services that don’t appear to improve health or the quality of care for patients. That is approximately $650 billion per year. “More than is being spent on the war in Iraq,” says John Abramson in his column for Harvard Medical School (Los Angeles Times, Nov. 3, 2006).

4. From 2000 to 2005, how much did health benefits program fees rise?

a. 25%

b. 38%

c. 73%

d. 100%

Answer: The answer is “c”. From 2000 to 2005, health benefits fees increased 73%, compared to an aggregate increase in workers’ income of just 15%. (Chicago Tribune, Jan. 31, 2006) or 3X faster than wages and inflation combined (UC Berkeley Center for Labor research and Education, Dec. 2006).

5. By how much has the average U.S. employee’s contribution to “employer-sponsored” health benefits plans increased since 2000?

a. 33%

b. 75%

c. 100%

d. More than 100%

Answer: The answer is “d”. According to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, between 2000 and 2004 the average cost of employer-sponsored health care plans was $3695 for an individual and $9950 for a family. The employee’s average contribution to those plans was $2261, an increase of more than a 160%! While those numbers were tracked from 2000 to 2004, employee contributions have continued to rise, so it is safe to say that employees have seen well above 160% increase in their own pay outs for their “employer-sponsored” health packages in just seven years.

That is the “Healthcare Spending Quiz”. Unlike other quizzes, a higher score, doesn’t make you feel like a winner. It simply makes you better informed about the downward spiral traditional U.S. healthcare is in. The only thing that can make you or me or Joe down the street a winner is working together to make a positive change in healthcare choices.

Pass this quiz along and give a friend the power of knowledge.

About the author

Jim Martinez is a National Sales Director with Ameriplan USA ®. Offering discount dental and health plans for individuals or households. Any age or preexisting conditions are accepted and plans start at only $19.95 per month. Be sure to visit the section on health articles for more quality information. You are free to reproduce this article as long as you reprint the entire article including this resource box and all links.

Texas Health Insurance Basics

Health insurance. Everyone needs it, but not everyone has it. And with medical expenses on a seemingly endless rise, paying out-of-pocket for them could land you in the poor house. So when choosing a health insurance plan, it’s good to know the basics to help you make better, more financially sound choices when selecting a plan.

Health insurance plans generally fall into one of three categories: indemnity plans, also known as reimbursement plans, preferred provider plans (PPOs), and managed care plans (HMOs).

An indemnity plan allows you to choose your own doctors and it completely pays for your medical expenses, either in full or according to a schedule of benefits. The schedule of benefits may be substantially less than your actual costs. Preferred provider plans and managed care plans can provide broader coverage, but they involve an arrangement between the insurer and a specified network of health-care providers. In addition, managed care plans require pre-approval of many health care services. For example, an HMO may require that a primary care physician in its network coordinate all of your care as well as refer you to specialists that belong exclusively to the network.

No matter which kind of health insurance you buy, make sure it provides you with the right kinds of coverage. And when it comes to coverage, a good health insurance plan should offer several types. For example, hospital expense insurance pays room and board as well as incidental services costs if you’re hospitalized. A surgical expense insurance covers surgeons’ fees and all other related costs. A physicians’ expense insurance policy pays for visits to a doctor’s office or when a doctor’s visits you in the hospital. Finally, major medical insurance offers very broad coverage with an extremely high maximum benefit that’s designed to protect you against losses due to serious illness or injury.

So what might be covered in a health insurance plan? When comparing plans, make sure they provide additional benefits that you may need, including:

- Prescription drugs

- Preventive care

- Mental health benefits

- Maternity care

- Vision care

And what can all this cost? In addition to the monthly premium expense, there may be other out-of-pocket expenses that can really add up, especially if you have children or other family members who make frequent visits a doctor. You should check to see if the health insurance plan you’re considering asks you to pay any or all of the following:

- Co-payment - The amount paid for each visit to a health insurance provider. This is generally required by HMOs.

- Deductible - The amount paid toward your medical expenses, most probably annually, before the insurance company pays any claims. This is generally required by indemnity plans.

- Coinsurance - The percentage of your medical costs paid after reaching any applied deductibles.

Now that you’ve established the why and what of health insurance, you need to find out where you can get it. Health insurance can be acquired through a group plan at work or through a group affiliation, such as a school, a club, association, etc. Or you can purchase an individual plan. When buying an individual health insurance plan, you can most probably customize it for your particular needs. If you’re looking for an individual plan, start by going online to compare coverages and rates from a number of companies to find the best plan and rate that meets your needs.

You now know the what’s, why’s and where’s of the health insurance game. Your next step is to select the best health insurance plan that meets your needs. You should select one that gives you the greatest flexibility and the best benefits for the lowest cost. Since this is a major purchase, you should shop around and get several quotes before choosing a plan. But before you dive in, here are a few things to consider:

1. Co-pays, deductibles, and coinsurance requirements, which ones apply?

2. Do you have the freedom to choose your own health-care providers?

3. Does the plan you’re considering cover the health services you need?

4. Does the plan you’re considering work with the health-care providers you’re currently using?

5. Does the plan you’re considering offer family, and individual, coverage?

6. Does the plan you’re considering cover pre-existing conditions? If so, is there a waiting period? FYI - The average waiting period can be three months to one year.

7. Does the insurance company you’re considering have a good reputation and a positive rating from a major ratings organization? For more information, contact your state’s department of insurance.

Types of Health Insurance

There are several types of health Insurance you can choose from depending on your preferences, resources and needs. It is imporatnt to be familiar with every option there is when deciding on which health insurance plan to take, so that you could weigh your needs and budget accordingly.

There many types of Health Insurance plans but the two major categories are:

a.       Indemnity, Traditional Health Insurance or Fee-for-Service Plans; and

b.      Managed Care Plans

Traditional Indemnity Plans

Indemnity plans, also called Fee-for-Service or Traditional Health Insurance, have been used by many, especially before Managed Care plans became so popular, because an Indemnity plan allows people to choose their own doctor and hospital. This feature is very appealing to many because people feel more secure with doctors and hospitals they already trust.

In Traditional Indemnity plans, people would usually pay a smaller percentage of their health expenses, the coinsurance, only after they have paid their annual deductible. When a person’s expenses, however, turned out to be more than the usual expected bills, the person will have to pay the extra expenses plus the coinsurance. Indemnity plans pay for medical services, prescriptions and medical tests but do not usually cover preventive care expenses.

Managed Care Plans

Managed Care Plans have three basic types of plans. These are:

a.       Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs)

A PPO is a managed care plan that shares some features with the Traditional Indemnity plan. In PPO, there are higher and lower charges depending on the person’s choices of doctor and hospital. A higher coinsurance is charged to people who choose doctors and hospitals that are not part of the plan’s network. A lower coinsurance is charged to those who choose from the plan’s network of doctors and hospitals.

b.      Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)

An HMO is the least expensive health plan. Using an HMO limits your options to the company’s terms and offers. Compared to PPO, HMO does not let you pick a doctor or hospital outside its network. In using an HMO you also have to secure your doctor’s referal before you could go to a specialist. HMO is cheap and it allows you to acquire preventive and health improvement care.

c.       Point-of-Service (POS)

A POS gives you a specific list of doctors and you will have to choose your Primary Care Physician. With POS, you have the freedom to choose your hospital, facilities and doctors although choosing from among the network is encouraged. However, choosing outside facilities will cost you more than when you get your services from the approved list of doctors and facilities of your POS company. In POS, you’ll be encouraged to have preventive and health improvement programs.

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Southern Cross Healthcare Abuse Cover Up

Southern Cross Healthcare are hiding behind a Public Relations firm in their blatant attempts to cover up for their abuse of Kathleen Stenson and her son William at their nursing home in West Felton,Oswestry in England.

Top earning nursing home bosses at Southern Cross Healthcare, Ray Miles, Chairman, Jamie Buchan, Executive Director, Richard Midmer and Kamma Foukes have hired the PR firm. The manager of the home, Kim Wright, is not to speak to the press and to leave things to their hired spin doctors at the PR company.

If previous salaries are anything to go by, and according to the Sunday Times of 4th Nov 2007, we know that former CEO Philip Scott was paid 600,000 pounds sterling in one year with shares of 12 million pounds sterling, then it can be said that the above executives are probably also earning similarly garguantuan salaries! It’s time these people were held to public account.

This healthcare giant uses the money they rake off from patients or through share dealings in this dehumanised elderly “care” industry to hire a PR company to spin and lie for them as their minions deny and repudiate the human rights of Kathleen Stenson and her son William.

This PR firm Media House of 280 Vincent Street, Glasgow specialise in “crisis management” and have other offices in Edinburgh, London and New York and they have been retained by Southern Cross Healthcare to deflect attention from the manager of the home Kim Wright, who continues to infringe and abuse the human rights of Kathleen Stenson and her son.

It is expensive to maintain their plush offices and we know this slick PR company doesn’t come cheap and Southern Cross Healthcare have paid out money in a corrupt attempt to evade responsibility for their abuse of Kathleen Stenson and her son.

The necessary torch light of a free press must be shone on this corruption at the very highest levels in Southern cross Healthcare.

Calls from the press have been diverted to this PR company as the so called “public servants”, Kim Wright and Jill Franklin and other management of the “care” home refuse to be held to account for their misconduct and abuse of Kathleen Stenson’s human rights.

These arrogant sociopaths in the management of this home and their masters at Southern Cross Healthcare think they can fool the public by hiring this PR firm and paying them big money to spin stories and lie to people. But we want to tell them that we’re not buying into their PR lies. Their tricks and deception are not going to work. They are being exposed and we will not let them get away with condemning Kathleen Stenson to death in their terrible system against her will and that of her son’s.

Kim Wright, the manager of the home, is a tyrant and appears to enjoy abusing her power over Kathleen Stenson. This Wright woman is a highly paid public servant but acts like a criminal dictator and treats Kathleen Stenson wishes to return home to Ireland with scorn and contempt.

Wright even refuses to allow her son William visit her and has threatened him that if he shows up at the home she will call the cops, and has arbitrarily restricted Kathleen Stenson’s phone calls to five minutes supervised duration. This is criminal corruption and abuse of power by Wright and Southern Cross Healthcare and violates the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

REALISE THAT IT IS YOU THAT IS UNDER ATTACK WHEN THE RIGHTS OF THE ELDERLY ARE ABUSED BY SO CALLED PUBLIC SERVANTS WITH A PASSION FOR WICKEDNESS. THEY’RE TREATING YOU LIKE MORONS AND THAT YOU’LL LOOK THE OTHER WAY.

A stupid cop, Jan Clamp, of West Mercier police based in Oswestry, has trivialised a savage assault on Mrs Stenson of “two black eyes and a mark to her chin” by Social Sevices in Ireland, as “just a slap”. What confidence can anyone have in ignorant cops like that who dismiss a serious assault on an elderly person as “just a slap”!

The management of the Court Care Centre are ruthless because they just don’t care. They know they have a huge corporate bureaucracy and the social services’ fraudsters of Shropshire County Council to cover up for them, that all they have to do is follow orders like mindless automatons. But people are getting wise to them and their abuse of Kathleen Stenson is slowly coming out despite their lies and PR cover up.

A prisoner in a high security prison has more rights than Kathleen Stenson and we will continue to expose the corruption of the evil control freaks there who deny her rights, deny her quality of life and who even at this moment are shortening her life by forcing Mrs Stenson to remain in their appalling nursing home against her will, by compelling her to stay in bed and by deliberately weakening her in this slow euthanasia system that people are not allowed question or expose.

Her other son, the vet Brian Stenson, has arrogantly stated that he wants her to die in this awful place.

The ‘care” home under the abuser Kim Wright has a very tried and tested technique now and sends all enquiries to the PR firm.

The PR firm is paid big bucks by Southern Cross Healthcare to tell lies to the general public regarding this case to deflect the fact that the Home is abusing Kathleen Stenson NOW by referring to the fact that Brian Stenson supports them. This means that part of the family are supporting what they are doing now and part of the family is not supporting what they are doing now. But it is irrelevant whether anyone is supporting what they are doing now because what they’re doing now is clear abuse and an infringement of Kathleen Stenson’s human rights. They can come up with whatever excuses they want. It doesn’t matter who says they think it’s a good idea to do what they’re doing, whether family or not!

The public is waking up and is not being fooled because this abuse of Kathleen Stenson has nothing to do with family. It’s abuse of Kathleen Stenson by the “care” home and Southern Cross Healthcare PERIOD.

This is what these public health nazis do for a living, without question. They blindly and arrogantly obey and follow grotesque orders like zombies.

William gave an interview to Radio Liberty 27th February 2009 exposing the big fraud of their “care” and how his mother’s wishes to go home to Ireland and be cared for by him at his home are cruelly denied and ignored by corporate money grubbers who prey on the elderly for profit, backed up by the corrupt power and tyranny of the state.You can hear it by clicking the link below:

http://www.forces.org/Multimedia_Portal/index.php

And see the article where John Turci describes the twenty one month forced isolation of Kathleen Stenson on the first floor of this hell :

http://forces.org/News_Portal/news_viewer.php?id=1797

The question of the treatment of elderly people is ever more urgent in a technocratic society that is becoming less and less human all the time - “for your own good.” In Canada, for example, old folks in nursing homes are forced to go outside to smoke in polar temperatures and they sometimes are found stiff dead the morning after, forgotten by all. Those crimes by Public Health go completely unpunished, and they keep going unreported by media that are fearful servants of the Public Health machine and of the “public opinion” that they themselves are helping to form.

This is a case of a quasi-kidnapping of an 81-year-old woman on a technicality by a nursing home in the UK. This lady, Kathleen Stenson, has suffered twenty-one months in isolation. Her treatment is cavalier. Apparently, she is underfed. Her son William Stenson says that he can talk to her only for an occasional 5 supervised minutes on the telephone and he has to fight hard ever to see her. He complained to the operators of the nursing home about her bed, and as a result was escorted off the premises by cops. All that William wants is to take his mother home with him back to Ireland. But that too is denied. William has contacted FORCES after being largely ignored by the mass-media. This is a stunning news story that merits the attention of all our readers and listeners. Growing technocracy is making travesties of this kind ever more common.

Old folks are out put out of sight out of mind in nursing homes and discarded after a lifetime of service to society. They worked, they have been mothers and fathers, they paid their taxes and contributions to the government. But, today, when it is time to collect some rest, they get blackmailed: if you want to stay here, you have to quit smoking or drinking. If you want that operation you have to lose weight, and so on. Sometimes they even get sequestered - as seems to be the case with Kathleen Stenson.

If you have the misfortune of getting old, or sick, thus becoming a patient, you are from that moment at the mercy of a merciless technocratic machine. Your personal will - even when you are not declared mentally impaired - becomes irrelevant. Your personal preferences, choices, ways of life, aspirations,hopes and desires may be treated with scorn and contempt. You become the object of “tough love” foisted by a system run on ideology and corruption - a mechanized, technocratized and computerized monster - which follows orders and procedures with goose-stepping precision and without an ounce of genuine philosophy or compassion. This is a system run by bean counters, bureaucrats, and junk scientists, and often owned by large clusters of corporations turned to the maximization of profit. The profit here often means cashing public money for the care of the elderly and giving them the least possible service. Tolerance and humanity are dead and buried. Lifestyle prohibitions and cameras in the streets extend into 24-hour surveillance and total control of nursing home and hospital patients. Your individuality is forcibly obliterated. You are a faceless slave of procedures, policies and zero tolerance. Zero tolerance for smokers. Zero tolerance for fatsos, or drinkers. Zero tolerance for the old ones too, especially when they insist they want to be the person they have been all their lives - or, simply, want to go home as is the case of Kathleen Stenson.

Once the Health machine has your body it claims dominion over your soul. To this entity you are nothing but a commodity to be processed, a piece of mercandise to be handled with logistics, as you represent a consumable source of income. Once so defined, you become disposable if you have not behaved according to Public Health’s current ideology, and nobody cares or even knows, because the mass-media side with a system that is rotten at the foundations. As happens in all tyranies, the media have become part of the problem, the voice of the master, the enemy of the people.

We, the people, are by now furious. We’re not going to take it. It’s going to stop and the guilty are going to be punished. Please spread the word about the Stensons’ plight. Help William Stenson to take his mother home. Contact him at nursinghomes@rocketmail.com Is there a human rights lawyer out there with the heart to help? William has little money, but a big heart for his mother, and a cause that cries out for prompt justice.

GE forays into home healthcare market in India

GE Healthcare, the healthcare business of General Electric Company, forays into the home healthcare market in India through the introduction of sleep care and home respiratory care solutions, that are added through acquisition of Vital Sign. The home health solutions are added through acquisition of Vital Signs Inc and its subsidiary Breas Medical AB.

Vital Signs is a provider of medical products applicable to a wide range of care areas such as anesthesia, respiratory, sleep therapy and emergency medicine. Vital Signs has a broad product portfolio of innovative single-patient use products which offer significant cost advantages and improved patient care features, including reducing the likelihood of transmitting infections from one patient to another. Single patient-use technologies contribute to a reduction in patient mortality through limiting hospital-acquired infections. Vital Signs products will highly complement GE Healthcare’s leading anesthesia delivery, patient monitoring and acute respiratory offerings.

“Home Healthcare is largely untapped, while at the same time, a fast growing market in India. This global acquisition is consistent with GE’s strategy to invest in high technology, innovative businesses that deliver top-line growth and earnings expansion. This acquisition takes us one step closer to our vision – “Early Health”. It is a strong, strategic fit and allows us to address the individual patient directly, for the first time. This is our first foray into home health in India,” said Mr V Raja, President and CEO, GE Healthcare South Asia.

“At GE Healthcare we are very pleased to enter the home health and sleep care market. As a company we look for strategic ways to strengthen the breadth and depth of our product portfolio in response to customers needs. Moreover, now with our iSleep products, we continue to provide clinicians solutions for better patient care with the aim to improve patient quality of life,” said Mr S Ganesh Prasad, Vice President – Clinical Systems, GE Healthcare, India.

Florida Health Insurance: a Health Protection Scheme

If you are a resident of Florida and have not purchased a health insurance plan because of the high cost; then it is the right time to shop for Florida health insurance in tune with your budget and requirement. In Florida, all health insurance plans are regulated by State’s own Department of Insurance. As a result, it does not matter if you buy from your local agent or directly from the health insurance company, you will pay the same premium per month for the same plan.

Health insurance, in layman’s term is a monetary coverage provided by an insurance company to an individual in exchange for a premium. Today, various companies have come up with cost-effective health insurance plans, which are ideal for children up to the age of 19, pregnant women, self employed individuals, and families to meet their healthcare expenses. In Florida, you can gather quotes from the insurance companies and compare them when purchasing your health insurance plan. Indeed, you will get the best price and coverage you need for your health through a single health insurance policy.

As far as coverage is concerned, Florida health insurance covers all your medical expenses such as cost of medicines, prescriptions, doctor visits, and hospital stays. But the coverage and rates of premiums are determined only on the basis of your current health condition. At the same time, you can find a host of health insurance plans including affordable Florida group health insurance, Florida group insurance, temporary health insurance Florida, Florida individual health insurance and small business health insurance Florida in varied rates and premiums.

Health insurance protects your most important asset, yours and your family’s health. It is better to have health insurance with less benefits or a higher deductible than not to have health insurance at all. It is advisable to search for Florida health insurance quotes online, since there is every possibility of getting the coverage you are actually looking for. Plus, you will have an online representative who will shop for the cheapest plan for you at each visit. When comparing health insurance quotes in Florida, it is advisable to take the advantage of the Internet, you will surely get the best deal.

Healthcare Medical Insurance

Reform Healthcare and Medical Insurance Companies