Dos and Don'ts When Completing Individual Health Insurance Application

Completing Individual Health Insurance Application

If you do not have access to a group employer plan then the other option you have is to apply for individual health insurance plan. Individual health insurance application require more information from you then group health insurance plans that you might have had through job. The reason for that is that individual, and that applies to family health plans, are medically underwritten. That means that a person called medical underwriter will go over your medical application and decide if you are a good risk for the insurance company. The main reason for medical underwriting is to keep over all cost for every one low. The more insurance company has to pay out in claims the more they have to charge every one for health insurance to keep the average cost down.

If you have already had a chance to take a look at individual application then you probably know that it can be long. How much of the application you have to fill out depends on your previous medical history. If you are in perfect health then there is not much that you can write on your application other then some basic information. If you are some one who has been to the doctors for lab work, test or takes prescription medication then you would have to include that on your application. Most individual application require you to provide information of your doctor or the last doctor you have been to. If you are not sure of the name of the doctor you can always include the hospital name, clinic name or doctors practice name. When it comes for the dates of your last doctor office visit or any other dates. If you do not remember exact dates, just put down your best estimate.

The most important thing to keep in mind when filling out individual or family application, especially if you do have some medical issues, is to understand this. Until there is a permanent change to health care system and health insurance is not medically underwritten. Insurance company will consider every condition that you have and every medication that you take. The reason for that is that in most states in the US health insurance companies require to cover everything once you are approved. That means that all of your medical conditions and prescription drugs have to be cover by law once you have been approved for coverage. That is if you are approved. I hate to use this analogy because we a talking about human lives, but the simple way to explain health insurance is to compare it to car insurance. For example lets say you get in the minor car accident and you do not have car insurance. Your car is still drivable and it looks like you will need a new bumper and some paint. The next day you go out and purchase car insurance to cover your accident. Well we know it does not work like that. If you could just go out and get car insurance only after you had an accident then no one would pay for car insurance. Why pay if you can just get it after you had an accident. No one would pay for car insurance and car insurance companies would not exist. Then you would be fully responsible for all the damages out of your own pocket. I know I would rather pay that $100 a month just in case something does happen.

Most people do not recognize that health insurance works in the same way. Health insurance companies are not going to approve some one who requires immediate medical assistance. That includes pending follow up visits to the doctor, recent surgery (after a surgery a lot of complications can arise), prescription drugs and anything that is known upfront that could potentially be covered expense. Insurance companies use a "actuarial tables" to underwrite individual applications. If based on what you have put down on the application could potentially cost insurance company money, chances are your application will not be approved.

If health insurance companies automatically approved all the application then it would be the same scenario as with car insurance example, that no one would pay for health insurance. I know I would not, why pay for insurance if I can get it when I get sick. If no one would pay for insurance then there would no insurance companies to cover us for unforeseen large medical expenses. I am certainly not prepared to pay $400,000 or higher for medical emergency.

Getting approved for health insurance could take some preparation. If you are currently taking prescription drugs, find out how to can slowly get off them. I am not a doctor and certainly would never tell anyone to not take drugs that were subscribed by their doctor. I think sometimes great health starts with us, with small daily choice we make. Take care of your body and it will take care of you. When completing application sometimes being too honest can cost you also. That does not mean lying. Going to chiropractor and writing on the application that you have had back pains and you will need to see a specialist. On top of that is that you have not has any health insurance previous is just way to suspicious. It looks like you are trying to get health insurance to get medical care for something that you do not want to pay yourself. Do not make it worse then it is and always phrase everything in the positive. Instead of you writing that you are having back pain, taking Advil and going to chiropractor. Phrase it that you went to chiropractor for maintenance just to realigning your back. I see a lot of people get declined for coverage even though they are in perfect health just because how and what they wrote on the application.

Real people will be looking at your application if you are making it worse then it is or you are volunteering too much information then it is only your fault if you get declined. Your answers should be, everything is fine, just a check up, results were normal. Also before you know that you might be looking for health insurance do not go see your doctor until you do have coverage. If you go to the doctor and they find something "wrong" with you then bye, bye health insurance. Now you are stuck. When at the doctors office, again, be careful what you tell your doctor because it will end up in your medical records. When self diagnosing your self do not volunteer that information to your doctor, it is your doctors job to find if there is an issue. If you have been declined for health insurance there are options available to you so is having or not having health insurance. Having any health insurance plan is infinitely better then not having anything at all. It is a know fact that you will get a better treatment if the hospital knows that you have some way to pay for your medical care and that they are not just working for free taking care of you. The one and the most important thing that you can do is to take care of your health. Eat your broccoli.



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Buying Individual Health Insurance For Your Health Needs

Buying Individual Health Insurance For Your Health Needs

In the United States, most companies provide health insurance coverage for all of their employees. If a person is self-employed or if he works for a small company that does not have that option, then he has to consider buying individual health insurance for his health needs.

The worker pays an average of either $779 a year for an individual plan or $3,515 a year for a family plan, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. In order to calculate this average, it stands to reason that many workers are paying considerably more than this for their company health coverage.

In order to find the best insurance coverage for the cheapest price, the best thing you can do is get quotes from a number of different health insurance companies. There are non-profit sites that will do this for free if you answer a few questions about your household. After reviewing your answers, they will send a list of state approved companies that have policies that will meet your specific health needs. They, also, include the website and phone number for each company.

The total cost of a family health insurance plan in the United States is $13,500 for a year. Workers only pay a portion of that price. Because of the rise in price, small companies are paying less for insurance, while their workers are paying more. In some cases, it may be smarter for them to purchase their own individual health insurance.

One of the things that affect the validity of saving money on an individual plan instead of a company plan is the area that you live and work in. Folks in the area around New York City would most likely pay more for an individual policy, while workers living in the middle northern states would pay less.

It is important for a worker to consider several benefits that a company plan offers before he decides to change to an individual plan. There are several things that would not be included in an individual plan.

The insurance company that is carried by a private company is obligated to accept every employee for coverage regardless of his health needs. They cannot cancel an employee's insurance if he becomes ill. The law allows an employee to purchase an 18 month extension on his health insurance if he is laid off.

The company is required by law to waive the waiting period on a new employee if he was covered by insurance in his other job for a longer period than the time of the waiting period. For an example, if an employee worked fifteen months for another company and was covered by their company insurance, and the waiting period at his new job is nine months, then the waiting period is canceled and his entire insurance coverage is effective immediately.

Don't cancel your company insurance until you are sure that you have been accepted for the individual insurance plan that you applied for. Private insurers have a long list of reasons for refusing coverage, and you may fall within that list. It would not be unusual for a company to deny you coverage.

Comparing policies and quotes from various insurance companies is the wise way to go. Read over the policies, and if there is something you don't understand, call them and ask about it. This is the only way you will be able to make a knowledgeable decision about buying individual health insurance.



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Know More About Individual Health Insurance Policies

Know More About Individual Health Insurance Policies

There are so many things everyone should learn about individual health insurance policies. Such health coverage/programs are necessary no matter what happens.

By this time, you probably have heard a lot about individual health insurance policies. An individual plan actually is a healthcare coverage bought across the private market. It is not in any way tied to any workplace or employment benefit. In truth, individual plans cover not only a single individual. If you have one, for instance, you would learn that your individual coverage could also cover your spouse and more especially your children.

Owning A Health Insurance Changes With Times

Across the globe, most people get to own a health insurance coverage only because such plans are included in employment and work-related benefits. However, you know for a fact that the current employment setting is evolving. In the past several years, many people have been laid off and made redundant due to the impact of the recent financial crisis. Many entrepreneurs decide to be self-employed. Others opt to work from home.

Insurance For Unemployed Or Self Employed

If you are not formally employed or if you have decided to work from home or online, you need to look at the available individual health insurance policies available. If you have your own business, be it great or small, you also need to find and buy an individual healthcare plan for your own. This is because it is not advisable to go on without any form of health coverage. Do not give in to any temptation to go without one. Take note that even if you are in the pink of your health, you could inevitably meet a serious car accident or fall off a ladder. It is not likely to go on a medical bankruptcy situation.

For Those Who Are Employed

It is surprising that there are several employers who do no offer healthcare coverage as part of employee benefits. If that is the case in your current employment, it is up to you to find and buy any of the available individual health insurance policies for yourself.

Some Facts You Should Know

What is not surprising and somehow logical about individual health insurance plans is that they are more expensive compared to group health plans available through employers. You might be awed to find out that a specific healthcare coverage when taken individually would cost hundreds of times higher than the same coverage you have enjoyed while you were employed. This is the usual downside of individual health insurance policies.

You should also be aware that insurers have the right to decline any application for an individual health plan. Premiums on healthcare coverage may also vary. It would depend on your age and your health condition. Of course, you could expect that no health insurer would exempt any preexisting medical condition on your coverage. If you have a history of kidney problems, for instance, expect your new individual health plan not to cover any ailment or condition linked to your kidneys. That is logical.



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Buying Individual Health Insurance Tips

Buying Individual Health Insurance Tips

Heath insurance is a way to make sure you will not be caught empty-handed at times when you need to avail of health care services. In places such as the U.S., health insurance is very much needed, as people do not regularly keep large amounts of cash at hand for such situations. Individual insurance, unlike other insurances, is a separate type of insurance apart from what is insured by your company and cover health care services unlike other types of insurances that cover possible risk and losses for your car, home or other such sorts of possessions.

It is widespread knowledge that any type of insurance does not come cheap. And buying individual health care insurance is not exempt from that. You can find almost hundreds of companies that offer Individual health care insurance and at different rates and coverage. It is very important that you research and research well about the medical insurance you plan to avail of. The numbers concerning any type of insurance will have your head spinning, and much as it is simply called Individual insurance, there are many factors that concern such a type of insurance. Here are a few things to consider when buying individual health insurance to help with our research.

• Medical insurance has two important factors that you have to consider: HMO and PPO. One would ask, "What in the world is HMO and PPO, and how does this affect my choices in purchasing individual insurance?" HMO and PPO affect the doctor (or doctors if you are seeing multiple ones for any reason) that you are seeing. To put it simply, HMO locks you in to a certain primary health care provider, in this case, just one or two doctors depending on the type and contract that these doctors have. HMO requires a lot of paperwork, and would only be ideal if you prefer a certain doctor that happens to be signed up to an HMO. On the other hand, PPO lets you avail of the insurance from a wider range of doctors, and will not restrict you to seeing just one doctor. PPO is ideal if you anticipate that you will need emergency health care as opposed to needing constant follow ups. Considering these factors leads us to the next tip.

• Determine what type of health care you will generally require when buying individual health insurance. The type of health care you will need will also determine if your health care insurance will be more helpful rather than something you can barely use. Do you have a condition that requires regular visits to a doctor, procedures and laboratory tests?

• Know what your insurance will cover. This is the primary reason for buying individual health insurance in the first place. Getting health insurance is usually required when there is a service you need or believe you will need in the future that is not covered by your company's health insurance. If you need routine blood tests or any special type of service, will the health insurance you are signing up for cover the charges for these?

Buying individual health insurance can be a great choice that would save you from a headache when you need health care. Doing research regarding the individual health insurance that is the right type for you will rid you of possible debt and save you some money in the long run.



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Take Care of Your Health by Buying Individual Health Insurance

Take Care of Your Health

Inflation has not even spared the medical bills. How much ever hard you try, but medical expenses are unavoidable. Eating healthy, exercises, leading a disciplined life, all of them cannot keep you away from medical expenses, although may the delay the unavoidable but it is bound to come sooner or later. Medical insurance is like any other insurance where people forms a group and pool their risk which is incurring medical expenses in this particular case. Insurance can be provided by governmental organization or individual insurance companies which may be state owned or by a private company or a public private partnership.

While buying individual health insurance you will find innumerable options which will flash in front of your eyes with their great benefits and make you blind folded. But, be aware as buying individual health insurance is a tricky situation. Sometimes, insurance is also provided by employers to their employees where they cover not only the individual but as well dependents of the employees. This type of insurance is bought in a group by the company. But, if an employee leaves the job, he will no longer be covered in the group insurance plan. So, it is always a good option- buying individual health insurance, which will also take care of not only you but your family as well. It is really beneficial to get insurance early in life as the premiums, or the cost of insurance, increases as the age of a person increases.

While buying individual health insurance companies gets medical tests done of the individual as well as his/her dependents to check whether they suffer from any previous ailments or not. If they suffer then it is the discretion of the company to provide insurance or not. Usually, the company either rejects the individual's application to provide insurance or increases the cost of insurance, which is the premium paid. So, it will be a wise decision- buying individual health insurance early in life. But, sometimes in some states or country, the government makes it mandatory for the insurance companies to provide health insurance to individuals even if they suffer from any ailments. Insurance premiums can be paid yearly, half-yearly, quarterly or monthly, depending on the options provided by the company. Some companies provide all the options thus giving ample choices to the person looking for insurance.

While buying individual health insurance it is crucial to check out the criteria or the diseases which is covered by the insurance plan. Although, the advertisement given by companies are flashy and usually says covering your entire medical expenses but they do not cover all of them. Sometimes they leave out certain diseases or expenses like pregnancy, or expenses where you are hospitalized for less than 24 hours. So, while buying individual health insurance be sure to ask the agent or the person selling the insurance to mention diseases covered by them. Sometimes, the insurance plans comes with many riders as well, these riders are provided with some additional cost like riders for accidents, disability. The most important thing is to pay your premiums regularly as if once it is not paid you will your cover thus, making go over again the whole process of buying individual health insurance again.



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Individual Health Insurance Versus Group Health Insurance - A Guide to the Differences in the Plans

Individual Health Insurance Versus Group Health Insurance

When shopping for medical insurance it can be difficult and intimidating when trying to determine what policy and plan is the best one for you. Health insurance rates are not the same in each state. This is also true when you consider the options of getting your medical insurance through your employer or buying an individual insurance plan. There are many factors that play into what, where and for how much you can get the best deal. Two different options that you can look at are individual insurance and group insurance.

With individual health insurance, you must apply for health coverage directly with the insurance provider. The rate will be based on your health history and can be rather expensive. Most people have their insurance provided for them through their employer or government program. However, about five percent of the population obtains medical care coverage through individual plans.

Group insurance differs in that the insurance provider groups individuals together by company or organization and offers a lower rate to the group. This type of insurance is offered by employers to qualifying employees as a benefit for working for the company. Group health insurance is by far the most common in the United States.

An important difference between individual and group plans is how you must qualify for either individual or group insurance. If you want to purchase individual insurance you must first qualify. This includes participating in a medical examination as well as completing a health questionnaire revealing any health issues that you may already have. The results are evaluated and used as a deciding factor as to whether or not you are insurable. This can be frustrating because you may be turned down due to your age, income, habits and medical history. Group insurance works differently in that an insurance company is incapable of refusing you insurance when company group coverage is involved. If you tend to have poor health or negative habits (such as smoking), group insurance may be the best option for you.

Along with qualifications, the cost of your coverage is extremely important when considering your options. With individual coverage you are likely to have a higher deductible, which is the amount of money per year that you must pay in advance of the insurance company paying for your health care. Individual insurance also has a higher co-pay or cost-sharing expense. Cost-sharing is a fee you pay at the time of service directly to the medical practitioner. With group coverage, your overall out-of-pocket expense will be significantly less than your costs with individual insurance. Group insurance rates can be more easily reduced because there are more people and the risk that the insurance company is taking can be spread out over multiple individuals. With group health insurance, the employer pays the largest amount money to the insurance company. This means that employees receiving the benefits are left with only a fraction of the cost.

Now that you know the basics of who qualifies for what and the associated costs, let's now discuss some other important facts involved with purchasing insurance. The benefits of each particular health plan, for example, are something that you should consider. If you're going to be paying for something it's important that you benefit from it and that it's not going to be a waste of money. In the case of a group policy the employer is the one that makes the decision on what benefits will be offered. Everything that is or is not covered is determined by the employer and will ultimately determine the amount of your premium. The plan that your employer selects could actually offer you a lot of things that you don't actually need but still end up paying for. In the case of personal health insurance you get to select the coverage that you want because you are the only one participating and you know just how much you are willing to spend.

In short, you should carefully look over the policies of both types of insurance plans before choosing the one that is right for you, and you should look over the pros and cons of your particular insurance plan before making a final decision.



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Buying Individual Health Insurance Options

Buying Individual Health Insurance Options

Buying individual health insurance and what you need to know. With all the technology and the internet it has never been easier to buy individual health insurance. There are hundreds of places where you can get coverage for yourself or for your family. There are three ways how you can purchase individual health coverage. You can get it through health insurance broker, directly through medical insurance company and through one of the online websites. One thing to keep in mind is that you cannot find a better deal buying individual health insurance through insurance company directly. No matter where you apply for you plan you will pay the exactly the same price for the same plan. Health care is regulated by Health Insurance Commissioner in every state. Each medical insurance company files with Commissioner every plan that they offer with explanation of benefits and how much that plan cost for every age of the person and every zip code. Medical Insurance Companies are strictly regulated by the commissioner, some people might say not enough and some might say that they are regulated to much. It is all the matter of personal opinion.

One of the best ways to be buying individual health insurance is through a broker, preferably trusted broker, the one that has been around for a while. Keep in mind that you never pay the broker, in fact it is illegal for health insurance broker to accept any kind of compensation. The reason that you want to be buying individual health insurance through the broker is that a good broker know what are the best plans available for your situation in your state and that are in your budget. Having a good broker by your side comes in handy when you might have a claim issue or you would like to change your plans. In most cases broker can take care of that for you and it is always free to you. You would not have to call the insurance company and sit on hold for hours and get transfer to different places. One phone call to your broker and he or she will take care of you. It is like having attorney by your side that represents you to the insurance company and best of all it is one hundred percent free to you.

The second way to be buying individual health insurance is through online website. It is extremely fast convenient and a lot of the website online are insurance brokers or agencies. That means you will still have some one on your side when it comes to dealing with the insurance company. Some of the website have a large staff of people working for them that are there to assist you with any questions that you might have. There is another great benefit to work with agency or broker is that they represent multiple if not all the medical insurance companies in your state. They would know what is the best solution for you. One thing to look out for is that there are a lot of medical insurance website that collect your information and sell it to many places. The problem with that is you will get a barrage of phone calls and emails. There is really no solid way of finding that out. I will make some suggestions at the bottom of where you can get some quotes, compare plans, buying individual health insurance and no one is going to call you. In fact you do not even have to give out any of your information other than your zip code and age.

Our last option is to go through insurance company directly. You do have that option if that is what you want to do. If you know what you want and you think you can handle this on your own then buying individual health insurance directly might be the way to go. If this is your option make sure that when you are applying for health coverage directly that you are actually applying directly with insurance company. There are a lot of websites that look like official insurance company website but they are not. They are perfectly legal and strictly regulated and constantly revived by insurance companies' compliance departments. The owners of those website definitely do not want to deal with lawyers from the insurance company. Now you have the general idea in buying individual health insurance.



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