Your Health Insured

If you are considering changing your health insurance policy, you should be aware of the alternative of a Health Savings Account (HCA).

Some health insurance policies do not provide for prescription coverage and a separate policy must be purchased for prescription medications.

This is an area where it pays to do some homework and research and find the best policy for you.

Prescription coverage insurance is not a necessity; like health insurance coverage, it is a calculated risk, although the risk is not as high.

Usually you can buy prescription insurance at any time, so if the doctor determines that you need an expensive maintenance drug, you may opt in at that time.

It is important to know that if you presently have prescription insurance you can usually only change it at a specific time of the year, although you can add new prescriptions, you can’t change plans.

The person who seldom takes prescription medications probably does not need prescription insurance; however, a person who takes maintenance drugs for high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, heart disease or immune disorders most likely needs insurance against the high costs of drugs.

Prescription insurance policies usually have "tiers", which usually means that a generic drug is at a low or no co-pay, a tier 2 level may be the brand name genuine, and a tier 3 may be a brand new expensive drug that the co-pay could be a set high-percentage of the cost.

In choosing prescription insurance, you should first list the prescriptions that you take and the retail amount of them. If you chose not to purchase insurance, this would be your monthly cost.

Find out from the provider what the monthly premium for you would be, then what the prescription co-pay amount would be and add these two figures together. Which is the less expensive alternative?

As in everything that involves money, it is important to keep good records of your medical expenses for many reasons.

Keeping track of deductibles, especially for a family, can be time consuming, but is an important task. Every policy has different deductibles for lab work, hospital emergency room visits, hospital stays, doctor visits and x-rays, and it is often difficult to track.

Keeping track of your out-of-pocket expenses becomes very important when it comes time to complete your taxes. It also comes in handy to know what your expenses are for medical care when choosing to change companies or policies.

A file folder that includes a copy of the policy, copies of your medical bills and copies of what your
insurance company has paid on those bills is usually all you will need.

When a bill comes for a provider, you will usually receive a statement from your insurance company showing what portion of the bill they paid, and many times providers write off the remainder, if it is not a large sum.

If you visit several doctors, you may want to have a file folder for each doctor or provider.

Insurance companies do occasionally make mistakes, but they are usually on top of their game. Having a copy of the policy handy makes it easy to check deductible levels and whether a particular service is covered or not.

It also serves as a ready resource for telephone numbers, website information and your contact at the insurance company.

Health insurance considerations weigh heavily on the minds of people wanting to retire before Medicare coverage kicks in at age 65. Many people put off retirement simply because the cost of an individual health insurance policy is too great on a limited income.

What options for health insurance do you have if you choose to retire before age 65? Although they are not required to, you may be able to get COBRA-like coverage from your employer.

As an added retirement benefit, your employer may allow you to pick up the premium on your policy; although paying 100% of your premium may initially appear to be an expensive option, purchasing an individual policy apart from a group may be even more costly and not provide you with the level of coverage you previously had.

Some companies are offering basic high-deductible insurance reasonably in the hopes that they will be able to enroll you in Medicare Part C (supplemental insurance) when you retire.

Another option is to budget and save money to cover your anticipated medical costs for the time period between retirement and age 65. If you are in very good health, this may be a viable alternative for you.

Pre-planning for retirement is an important issue; the earlier you start planning, the better. realizing the Medicare does not pay all of your medical expenses, you should budget money for medical expenses even after retirement.

The tuition arrangements are set up; the dorm room is assigned and your son or daughter is headed off to college in the fall. In all of the confusion of the paperwork, deadlines and financial arrangements did you remember to check on their health insurance?

Many, but not all, insurance companies provide for health insurance for college students under a family policy; do you know for sure that yours does?

With some insurance companies, coverage depends on whether or not the student is a full time student. Review your policy or ask your insurance administrator; if you have an HMO plan, will your student be covered if they go to the student healthcare facility away from home?

Check the age limit as well; you may find that once your son or daughter reaches a certain age they are dropped from the policy no matter what.

Ask your insurance company to provide an extra insurance card for your son or daughter to carry with them; if there is an additional card for prescription medications; make sure they have that too.

This preventative step will help eliminate confusion when they suddenly have to see a doctor.

There are student health care plans that are available through most colleges that are a reasonably priced alternative if your policy excludes your child.

Isn’t college confusing enough without having to worry about whether your child is covered should he or she need to seek medical attention? Take the time to look into health insurance before they head off to college in the fall.

When people travel abroad for business or for pleasure, the person must have international heath insurance. Some may think this is not necessary if this will just be for two or three days but a lot can happen during that time.

The person may fall ill with some sickness in the tropics or get into an accident. By becoming a member of one of these companies, the person can get the following benefits;

• Medical assistance in the most advanced and prestigious hospitals in the country that person visits. This is regardless of the person’s occupation and the nature of the accident.

• This can also be used by patients who have chronic conditions after the disease was discovered during the signup period or when the person has been approved to becoming a member.

• 24 hour multilingual service so the person may be able to speak someone in the same language as the member.

• The help of some of the best known doctors in that country and anywhere in the world.

• Part of the coverage includes accidents which are a result of a terrorist attack.

• The policy is renewable which means this can be used for life.

• Annual medical checkups.

• Accessibility to the company’s website to learn of updates and the chances of managing one’s insurance policy.

There are many types of insurance that the person can get. If the person compares both, there are some similarities but most of these can only work in the country where the individual is from. In order to be sure the traveler is safe in a foreign land, it is more important then to have international health insurance.

Where can the person get information? The travel agent that books the trip can refer a good company or the individual can check out the internet to see which among the list will best serve the traveler.

International health insurance companies also provide other services. This could also cover trip cancellations, lost luggage, evacuations and rental car damage.

How much will this cost? This depends on the person and the type of package the individual wants. There are single and group rates that travelers can avail from. There are two types of international health insurance the person can avail of.

The first is called travel medical insurance. These are used by individuals who go on a trip for a week or two abroad which is good for one to three years.

There are some limitations which don’t cover routine medical exams and vaccinations that may need to be done before going on a trip. The maximum that anyone can get from this plan is $50,000 to $1,000,000 per trip.

The second is called long term medical insurance. A lot of multinational companies that send employees overseas avail of these plans. This covers routine medical checkups and is renewable.

This may sometimes depend on the country where the person will be deployed so it is best to read first before deciding to get another plan to cover those that are not included. The maximum coverage for a year is from $500,000 to $8,500,000 or $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 per lifetime.

Traveling to another country or being assigned to work there may be fun. The best way to make sure the trip is enjoyable will be to get some kind of protection in case something untoward happens.

Traveling to a foreign land or to any location where you are basically on your own and you don’t know anyone can be pretty daunting. This is especially true with people who are no used to much traveling and are doing it for the first few times.

Although traveling is basically worry-free with the advancements in technology that allow for faster delivery of information, situations like lost baggage, missed flights, canceled flights do happen. But all these bad luck cannot seem to compare with illness contracted while traveling.

Often the changes in temperature and weather patters wreak havoc on your body. Often, these are people who have traveled to a certain location for the first time and have not yet acclimatized himself. There are also certain countries like those in the tropical areas where different kinds of disease can be contracted. In addition to extreme caution, most airlines and travel agencies advise travelers to get a travel health insurance just for these kind of things.

What is a travel health insurance?

There are actually different types of travel insurance in the market. Some are even part of the ticket cost that you have paid for whether traveling by air or by sea. In fact, recent terror attacks have also given birth to a different kind of travel insurance. Most of the time the insurance with the ticket will cover accidents that happened during flight. It will also cover cancelled flights or flights that stopped midway.

Travel health insurance, however, is an insurance that you have to purchase yourself. This is often availed by people who are planning to stay in a foreign country for a longer period of time. In fact, most travel health insurance are offered to people who are planning to stay in country from a minimum of two weeks to a year. For travelers who will be staying for more than a year, the insurance package is renewable up to two years.
One of the most common kinds is the International Medical insurance, which can reimburse the medical expenses that you will incur in case you get sick while you are traveling or while you are in a foreign country.

Depending on the package that you have availed of, it can even cover for your extended stay in the hospital as well as for emergency surgery. Some travel health insurance will also include coverage for emergency evacuation just in case you are needed to transported to another location for treatment, accident and death benefits as well as other travel assistance services. As part of their service insurance companies who offer travel health insurance provide coverage without the benefit of underwriting. This means that the person need not undergo medical examinations just to avail of the package.

Another kind of travel health insurance is the Annual Medical insurance that offers higher maximum coverage levels and an option to include members of the family. This is already a combination of a health insurance and a life insurance. This kind of insurance is usually availed of by expatriates and their families who will be staying for an extended period of time in a foreign land.

The same also goes with employees who are assigned to work abroad. There are even plans who will provide coverage for both the home country and the foreign land in case the person go to both countries every so often.

When traveling, there is a need to get a comprehensive international health insurance policy especially if you are planning to stay in the country for a long period of time. A comprehensive international health insurance policy often provides coverage not only for medical and health-related expenses, it also covers cancelled trips and emergency assistance in case you need one. Cancelled trips can be reimbursed so that you can book a flight anytime you want.

Still, it is pretty hard to actually choose the kind of comprehensive health insurance policy that you will be needing. All will of course depend on your needs as well as the features of the trip that you will be making. To help you with your decision, below are some guidelines that might help you select the right travel insurance policy for you.

1. Before making actually buying an insurance policy, make sure that you don’t have insurance policies, credit cards and other privilege cards that will do the same functions as the comprehensive health insurance policy in case the trip was accidentally canceled, you got sick or you lost your luggage. Remember that some credit cards provide free travel insurance if the tickets are purchased with their card. Buying a health insurance policy when you are actually sufficiently covered already will be a serious waste of time and money.

2. Ask if you are also amply protected against travel injuries that you may incur after the trip as well as thefts. Most credit card company will only provide insurance if you are still in the airport or while you are on air. If you feel that you also need insurance policy when you get to your destination, then by all means get a health insurance plan.

3. If you are the type to travel often, getting a travel health insurance will save you considerable money and effort. Comprehensive travel health insurance cover the person for a year. If you do several trips in a year, this is already a bargain since you will also be covered even when you have already left the airport.

4. Consider where you are going in deciding whether to get a travel insurance or not. If you are going to places where you feel your health can be compromised and affected, then get your own comprehensive travel health insurance plan. Remember that there are countries where certain diseases are prevalent. This is especially true with the tropical countries in Asia and in the South Americas.

5. Another point to consider is if the place you are traveling to is a known terrorism hot zone. Most travel health insurance policy do not actually offer coverage for victims of terrorist attacks. There are however some who offer terrorism insurance. For instance, even if you are traveling by ship, the terrorism insurance will still be effective. A terrorism travel health insurance is of course more expensive and premium will depend upon the age, the health status and the length of the trip.

6. Read on the clauses and policies of the comprehensive travel health insurance policy before buying. Focus on the sections that indicate exceptions to the coverage. You should also look into the other services that the insurance provides in addition to the health coverage.

Traveling to a foreign land or to any location where you are basically on your own and you don’t know anyone can be pretty daunting. This is especially true with people who are no used to much traveling and are doing it for the first few times.

Although traveling is basically worry-free with the advancements in technology that allow for faster delivery of information, situations like lost baggage, missed flights, canceled flights do happen. But all these bad luck cannot seem to compare with illness contracted while traveling.

Often the changes in temperature and weather patters wreak havoc on your body. Often, these are people who have traveled to a certain location for the first time and have not yet acclimatized himself. There are also certain countries like those in the tropical areas where different kinds of disease can be contracted. In addition to extreme caution, most airlines and travel agencies advise travelers to get a travel health insurance just for these kind of things.

What is a travel health insurance?

There are actually different types of travel insurance in the market. Some are even part of the ticket cost that you have paid for whether traveling by air or by sea. In fact, recent terror attacks have also given birth to a different kind of travel insurance. Most of the time the insurance with the ticket will cover accidents that happened during flight. It will also cover cancelled flights or flights that stopped midway.

Travel health insurance, however, is an insurance that you have to purchase yourself. This is often availed by people who are planning to stay in a foreign country for a longer period of time. In fact, most travel health insurance are offered to people who are planning to stay in country from a minimum of two weeks to a year. For travelers who will be staying for more than a year, the insurance package is renewable up to two years.
One of the most common kinds is the International Medical insurance, which can reimburse the medical expenses that you will incur in case you get sick while you are traveling or while you are in a foreign country.

Depending on the package that you have availed of, it can even cover for your extended stay in the hospital as well as for emergency surgery. Some travel health insurance will also include coverage for emergency evacuation just in case you are needed to transported to another location for treatment, accident and death benefits as well as other travel assistance services. As part of their service insurance companies who offer travel health insurance provide coverage without the benefit of underwriting. This means that the person need not undergo medical examinations just to avail of the package.

Another kind of travel health insurance is the Annual Medical insurance that offers higher maximum coverage levels and an option to include members of the family. This is already a combination of a health insurance and a life insurance. This kind of insurance is usually availed of by expatriates and their families who will be staying for an extended period of time in a foreign land.

The same also goes with employees who are assigned to work abroad. There are even plans who will provide coverage for both the home country and the foreign land in case the person go to both countries every so often.

Being unemployed can be a financial downside to say the least. You may be depends on someone else to cover your daily expenses such as a place to live and food to eat. Health insurance is something that everyone needs and not enough people have available because of these other financial burdens. Any emergency such as a car accident or broken bone will require adequate medical assistance. What do you do when you don't have insurance and can't afford expensive medical bills? If you are unemployed, you need to find health insurance to prevent this from happening.

COBRA is a law in which many people could be eligible to remain on an employer's health insurance plan even after they lose their employment. The most ideal person for this coverage is someone who is between jobs and is not in need of long-term help. It can last at least a year to those who qualify, but the premium amount is still an expense that some unemployed individuals may not be able to take care of with their lack of income. If you are able to pay the premium and are eligible, COBRA will also cover your spouse and children who are dependent on you for insurance. The best way to determine if you could receive health insurance is to contact your local employer's benefits department and fill out the required forms.

You can also shop around for typical health insurance. Many free Internet services are proven reliable by the Better Business Bureau Online. By speaking with one of these insurance experts, you can get help finding the most affordable health insurance that will fit your specific needs. They know the rates of thousands of insurance companies and can fix you up with appropriate coverage for your specific needs. If you have a spouse or children, having health coverage is a necessity. Life is full of unexpected events and you cannot ensure that everyone will stay completely healthy until you have insurance again because accidents do happen. Finding an affordable coverage rate on your own can be a hassle. The experts at these companies are offering their assistance to you, often as a free service. Whether you need to find something short-term or for an extended period, they are qualified and dedicated to helping you.

If you find yourself unemployed at any time in your life, you are probably without health insurance. This can be a nightmare whether you have a family or not because medical expenses can put you into debt quickly. Luckily, there are ways of finding affordable coverage providers that can keep your health, as well as your finances, safe. A simple doctor visit can cost you significantly more money than it would with insurance. Do not let yourself become one of the many people who are unfortunately living life without proper insurance coverage.

Medicare is a governmental program which provides medical insurance coverage for retired persons overage 65 or for others who meet certain medical conditions, such as having a disability.