A Primer On Finding &amp Selecting Medical Insurance

Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Saturday 25 July 2009 10:00 pm

At one time, only a few such as the self employed really had to know much about selecting medical insurance because for many years, the majority of the working population was working in employee status and Medical Insurance was a company benefit, and one that had very few choices involved.

Today that benefit is either disappearing or being offered with choices ranging from family plan to PPO to HMO to no participation; choices also include the amount of payroll deduction based on plan choice, and it?s a complex situation to decide.. does one opt for the plan with a $500 person/$1000 max deductible which has virtually no payroll deduction, or the plan with the $250/500 but with a $25 per month deduction. Of course those figures are arbitrary for the purpose of the article and cited only as examples.

But there are choices that can and need to be made.. in fact, some times those choices now come down to where can I get my own insurance… period? as so many companies have either layed people off or cut the Medical Benefit entirely.

Let?s say you are one of those people.. hopefully not, but we need to cut to the chase.

The first thing to see is if a spouse is working, is insurance offered from their employer? Possibly they were not on a family plan, but this is now required.

Usually even with an employer requiring a contribution, a employer provided plan is less costly than going out 100% percent on your own. This should really be checked out. Employer group rates are generally less than an individual getting their own insurance.

But let?s say this does not apply. But the principle of bulk or group purchasing does. Your next step is to see if there is a group that you can join that offers group rates. If you are self employed or have your own business, chances are that your business or profession may have a professional or trade organization that offers Medical Insurance through the group.

The writer of this article resides in Pittsburgh, Pa where he has been involved quite indirectly in the construction industry. When we say quite indirectly we are talking about being in sales and having a sales business which provides pumps and equipment to contractors. Because of that association, the writer qualified for membership in the local Builder?s Association which had pooled its many members to obtain group rates. This is cited in this article because you as a reader may not have an apparent direct connection to a group, but you might qualify through an association as the writer has done. If you need to provide your own medical insurance, by all means check this out.

Are, or were you involved in federal or military service? You may find a group association here.. try your VFW, your TROA, your American Legion. One company that advertises for the self employed is NASE. I’ve never checked them out, but I do hear advertising.

So let?s assume you have found a supplier, regardless of your status. Most suppliers offer a choice of programs ranging from HMO to PPO. What may seem to be the best deal may not be so at all because of length of time to coverage.

BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ON THE PRE-EXISTING CLAUSES. Even if you consider yourself healthy and not under treatment, if you had a past work related physical or other physical and a condition was noted as detected.. but you felt it was not worth pursuing treatment for, and in fact, you are not having a treatment or medication… if it?s on the record SOMEwhere and you subsequently have a claim… if it?s related to the diagnosis, not only could that claim be denied, but your entire policy voided under the provisions of fraudulent application if you did NOT state a pre- existing condition.

Yes, insurance companies want your money and to have you as a client, but they are there as profit makers first, and if they can find a way to NOT pay you that they are legally entitled to… you won’t get a claim paid. You MUST have everything in writing including any exceptions to a precondition. Better to be turned down up front than canceled when you need them.

Lastly, if you can not get or pay for insurance, but have a family with minor children: Many states have programs that will insure your minor children at no or nominal fees. These state programs will not necessarily seek you out and sign you up.. you need to do your research. Do not hesitate to call your county health association or your state insurance commissioner. Someone will know.

We hope that this article, and the fact you probably found it on the Internet will help. Be sure and use Internet tools and search engines and you’ll probably find more resources than you ever thought existed. Search terms such as discounted medical insurance or disease/condition specific insurance will yield results. don’t spend another day unprotected.

About The Author
Joe Leech has been self employed for over 15 years and has had to purchase his own insurance. Now semi retired, he writes articles and ebooks and he offers a full insurance information site at http://medins.ouronlinebusiness.com.

Be Assured Of An Insured Aloha

Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Saturday 25 July 2009 6:00 pm

As a U.S. citizen, Hawaii travel insurance is not going to involve concerns about health insurance. If you’re already covered with health insurance on your home turf, you will likely be covered in Hawaii. What you’re going to want to look for in Hawaii travel insurance plans is what you’d look for in just about any travel vacation insurance – protection against the unexpected travel tragedy excluding medical emergency.

Hawaii travel insurance would be great to have in a number of instances. For example, if you booked a cruise and the cruise line went out of business. If they went belly up, bankrupt, shut down, and can’t take their cruise ships out of port you would be there holding your bags quite literally and an expensive but useless ticket for your cruise.

You are only going to get your money back in one of two ways. If you don?t have travel insurance coverage, you would have to go to bankruptcy court. In this instance often only the first few creditors, if any, are reimbursed. If you were one of them you would get your money back. Don’t count on it! The other reimbursement alternative for reimbursement of that ticket for your cancelled trip is Hawaii travel insurance. You would simply file and claim and voila, money back to you without a problem.

Another protection you would want coverage for by your Hawaii travel insurance is if your trip should be delayed. Perhaps your flight is cancelled or delayed for bad weather and you’re not home but instead at an airport where you need to change planes on a connection, or you might still be in Hawaii and trying to get back home. Often in these occurrences there is no immediate remedy and you might be stuck at your location a day or two. You would need a hotel stay, food and transportation to and from the airport to the hotel. In this day and age, the airlines rarely cover this, the right Hawaii travel insurance would.

What if your luggage is delayed, or worse yet lost or stolen? What are you going to wear? Who is going to give you the money to buy it? Again, this is what Hawaii travel insurance could cover.

What if you or another member of your travel party are in Hawaii and taken ill and require the care of your own physician? What if someone back home is gravely ill or passes away and you must return immediately? If you’ve purchase a restricted or non-refundable ticket you’re not going to be able to change your return schedule. It would be very expensive to fly home last minute. Where would this money come from? Hawaii travel insurance can cover for such emergencies.

Clearly, Hawaii travel insurance could be a financial and stress-related lifesaver in time of vacation emergency. If considering a trip to the beautiful islands, remember a small investment in such trip insurance coverage could pay off big in the long run.

Steve Cogger is webmaster of the Happy Traveller website. Visit the site today to receive all of the information on travel insurance you could possibly need.

How To Save On Your Auto Insurance Like George Bush

Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Saturday 25 July 2009 2:00 pm

The price of gas just keeps on going up and has no apparent relief in site (probably due more to George Bush?s close personal ties to big oil and the middle east than anything else). This in turn is driving up inflation and the cost of almost everything we buy or need including auto or car insurance. Here?s how to turn the tables in your favor and save money on your auto insurance like George Bush would if he had to pay for his auto insurance.

We?ve all seen the commercials and mailings for Progressive and Geico telling us to get online and compare auto insurance companies and get competing quotes. There is a good reason for this ? it will save you money. In most cases, shopping for auto insurance quotes online will save you big money (the average online auto insurance shopper pays 38% less in auto insurance premiums). Get online and shop your auto insurance. You will save money.

It also helps to drive defensively and safely. According to the National Foundation for Highway and Traffic Safety, aggressive drivers cause 90% of all accidents and pay 30 ? 70% more in auto insurance premiums. Take a defensive driving course. Many technical and community colleges offer these courses and they may also reduce points on your license and DMV record. That leads to another important way of saving money on your auto insurance – get points removed from your license. You get points for things like speeding, not stopping for a stop sign, running a red light, and not waving to George Bush (Just kidding). These points cause immediate rate increases on your auto insurance. Most states offer free or nearly free courses that will reduce the points on your license for most infractions (except for drunk driving and driving under the influence ? you have to have a powerful name like Kennedy or Bush and then you get driven home).

Another way to save money on your auto insurance is to increase your deductible and assume more risk.. You will save money by, for instance, going from a $250 deductible to a $1000 deductible. One word of caution, do not drop uninsured and under insured motorists coverage. Due to George Bush and his lenient policy in the past with illegal aliens in our country from Mexico we now have over 20 million illegal and uninsured motorists in America.

Another great way to save money on your auto insurance is to drive a vehicle with a low theft rate. It is a proven fact that auto insurance companies charge higher premiums based on car brand and model theft rates. Since George Bush did practically nothing to stop these illegal aliens from Mexico we now have millions of them and they love to steal cars as some have found it easier than purchasing and they love Honda Civics and Accords. We don?t hear of many of them tooling around in a Mazda or a minivan. Maybe if George Bush invoked trade restrictions with Mexico this would change and jobs would come back to America?

Joining professional groups like AAA. AARP, etc? can also save you money on your auto insurance as you may be entitled to group rates. There are many other ways also. Now you know how to save money on your auto insurance and why we are earning less and executives at big oil are earning more and more (George Bush takes care of his friends). Also, I don?t know if it?s a republican thing, but lets think before we put a Bush in a political office in the future. If you haven?t yet had the opportunity, please watch Farenheit 9/11 and learn more about George Bush and his brother in Florida.

David Maillie specializes in automotive safety products and information. He holds numerous patents and awards for his patented headlight cleaner and restorer. For more information, tips, and money saving products for your auto please visit http://www.mdwholesale.com

Health Insurance: Your Rights Under State Law

Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Saturday 25 July 2009 10:00 am

Health insurance is regulated at the state level and as such there are certain very important state regulations that you should be aware of. These health insurance regulations vary from state to state. Do not make the mistake of assuming that the health insurance policy that you purchased in Pennsylvania will be governed under the same rules as the health insurance policy that you would like to purchase in Florida.

It would be close to impossible to go into a great deal of depth on the various regulations across all 50 states in this short article. However, there is a health insurance information site run by Georgetown University that allows the ability to view and print A Consumer Guide to Getting and Keeping Health Insurance.

Each of these health insurance Consumer Guides are state specific which can save you quite a bit of time in sorting through what does and does not apply to your state of residency. Do your research on the insurance rules and regulations in your state and then be sure to enlist the help of a qualified independant insurance agent to assist you. Be a knowledgeable consumer when shopping for health insurance and know your rights under state law.

Comparison Shop Multiple Companies Instantly and in Real time: Aetna, Humana, United Healthcare and More and Apply Online.

Free health insurance quotes

Car Insurance

Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Saturday 25 July 2009 6:00 am

There are various aspects to consider when applying for car insurance. Many car insurance agencies will consider age, risk, gender, region, and other issues before making a decision. Generally, in the US a person has to be 18 years of age to get a driver license and car insurance. In most instances, the insurance company will consider age. On the other hand, in some instances age may not affect the policy.

Again, factors such as region and gender can have an effect on your policy. In most instances, insurance companies consider the younger drivers as a higher risk, thus they will increase the rates of premiums. The purpose is to encourage the driver to drive safely to receive lower rates later. Still, car insurance companies may offer a better deal to the driver regardless of age.

Many car insurance companies advertise lower costs to luring the customers in the door. However, regardless of the claims made in the ad slicks the company will still consider risks, region, age, and other factors before deciding how much the policyholder will pay on premiums. Therefore, it pays to shop around for the best deals, since each insurance company varies in rates. GEICO is one of the many car insurance companies that lure the customers in by offering lower premiums. The ads often claim that the customers can save as much as 15% on their insurance. However, the slick clearly states ?you could,? therefore the 15% may not be available once you apply.

Again, gender is a factor considered when dealing with car insurance. It sounds biased, and in a way, it is, but at one time female drivers were considered a higher risk. New statistics have proven that the reverse is factual, rather that more males are higher risk drivers than women are. Therefore, ladies if you are paying high premiums on car insurance you may want to head another direction and get a different provider. Nowadays car insurance companies are distinguishing the figures concerning low risk drivers and women. Since the new discoveries, many insurance companies have decreased their premium rates to women drivers.

Car insurance companies will also factor in the details on the vehicle insured. In other words, if you own a Classic vehicle your policy will often increase. Classic motor vehicles are an out of the ordinary car and are often displayed in car shows, trade shows, conventions, and so forth. In view of the fact that the cars an out of the ordinary, the cars frequently necessitate higher maintenance than average vehicles. Car insurance groups comprehend that if the driver is in a catastrophe while driving the classic car a steeper expenditure will be implicated.

Few insurance companies propose car insurance especially for tailored vehicles, which may include ?limited mileage or even specialist track day insurance.? generally; the tailored packages have a variety of choices regarding the coverage, which may include superior ?customization.? Some insurance companies increase the premiums, while other companies offer lower rates. Again, shop around for the best deals if you have a tailored made vehicle to get the best deals.

Most times individuals that are low risk will receive better premium deals on the policy, regardless of age, car type, and so on. Insurance companies often believe that people of the age 50 are at less risk than other groups. Still, these people want to shop around, since not every insurance company will provide discounts for safe driving and will often keep the premiums at the rates presented at the onset of the agreement.

You may want to go online and get a Quote for car insurance, since this can save you money and time. You could use the Quote tabs to get several Quotes from various companies and compare the rates. Going online to get car insurance is often cheaper since the companies do not pay overhead expenses, nor do they hire in several employees, thus they save money and will often help their customers save too.

Few car insurance companies that propose discounted rates to the elderly and mature drivers are existing, offering customized packages at low rates. Since the companies are aware that the older group of people drive less miles than the younger group, the car insurance companies design specialized packages for the elderly, offering them ?less mile? packages with lower premiums.

Authored by Michael Bens. For more great information about all forms of insurance visit our free online insurance publication the Gabae Insurance Source to find the information you’re looking for!

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