Getting health coverage through your employer

Getting Health Coverage

An important step in assuring an individuals long term health, is to acquire health insurance coverage. While it is possible to purchase individual and family health care coverage on your own, this can be a very costly way to get health coverage. Choosing to buy your own health insurance coverage can also be very confusing . However, if you purchase your own health insurance coverage, you may have more options available to you. Generally when you purchase health insurance coverage through your employer, you must use the same carrier as your employer and may have no option as to your plan choice. In the long run, purchasing your health coverage through your employer is one of the cheaper options available to you. You must decide what the important options are when purchasing your health insurance coverage before making any decisions.

There is generally a wait period when getting health coverage though your employer. For instance, if you start a new job in January you may have a wait period of 3 months before you are offered health coverage through your employer. This leaves the possibility that you will be uninsured until April. While it can be frightening to remain uninsured for a period of time, it will probably save you money if you wait and purchase your health coverage through your employer.

When you purchase your health coverage through your employer, you will find that you are offered limited options, if any at all. Your employer may only offer one health coverage plan and you may determine that it is not the right option for you. Your employer will try to choose the option that is the cheapest one for them and their employees. Your employer may only offer and HMO and because of that you may find that your primary care physician is no longer covered. When changing health plans, some people find that they can longer go to any of the doctors or specialists that they have gotten comfortable with. This can not only be stressful, but it can also effect the level of medical care you receive. It takes awhile to establish a relationship with a new doctor and in the interim, you health could suffer.

Group health coverage is offered through many employers

Group Health Coverage

While independent individual health coverage may be the best option for some people, it can be beneficial to get group health coverage through your employer. Individual health coverage may offer more coverage options for the patient, however, group health coverage is often a cheaper way to get health coverage. Group health coverage makes the process of getting health insurance much more simple. Your employer will do the massive amounts of research involved in acquiring your individual health coverage. In some cases, your employer may even have a health insurance representative come in to the office and go over all of the options for individual health coverage available through their group health coverage plans. If not, there is usually a representative within your company that will help to get any questions answered by your company’s health care provider.

The massive amounts of research necessary in choosing either individual health coverage or group health coverage, can be overwhelming and confusing. The options for health insurance are endless. Your employer will consider factors such as cost, availability of doctors and specialists, hospital and dental coverage and co-payments. When your employer analyzes the cost of group health coverage, they will try to find the one that is cheapest for the company and for the individual. In doing so, they will also consider the other important factors in choosing group health coverage. Your employer may choose an option that is on the more expensive side, because of the added benefits for their employees. It is important to consider the added values associated with more expensive group health coverage because in the long run, it may save money for the individual and increase productivity of employees simply because they are healthy.

The debate about affordable health coverage

Affordable Health Coverage

There is a debate nationwide about the availability or affordable health coverage for Americans. While many in the US have affordable health coverage, there are those that believe the system does not provide equal access. Some people claim that socialized medicine would solve the problems associated with our nations health care system and would provide affordable health coverage for each and every citizen. However, there are many reasons why this is not the case. Government controlled health care would take away individual control of ones health care options. There must be another way to provide affordable health insurance coverage.

Although the government claims that our individual health care options would not change, it is quite clear that in order to offer affordable health coverage to the entire nation, the government would have to be able to dictate what treatments would be available. In other countries that offer socialized medicine, the government has dictated the types of medical treatment available to their citizens. For instance, in The UK there was a case of a Mother fighting to keep her child on Life support. While the case raged on, her daughter lay in a hospital bed without her Mother by her side because her mother had to be in court fighting the government. Eventually, the courts in the UK ruled that there was no hope for her daughter and they took her off of life support against her mother’s wishes. Do we, as a nation, really want the government to make those decisions for us?

Another issue with the government being in control of the nations affordable health insurance coverage , is that many doctors salary would likely decrease. In order to provide Nationwide affordable health insurance coverage, the government would also dictate what doctors would be able to charge for each and every procedure. Why would doctors practice is a country where they would not make any money, especially because their education is time intensive and so expensive. For that matter, why would they become doctors at all if the would not be able to support themselves on the wages. Currently, excellent doctors from other countries, strive to work in America because of the great wages and excellent working conditions. However, if the government takes control of our health care system, our doctors will begin leaving to work in other countries.

Health insurance quotes

 Health Insurance Quotes

The cost of health insurance can vary greatly. There are many health insurance company’s and many options within those companies. The best way to compare rate is to get health insurance quotes from several companies and analyze the benefits and cost. There are several ways to get health insurance quotes. You can call insurance companies and have them send health insurance quotes for all of their different plans directly to you via email. You may also get a health insurance quote from your employer. There are also many helpful sites available on the Internet.

Illness and health insurance rates

Health Insurance Rates

Health insurance rates can vary because of many mitigating factors. Your health insurance rate may change when the size of your family changes. You may also have a better health insurance rate if you work at a large company. You may even have a better health insurance rate if you have mostly been healthy throughout your lifetime. Unfortunately, if you have had health issues, especially those that required long term or frequent treatment, you will find that your health insurance rates will increase.

Consider deductibles when choosing your medical coverage

Medical Coverage

There are many medical coverage plans available and many factors to consider when choosing one. One of the most important factors in choosing medical coverage is the amount of deductibles that are solely the patients responsibility. Although you may be offered many treatment options through your medical coverage, you may have to reach a certain deductible amount each year, before that coverage begins. There are also deductible payments required when making doctor visits or when having medical tests done. Also, when getting a prescription form your doctor, you should take your deductible into account as each prescription will have a different deductible.

The cost of being uninsured

Being Uninsured

Many families remain uninsured because it is often difficult to find low cost health insurance. While finding low cost health insurance is often a priority for today’s struggling families, it is important that they also make sure that coverage provides for every family members medical necessities. Affordable health insurance is currently a popular issue for many American families. Many of those families are struggling because of the state of the economy and they must prioritize all spending. It is often the case that people have to make very difficult choices and make sacrifices that can put them and their families in danger. Health insurance is overlooked by a lot of families because they are struggling even to put food on the table due to the state of the economy.