It is true that of the many Americans today that don’t have health insurance, many actually can’t afford any. However, there are also many of that number who don’t have health insurance because of misconceptions about insurance and the health care system. A lot of people don’t get health insurance because they think it costs too much, and, besides, they’re in perfect health. What they don’t realize is that some of the most expensive health care bills and some of the highest numbers in medical debt are billed to people who were otherwise in perfect health but were victims of bad luck or tragedy.

The first law of health insurance is that no matter what, it’s always more expensive to be uninsured. People who don’t have health insurance and then find themselves in something as simple as a small car accident can go through their savings, ruin their credit, and fall into huge debt. Even a minor ER visit can cost five hundred dollars.

If you can get insurance through your job, do it! It’s always cheaper, especially if you have previous medical problems that would make it hard for you to get medical insurance through anywhere else. Your employer foots part of the bill and you often get a choice of plans. And when you have a choice, compare, compare, compare. It’s frustrating and time consuming, but it’s the only way to save money and figure out what’s best for you.

Even when you find a plan that looks pretty cheap, cheap isn’t always best. The real deal breaker should be value. You don’t want simply the cheapest premium. You want the cheapest premium with the best coverage. This might be a little higher than that great quote you got, but it will save you more money down the line. Even if you do get a plan with great coverage though, remember that some expenses still fall through the gap. Things like mental health care and prescription drugs are the areas where even the best plans have little to no coverage.

As you were taught in history class, freedom ain’t free. The more flexibility that your health care plan gives you, the higher your premium will be. So it is up to you to decide what is more important to you: deciding who you go to for health care, or paying less on your premium. Less freedom of choice among health providers isn’t necessarily bad, so long as the physicians in the network are quality. And you can research a plan’s network before you sign up for it. Maybe not through the company itself, but there are a lot of sources online or off where you can find out about a certain plan’s track record.

One thing that might worry some people who are using employer based insurance is where they would be if they lost their job. Lucky for them, you don’t lose your health insurance when you lose your job. The government provides you with COBRA for a period of time after you lose your job. It can be more expensive, but it’s better than nothing and can ease a lot of minds.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

I live in Indiana and don’t have health insurance. How does health insurance work in Indiana?

Rick

Here’s how.

The troubling thing about Indiana health insurance and that of many other states is that, if you are someone who is not in completely perfect health, it can often be difficult to get a health insurance plan with good coverage. In Indiana, companies get to reject you for many reasons including what your current health is and whether or not you have pre-existing conditions.

If you have a pre-existing coverage in Indiana that you developed within the last year, you may be in trouble. Some health insurance companies will cover you but exclude coverage for that condition, so you don’t have medical health insurance for what you need it for the most. Others might just not cover you at all, and you will have to look elsewhere. If your condition is from more than a year ago, it cannot be taken into account when considering an exclusion.

If you are going to get Indiana health insurane, you can either get it through the Comprehensive Health Insurance Pool, or CHIP; an individual medical health insurance plan that you buy from a medical health insurance company; or a plan provided by Indiana health insurance through the state that you can get based on income.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama

I need Georgia health insurance for my three year old daughter. Is this available in my state?

Amber

Great question.

All states, of course, have Medicaid, which is a federal program, but naturally Medicaid does not cover everybody who needs health insurance. Although the income requirements for it are a little more loose than for other welfare programs, there are many people who make too much to qualify, but at the same time make too little to get a family health insurance plan with their own money. These people are locked in a dilemma, because they need to get child health insurance for their kids, as well as for themselves.

Georgia health insurance offers the PeachCare program for child health insurance to cover those kids whose parents make too much to be able to get Medicaid. This comes with coverage as extensive as that of Medicaid itself, from things like hospital stays and emergency room visits, to things like prescriptions and eyeglasses and dental appointments. It provides basically everything you need to protect your child’s health throughout his or her lifetime with this Georgia health insurance plan.

It isn’t free, though, but it is a whole lot cheaper than normal child health insurance. Every month there is a cost of about ten to thirty five dollars for each child over the age of five. There is a maximum cost of seventy dollars per month, per family, though, so if you have five children over five you won’t be paying that total. To find out more about this kind of Georgia health insurance, you can go to the state’s PeachCare website for more information.

One of the drawbacks is that, unlike most health insurance plans, which will cover a child until he or she has completed college, PeachCare ends once the child reaches the age of nineteen, whether they are still going to school or not.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.