What’s the deal with those discount health insurance cards?

Martha

Great question.

Discount medical health insurance cards claim to be a great alternative for people who don’t have the money to be able to afford insurance. For that very reason, they may be a little attractive at first, especially to any of the millions of uninsured who have no other option. It would be a great idea to offer low cost health insurance to those who fall through the gap between government aid and medical self sufficiency. However, upon closer look, this discount medical health insurance cards aren’t all that they’re cracked up to be.

The business of discount health cards is growing fast, and many health insurance companies are now offering them as an affordable alternative to full on health insurance plans. What they do is give the card holder discounts on things like doctor appointments, hospital visits, and prescriptions. In some cases, they may be the only option for someone who can’t afford health insurance, and thus it won’t matter that that person is still footing the whole medical bill, just with a slight discount. However, for those who feel the need to avail themselves of this option, an eye should be kept out for the many cards that are fraudulent.

Many sellers of these fraudulent discount cards make it look like the cards are actual health insurance, when they aren’t. They are not regulated, and there’s no way to protect yourself as a consumer if you get one of these cards. Even the more normally legitimate businesses that offer the cards tend to make it look like the savings and discounts that you get from them are much more than they actually are. If you fall for this, you could end up paying more for a card every month than it’s saving you money.

Even if the discounts they promise are technically on the card, a lot of times there will be a bunch of under the table fees that will take those away, so that in the end the only thing that this card you have will be is a piece of useless plastic. It can have the effect of making some people who can barely afford their health insurance plan exchange it for a card, convinced by the companies that it is an actual health insurance plan, only to find themselves paying all of their medical bills.

There are many of these companies out there who are trying to steal your money without actually giving you anything in return. One company has already charged unwilling customers for cards that they never wanted, fraudulently using their credit card numbers.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

I’m looking to purchase a health insurance policy here in New York in the near future. What do I need to know about health insurance?

Milton

NYC

Milton, to give you an overview of what health insurance, it is mainly just another type of insurance covering hospital or medical expenses. Say, you were diagnosed with something life-threatening, like a stroke. A bypass operation was found out to be needed. It is unfortunate that after the surgery, therapy and other expenses will still hound you. It is really financially backbreaking to undergo a medical procedure such as a bypass operation without sufficient health care plans. Paying for a medical operation such as that will literally wipe out your fortune in a few months’ time.

You have to remember that this type of insurance product has a high decline rate. According to a study, around thirteen percent of applicants were denied to get a comprehensive medical health insurance in 2004. What does this mean? It means that while you are young, healthy and capable of paying for a health insurance, then you should do so. Who knows, a year or 5 years from now, you may be one of those guys included in the thirteen percent tally of declined applicants deemed as very risky. Not only that, but having a health care plan actually would make you a healthier person as you will be more inclined to go for check-ups.

Milton, if I may add also, non-smokers are given the privilege of having smaller premiums. To ask for quotations, please contact your health insurance agent in New York.

Do you have any tips on how to get the best kind of health insurance for myself? Thanks!

Cecily

Albany New York

Health insurance is very important especially in times like these where almost anyone cannot afford the huge costs of getting sick or injuries from an accident. This makes getting the right kind of health plan very crucial. Here are some great tips to help you out:

Employers Health Coverage May Not be enough

In uncertain times even the health policy from your employer may not be enough to cover your needs. At least have a secondary health policy for you and your family. You don’t want to lose vital health coverage if the company you work for suddenly packs-up or if you are made redundant.

Get a Health Savings Account (HSA)

If you have a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) meaning the policy deductible minimums are $1,150 (self) and $2,300 (self & family) then it’s highly recommended that you get an HSA. This is an excellent option if you don’t use their health coverage so much. HSA’s are tax-deferred so you can pile up savings on it to use for real emergencies in the future.

Independent Rating Agencies

Part of getting the best health insurance policy is going with a reliable and quality health insurer. This is when independent rating agencies such as Moody’s, J.D. Powers, S&P, and A.M. Best become your best resources to find a great provider. They accurately rate many different companies per industry on categories such as billing & payments, customer service, pricing, and claims handling. Most information is for free and can be easily obtained from their websites.

Obtain Online Health Insurance Quotes

The Internet can also help you get affordable health insurance rates. By using a health insurance comparison website (like this one) to obtain a free rate quote, you can compare many different health insurers simultaneously. This saves you a lot of time and effort and maximizes your chances of finding the best and most affordable health provider for you.

I am about to get my health insurance in New York. I am just curious, what are the factors that affect a person’s health insurance rate? I just wanna make sure that I do some research so I’ll be ready once I purchased my health insurance.

George

NYC/p>

When shopping for health insurance, your will be asked to fill out a questionnaire. This questionnaire, will give an idea to the health insurance companies on how risky you are to be insured. Following are some of the main factors that health insurance companies take into consideration in setting health insurance premiums:

1. Health History. If you have maintained a good health history, which means you were not in and out of the hospital or no heart attack for the past 10 years, then you don’t have to worry. You won’t expect a high health insurance rate since you pose lower risk to be insured;

2. Weight. If your weight is beyond normal or you have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 39, you will find it difficult to get a health insurance company willing to insure you. So, I would suggest burn those fats first.

3. Smoker. If you do smoke, then quit. We all know smoking causes cancer. But if you can’t quit, then expect a higher health insurance rate for you;

4. Age. If you are older, the higher your health insurance premium would be. The reason is simple, as you aged, the chance of filing health claims is higher as compared to when you are younger; and

5. Job. If you work as a pilot, fireman, or any other hazardous jobs that puts your life at risk, then you would be expecting a higher health insurance rate.

I understand very little about health insurance policies, and I constantly feel in the dark. I do not even have a clear idea of what might not be included, and this worries me. I’ve just always thought that health care insurance policies would save me from exorbitant medical expenses! Can you explain some of the limitations of a health insurance policy? I live in Louisiana.

Joy

New Orleans, LA

If you think that your health care plan includes every medical cost you might have in the future, you’re up for a surprise. Mostly, a very good health insurance plan means that you will only need to pay for a minimal amount, but certainly there are limitations to what is covered. Here are some exclusions to your health care policy.

First of these are pre-existing conditions. Many health insurance companies are reluctant to shoulder the cost of those medical conditions that you already had before you bought the health insurance policy. Insurers generally have an exclusion period of about 6 months; The state of Louisiana allows this period to be as long as one year. This means you cannot get coverage for pre-existing conditions within the first 6 or 12 months, depending on your contract.

Another is drug abuse. This exclusion assumes that you have inflicted the problem upon yourself. So, in the same way, attempts at committing suicide are excluded. So is alcoholism.

Mental illness–especially if it has already manifested before the start of your contract– will not be covered, as well. So, your psychiatric care will not be paid for by the health insurance company. The same goes for any treatment for learning and behavioral problems.

Cosmetic surgery is not vital to life or living, so looking more beautiful is something you will have to spend for on your own. Most medical procedures considered to be preventive are part of the exclusions, too. So are dental and eye care.

Of course, the best advice I could give is for you to make sure that you read your contract with any insurer very carefully and ask your health insurance company the questions that boggle you.

Tags: Health Care, health insurance, insurance

I reside here in Westminster, Colorado, and the reason why I wrote is to ask if I still have to get prescription drug coverage even though I am already carrying major medical coverage.

Amber

Westminster, CO

The answer to your question is just simple. Why don’t you try to carefully read your policy in order for you to know which things it actually covers? For your information, major medical policies usually include prescription drug coverage. But it still depends on the company that holds your health insurance.

Now, if your major medical coverage does have prescription drug coverage, you still have to check if the coverage satisfies all your needs. In case you do not know, there are two available kinds of major medical coverage, which are supplemental and comprehensive major medical coverage.

With supplemental major medical coverage, you have to buy a basic health insurance plan. Then, you will first have to exhaust this plan before you are able to enjoy the supplemental major medical coverage. The only thing is that supplemental major medical coverage is another policy altogether, and typically it does not pay for things like basic visits to the doctor.

On the other hand, comprehensive major medical policy is a full-proof kind of major medical plan because it pays for almost every kind of expense, such as hospital expense, surgical expense, physician’s expense and other major medical expenses. But be reminded that the provisions of these medical policies still vary from company to company.

So, after knowing all these, I still suggest that you read your policy, or just contact your health insurance provider there in Colorado.

Tags: Health Care, health insurance

Tommy

Yonkers, NY

Since we all get sick and hurt sometimes, health insurance can be very important to us. But health insurance does not come in cheap so here are the things you can do to save on your health insurance:

1. Many employers provide group health insurance for their employees. Often group health insurance, offers good service with affordable prices. Your family can be eligible as well with this group health insurance.

2. Smokers pay higher insurance rates than non smokers so if you can, stop smoking.

3. If you are shopping for health insurance you should compare the different insurance quotes you get. Compare prices and features that are offered by this insurance companies.

4. The higher the deductible the less you have to pay on your premium. This is the best choice if you are only buying life insurance for yourself.

If you get group health insurance with your employer, usually you’ll get an option of what kind of plan you want, and the type you choose will determine both how much freedom you have in determining your health care path, and how much you will be paying for your monthly premium. Figuring out whether you should opt for more expense with freedom or cheaper premiums with lots of restrictions is difficult, so here’s some points to follow.

• Network. Deciding between a plan where you are required to stick to a network of physicians or going with a different plan can often be determined just by seeing what the selection offered by the plan’s network is. Research into a few of the doctors and make sure they give quality care, ask other patients about them, and so on. You may have a family doctor that you’re attached to and should choose a more flexible plan if you want to keep going to that doctor.
• Travel. Are the doctors in the network within good distance of your home and office? Do you have options if you have an emergency and have to go to the nearest place? What happens if you get sick or injured while you are traveling?
• Price. Lucky for you, as someone who has group health insurance through their employer, your boss will be picking up part of the tab. Still, you should find out the details about what exactly your company will pay and what will be left over to you, as well as asking questions about co pays and prescriptions and the like.
• Freedom. Do like to pick your doctor or save your money? Usually, employer sponsored health insurance will require you to stay within a network, but often there are more expensive options for going out of the network.
• Think ahead. You may be a healthy bachelor right now with a health care plan that fits you, but what about down the line? If you get married and start a family, will your insurance cover your spouse and children? Pregnancy? Retirement? What about huge things such as surgery or treatments if something happens in the future that you can’t foresee? If such things are covered, are they covered immediately, or do you have to wait until the end of the year for your company’s enrollment?
• Coverage. Does your health plan cover preventive care? What about physicals and dental appointments? Prescriptions? Ambulance and ER visits?
• Extras. These are the things that not all health care plans provide for, but you might need in the future. Lots of plans don’t cover mental health care, but do you need it? What about family planning, such as abortion or infertility treatments? Chiropractics?
• Pre existing conditions. This might be one of the biggest things that you need to worry about if you have one and need to get good health care coverage.
• Coverage caps. Health insurance plans do not provide you with infinite coverage. Often, they’ll set a certain amount that they can pay out through your plan over a year or a lifetime. You should make sure that this is a decent amount so that, even if you end up with some huge medical bills, you will come out okay. Many employers will offer health savings account to help their employees avoid problems with these caps.
• Claims and complaints. One of the most important things to getting a good experience out of your health insurance plan is being able to have a voice in your coverage. You should be able to complain and be listened to. You should be able to fight against claims being rejected or being reimbursed for too little.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Comment: I think this is a super question to inquire about your teen driver. At 17 years of age this teenage driver can not legally enter a contract since they are not considered an adult. I would assume that most teenage drivers would be considered “safe” drivers they are still not old enough to sign the insurance contract.

I would also assume that most insurance companies would require a parent and or a legal gaurdian to sign the contract and to be financially responsible for the vehicle and the driver’s actions.

I would start off your investigation by making a few phone calls the local insurance carriers in your area and get their opinion on this question.

I really do not see why you could not get decent coverage for your teen driver, but a better question might be are you going to be able to afford this type of coverage?

You might also want to contact the Dallas car insurance bureau or DMV to ask them if there are any restrictions for obtaining Dallas auto insurance in your area or specific situation.

I think this is a super question to inquire about your teen driver. At 17 years of age this teenage beginner driver, can’t legally enter a binding contract since they are not considered an adult. I would also guess that most teenage drivers would be considered “good” drivers they are still not old enough to sign on the dotted line of the contract.

I would also assume that most vehicle insurance agencies would also require a parent and or a legal gaurdian to sign the contract and to be financially responsible.

You might want to start off your investigation by making a few phone calls the local insurance carriers in your immediate area and get their opinion on this question.

But I really do not see why you couldn’t get coverage for your teen driver. A better question to ask my be are you going to be able to afford this type of coverage?

You might also want to contact the Atlanta GA car insurance bureau or DMV to ask them if there are any restrictions for obtaining car insurance in Georgia.