It was Harry Truman who first introduced the idea of a national health insurance plan back in 1945. Twenty years later, Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law – health coverage for Americans 65 and older. Since then, Medicare has seen numerous changes, such as the inclusion of the disabled. Now at a time when the cost of family health insurance and individual health insurance is at its height, Medicare is once again undergoing some changes so as to better provide affordable health insurance to seniors – from doctors’ visits and hospital stays, to prescription drugs in the Medicare Part D plan.
If you are on Medicare or are interested in enrolling, making informed decisions about Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplemental Insurance depends on you understanding the difference between them and how each is expected to change. Keep all of these elements in mind as you evaluate health insurance quotes.
Those on Medicare Advantage pay very low monthly premiums, or no premiums at all. Medicare Advantage:
Generally covers large network urban areas
Bills for co-pays and co-insurance with a maximum out-of-pocket cost
Is subject to open enrollment and lock-in periods, limiting your ability to change plans throughout the year
Must stay within network limitations
For those medical services not covered by the Advantage plan, Medicare Supplemental Insurance helps make up the difference. Medicare Supplemental:
Extends availability to outlying suburbs and towns
Covers the remainder of provider bills after original Medicare coverage
Carries no plan change restrictions
Generally carries no physician and hospital network limitation
Requires premiums of up to $200 a month
When considering Medicare’s affordable health insurance options based on these existing features, it’s equally important to consider upcoming changes.
For instance, Medicare Supplemental Insurance will eliminate plans E, H, I and J. Anyone already enrolled in these plans at the time of their elimination will be “grandfather ed.” Staying in these eliminated plans will probably mean higher rates as no premiums from new enrollees will be available to support claims costs. On the other hand, Medicare Supplemental Insurance will also see some new plans added, all of which will include a hospice benefit.
As for Medicare Advantage, they’re phasing out the difference between the Advantage Care plan rates and Medicare fee-for-services. Plus, you can expect to see a government-run Medicare Part D drug program to compete with commercial plans so as to lower the costs of prescription medications.
Whether you’re interested in applying for Medicare or are already enrolled, the sooner you re-evaluate your options, the better. To learn more, refer to the Affordable Health Insurance Agency for details and free health insurance quotes.
As small businesses struggles to stay afloat in this new economy, many companies are eliminating their group health insurance policies to help cut expenses. In many cases, this is a choice made as an alternative to lay-offs or, in worst-case scenarios, closing their doors. Still, cutting group health coverage leaves full-time employees uninsured. Certainly employees may pursue their own health insurance quotes for family health insurance plans or individual health insurance plans on their own, but for most this type of coverage is equally out of reach.
Though declining profits are partially responsible for small businesses cutting corners everywhere they can, the choice to eliminate group health insurance seems predominantly influenced by its ever-rising cost and lack of cheap health insurance. From 1999 to 2008, annual health insurance premiums rose by 119 percent! So as unfortunate as it may be, it really comes as no surprise that too few affordable health insurance plans in this country is responsible for more than 42 million Americans being uninsured.
Fortunately, as any informed owner of a small business will discover, there are more affordable group health insurance plans out there than many health insurance companies may lead them to believe.
Instead of paying independent benefits brokers a commission to help small business owners find the right plan for their employees, many health insurance companies are focused only on soliciting to bigger companies with more employees. It’s all about the bottom line, as the bigger the pool of people to insure, the more these health insurance companies can make. What this means to small business owners is that they’re often not as informed as they should be about all of their cheap health insurance options. There are affordable plans out there, it’s just harder to find them.
Unfortunately, full-time employees who are eligible for group health insurance coverage are being denied it. Not because of their employers’ lack of commitment to the well-being of their workers, but simply the inability to afford the plans that are being presented to them void of all available options.
Whether you’re a small business owner who has already cut healthcare coverage for your employees, or you’re simply considering it, take these critical steps to finding affordable health insurance before making your decision:
- Seek free group health insurance quotes from the Affordable Health Insurance Agency, an organization whose agents have routinely demonstrated that integrity is more important than commission
- Carefully compare the coverage details of all the plans presented to you
- Ask questions about anything you do not understand, and if a provider cannot provide adequate details, move on to another that can
Most importantly, do not hesitate to take appropriate action now to ensure that you are giving your employees the quality healthcare coverage they deserve. Consult the Affordable Health Insurance Agency to get free group health insurance quotes today.
Between 1999 and 2008, annual health insurance premiums rose by 119 percent! For families and individuals whose employers do not offer health coverage this rise in premiums has made affordable health insurance seem a near impossibility for millions of Americans. In fact, some employers have been unable to weather the rise in healthcare costs, no longer able to offer family health insurance or individual health insurance to their employees.
Whether you’re self-employed, unemployed or work for a company that does not offer health benefits, you may be in a tough position, as cheap health insurance is increasingly hard to find. If so, follow these 5 simple steps to find quality, affordable health insurance quotes and coverage now.
- Evaluate your current coverage. If you already have family health insurance or individual health insurance make sure you know what’s covered and what’s not. After all, the more informed you are about what you already have, the better prepared you’ll be to weigh the pros and cons of new plans you’re considering.
- Request quotes from numerous providers. If you only look at the policies of a couple of different providers you may find that one is cheaper than the other. However, there could be a dozen others more affordable than that, and better-suited to your affordable health insurance needs.
- Choose only non-cancellable, guaranteed coverage. This ensures that the provider of affordable health insurance cannot cancel your policy as long as you continue to make your regularly scheduled monthly payments.
- Look for a 10-day rescission period. From the day your policy is activated you have 10 days to make sure it’s everything you want and need it to be. As long as you cancel before the end of this time period you get your premium refunded back to you.
- Insist on clearly defined terms. You need to know exactly what’s covered and what’s not. If these definitions are vague, move on as there are plenty of providers with clear details of coverage. What’s the point of finding cheap health insurance if it doesn’t provide everything you want and need? In the end, it will only end up costing you more.
Organizations like the Affordable Health Insurance Agency provide free health insurance quotes to the public from a wide variety of healthcare providers, including Aetna, Humana One, UniCare and United Healthcare. They also offer free quotes for Medicare, life insurance, annuities, long term care and medical coverage for frequent travelers. Get affordable insurance now – request your free quotes today.
