Archive for the ‘health insurance’ Category

Dietary Supplements

Monday, March 9th, 2009

Health insurance is your most effective way to stay healthy and save your finances.  Don’t go without. 

Many people turn to dietary supplements as an alternative to other drugs. Many see them as more natural. They are easy to get, most supermarkets have many in stock. With so many people without health insurance they are growing even more popular each year.

A dietary supplement is taken by mouth in pill, capsule, liquid or tablet form. It contains at least one of the following; vitamins, herbs, botanicals and amino acids. They are always labeled for dietary supplement only. Just because they are on the shelf doesn’t make them safe however.

Dietary supplements are not regulated by the U.S Department of Food and Drug the same as other drugs are. The regulate label claims of these supplements. Manufactures do not have to prove the products are safe and effective, but they are not permitted to sale anything unsafe.

I don’t know about you , but that doesn’t make me feel very safe taking these supplements. Before taking a supplement you should always do your homework and consult with a physician. The contain chemicals like any other drug and can have side effects.

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Water is essential to our health

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

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Drinking water is important to maintain good health. When we were a kid in school, we learned that each molecule of water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. What you may not have learned is how much water you need in order to be healthy.

Your body is made up of about 60 to 70 percent water. Your blood is mostly water, and your muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water also. Your body needs water to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to all your organs.

You have to continue to provide water to your body, because you lose water through urination and sweating. When you are very active, you lose more water than average. You should consume more water when you are on medications, drink alcohol, or sweat, because these things deplete the water in your body faster than normal.

It is important to keep your body hydrated with water to avoid mild dehydration. Some of the symptoms of mild dehydration are chronic pains in joints and muscles, lower back pain, headaches and constipation. A strong odor to your urine, along with a yellow or amber color indicates that you may not be getting enough water.

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Sensible Weight Loss

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

There are healthy ways and not so healthy ways to take off the pounds.  Do you know the difference and can make a difference to your healthThe most sensible way to do it is slow. We all would like a quick fix, but a quick fix is short lived. I am about to say something that we all know, but tend to ignore. The best way to achieve a healthy weight is to reduce calories and exercise.

And I don’t mean drastically reduce calories. A safe weight loss is 1-2 pounds a week, not 5-10. If you are losing 5-10 pounds a week you are not getting enough nutrition. All sorts of nasty things can happen to your body. For one your metabolism will slow and who wants that to happen?

It gets worse. Your body will be deprived. You will not get enough vitamins and pills can not replace that kind of loss. You will be tired all the time. You will lose muscle, which is a key ingredient for weight loss. You will have skin that looks and feels 10 years older and yup, your hair will fall out.

Instead you should opt for a healthy diet of at least 3 meals a day. Five mini meals is even better. Exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes at a time. Drink plenty of water and visit your doctor for a complete health evaluation.

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New Health Insurance Law

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

In October of 2008 the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 was signed. The new law has made medical history and a huge impact on health insurance. The new law requires that health insurance plans (of groups more than 50) must use the same benefits for mental illness and substance abuse as they do for any illness.

This law means that people with a mental illness or substance abuse claim no longer has to worry about stricter limitations and more out of pocket expense. they can expect the same benefits as if they were going to the doctor for allergies or diabetes.

We will have to wait awhile to see the changes take place. The new law will not start until January 1st of 2010. One of the laws namesakes, Pete Domenici a retired Republican from New Mexico took personal interest in the law. He has a brother and a daughter who suffers from mental illness.

Domenici believed that the huge out of pocket expenses he saw his brother suffer with was a huge inequality. He does not believe that the healthcare system does not look at mental illness as a defined illness, in return not treating suffers as sick individuals.

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A few PPO Features to consider.

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Many people have a PPO health insurance plan these days. They are very popular with consumers. They provide flexibility and freedom and that is what consumers are looking for. PPO’s are not difficult to understand , here are some basics:

The first thing to understand is your lifetime maximum. A life time maximum is the amount the insurance will pay out in your lifetime. If you met that maximum your health insurance will cease. These maximums typical are 2 million to 5 million.

The next order of business is total out of pocket or deductibles and co insurance combined. Your deductible is the amount you will be responsible for annually before the insurer shares expenses with you. The co insurance is the amount they will share once your deductible is met.

Most PPO plans include the office visit co pay. This co pay amount can vary from one plan to another and one carrier to another. Basically, if you have a office visit you would pay the set amount such as $25 and the insurance company will pay the rest. Co pays waive the deductible.

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UniCare and Chronic Illness

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

A chronic Condition is a problem or condition that doesn’t always go away and may need a lifetime of management. It does not mean you will always be sick. But, it does mean you have to take measures to stay as healthy as possible.

A chronic illness can disturb your everyday life. You may have spells of fatigue or pain. It may affect you physical appearance or abilities. It may be scary and cause stress and anxiety. You may not be able to work, thus causing financial strains.

So you have been diagnosed with having a chronic condition. You have been told there is no cure, but the condition can be managed. Managing the condition is a lifetime journey you will face. This can be a scary and frustrating prognosis to receive.

Do not deny yourself the emotional roller coaster the news send you on. But then move on. Having a chronic illness is not the end of the world. You can and will learn to live with them. And remember your are not alone.

A chronic condition means that you will need ongoing visits to the doctor. You will want to reach out to all the resources available to you. Your doctor only focuses on diagnosis and treatment. Join a support group, Google the condition or ask friends for information.

Many health insurance plans have good resources for managing chronic illness. They often have incentives to improving your health as well. Be sure to utilize your health insurance to the maximum. You will be needing this coverage for your ongoing care. Get familiar with your coverage.

You can help yourself by practicing some self management when it comes to your chronic illness. Recognize that it is a serious problem and can not be ignored. Make some needed lifestyle changes. Keep up with your doctor visits and treatment plans.

The preventative care your health insurance typically offers is key to catching a condition before it has become chronic. Catching some disease can be managed early on at the acute stage and never develop tot he chronic stage.

Cobra Alternatives - Temporary Medical Insurance

Monday, January 19th, 2009

Maria lost her job as a sales person for a leading company. Not knowing how long she will be out of a job she is looking into her health insurance options. She knows it could be financially devastating to go uninsured.Maria was offered the COBRA insurance. COBRA mandates that a company with 20 or more employees must allow former employees to keep their employer sponsored health insurance for up to 18 months. The employee must pay all cost however.

Once you lose the percentage your employer pays. Plus they tack on an administrative fee the COBRA insurance can be very expensive. Many time 100% more then you had paid for the health insurance while employed.

Many people like Maria look for alternatives due to those factors. Maria and her spouse are on the plan. Maria is somewhat healthy, but takes medication for diabetes. Her husband has no health conditions at all. This is where making health insurance decisions get tricky.

Since COBRA is more comprehensive and will not exclude Maria’s pre existing illness she should consider staying on the COBRA insurance. However, since her spouse is relatively healthy she could save money buy finding a alternative health insurance plan, like temporary medical insurance for him.

Temporary medical insurance is typically very inexpensive. Especially, compared to COBRA.

There are drawbacks to consider with temporary health insurance before purchasing. Here are a few things to think about:

1. Temporary health insurance limits the amount of time you can purchase. Usually 6 months to a year at a time. You could find yourself looking for other insurance if the length of uninsured time is longer then first thought

2. Temporary typically excludes pre existing conditions. So even if Maria’s husband is healthy now, if he does become ill in the term purchased when he renews or extends coverage it will no longer be covered. This can backfire if you need coverage longer then they allow.

3. Temporary medical insurance typically covers only major medical. So you can expect to pay out of pocket if her husband should get a sinus infection and have to visit the doctor. Since deductibles are usually high, the insurance would only protect you for a substantial financial burden caused due to an expected illness or injury.

Preventative Care is Key to Health & Happiness

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Some believe preventative care is a major stepping stone for healthcare reform. It could potentially save the health industry billions. It is much less expensive for a physician to treat acute disease rather then chronic. The rising healthcare cost is not helping, we have to start somewhere.Many people have a 100% preventative benefit covered by there UniCare Health Insurance and do not even use it. This benefit is by far one of the greatest benefits available. Experts say that only about 10% of consumers use their preventative benefit.

If you would like to take measures to become proactive with your health, here are a few basics:

Get regular medical screenings and checkups. Be sure to discuss concerns.

Try eating more nutritious foods. Start by cutting 1 bad food and replacing it with a good one.

Start exercising, it is great for your heart and mind. It is a fantastic stress reliever.

Stop smoking. Minimize your usage of alcohol.

All of these combined can have you on your way to a long healthy happy life. Don’t be stingy either, share the knowledge. If everyone told 10 people just think about how much money that could save our failing healthcare system. Try to see the big picture! We can change the face of healthcare once educated consumer at a time.

With the recent economy temporary medical insurance is on the rise for individuals and families between jobs.

New Age Health Insurance Options

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

There is new age health plans emerging. With the growing demand for health insurance that is affordable yet focuses on good health a new kind of plan is taking over. They are plans that help you take control of your health and at the same time save some out of pocket cost.

One of these plans is through the carrier UniCare. They call it the Solaura HIA Plus Plan. Not to be confused with an HSA plan or Health Savings Accounts. HIA is an acronym for Health Incentive Account. You earn funds for improving and staying health.

First, you receive a quarterly allocation in your health account of $125 to help offset some out of pocket cost. For a family that amount is $250. Essentially this money is to help you meet your annual deductible. Unused dollars rollover year to year and there is no limit.

You can earn even more money for you account by promoting healthy behaviors. Earn $50 for completing Health Assessment online, enrolling in their health Management program, Graduating from one of these programs, completing tobacco free program and completing a weight management program.

One thing this plan promotes is Preventative Care. The pay 100% of an annual Preventative Care visit. This visit includes most of the nationally recommended services. It will cover the office visit, many screening test (including a pap smear) and it covers most immunizations.

Catastrophic Health Plans

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

 Many of us are living from paycheck to paycheck and making cuts where we can.  One of the things we look towards is our medical insurance.  The increasing cost of premiums force us rethink our options such as Catastrophic Medical insurance we have more money going out then coming in and we are forced to balance this some how.

American’s are smart and realize that the lack of health insurance could end a disaster.  So instead of going uninsured they are opting for a catastrophic policy.  Catastrophic policies are some of the most affordable plans.  It is a safe alternative to nothing.

There are some things to consider before dropping your current plan.  We will discuss those below.  Even though we are struggling in today’s economy we need to consider long term affects as well as current finances.

  • If you are an individual that has health conditions that require regular office visits this kind of plan may not be beneficial.  They typically have high deductibles that must be met, before they share any cost.

  • If you are not a person that finds yourself at the doctor’s office often and feel you are healthy then this kind of plan may suit you.  It would still give you coverage just incase an expensive illness or accident occurred.

  • These plans do not offer you benefits that are typical, like office visit, prescription or emergency room co pays.  You will have to pay these expenses should they occur.  So you need to make sure you would be able to do without these benefits. 

  • Another less stringent alternative that some consumers like are HSA’s.  Or Health Savings Account.  They allow you to make a contribution to an account.  In return you can use those funds to help pay your out of pocket expenses.  These plans are affordable in comparison. Your annual preventative exam may be covered as well.

All in all, it is never a good idea to go uninsured.  A catastrophic plan is a perfect alternative.  If you are just trying to cut cost you need to carefully consider all your options and make a wise decision.