UniCare Health Insurance

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

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 health? The 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.

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.

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.

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.

 There are 7 basic components to educate your self on when looking for individual health insurance.  These 7 basics can help you make well informed decisions when choosing a carrier and plan.  These 7 basics can make what many find difficult much more pleasant.

When comparing all the different plans available to you one of the key components is the Lifetime Maximum it provides to you.  This is the total amount the insurance company will ever pay out of there pocket on your policy.  If you are comparing 2 plans a couple of extra million in a life time may be a deciding factor for you. 

The next factor you should consider is the deductible amount.  When you hear the term deductible amount this is the amount you will pay out of your pocket before the carrier will start to pay.  If you would like to keep your premiums low you could share more cost and choose a plan with a higher deductible.

Sometimes the most confusing to consumers is the co insurance amounts.  This is when you have met your deductible and the insurer will start sharing the cost with you.  The co insurance is how much you will spend out of pocket before the insurer picks up at 100%.  Until you met that amount you will pay a percentage of the total for each bill until you have reached your maximum.  Depending on your plan you may pay 20% and the insurer pay 80%.

Many plans have a benefit called an office visit co pay.  What this means is if you should have to go to the doctor you would pay a set amount for the office visit.  The co pay does not always pay for labs done at that office visit so this is important to differentiate so you do not get an unexpected bill later. 

Another unexpected bill often comes following a Preventative exam.  This is due to the consumer not understanding this benefit.  More often then not, there is a limit on the amount the insurer will payout for this kind of visit.  They usually only allow 1 visit a year, so if you schedule a visit even 1 day to soon they will not pay.  Pay close attention also to the types of tests, labs and screenings it will cover.

Another important thing to know is that all carriers set limits.  There are simple limits such as; they could limit the number of office visits or emergency visits.  The can also determine a dollar amount limit that they agree to pay for a benefit.  For example they may only pay $1000 in prescriptions each year.

As stated above prescriptions could be assessed a maximum dollar amount.  Some plans give a Co pay for prescriptions, but most assign categories for different types of medications and set multiple co pays accordingly.  You must be careful and make sure that your plan will cover prescriptions. Just take time to know the basics when your searching for individual health insurance and you will be fine.

 It is a New Year and many of us make the New Year resolutions.  Many of these resolutions include saving money and getting healthy.  They key to being healthy is staying informed and regular visits to the doctor.  Those without health insurance typically do not meet that simple rule of thumb.  So maintaining health insurance is an essential part of staying health.

And with a little knowledge you can save hundreds of dollars on your health insurance.  More times than often you can secure private coverage that is much cheaper for your dependents than the group health insurance your employer offers.  And sometimes even cheaper even for yourself. You could even turn to temporary healthcare insurance until you figured it all out.

Rates for private insurance are based on a few things.  Two leading factors are you age and your current and past health conditions.  So the younger you are the more affordable the rate.  As well as the healthier your status the lower your rate.  Typically there is a base rate which is increased accordingly.  

Another way to control cost is shopping the multiple plans and carriers available.  Not everyone needs or desires the Cadillac of plans.  Some people would be fine with a catastrophic plan, only covering you in case of a major illness or accident.  Others are more comfortable knowing they can go to the doctor anytime.  

When shopping the different plans there are a few things to keep in mind.  How much you can afford and what range of benefits are you comfortable with.  Plans can include complete annual physicals, cover medical prescriptions, radiography and labs and even mental health.  Some even include dental and vision.

With private health insurance you have the freedom of customizing your benefits.  Not all members of the family have to be on the same plan for instance. If you anticipate that little Joe will only need an occasional visit for a cough or scrapped knee then you could save money by placing him on an economy plan that only includes a few visits to the office and catastrophic coverage just incase the inevitable should happen. Granny Flo would need a border range of benefits.

In keeping with the New Years resolution of staying or getting healthy an essential benefit to look for is the Annual Physical or Comprehensive Exam.  This benefit is available on most plans except temporary healthcare insurance.  However, they do have limits.  Some cover a broad range of screenings, as well as labs and test.  Others only cover a minimum exam. 

Last but not least, some plans include some extra added bonuses.  Some include smoking cessation, weight management and even discounts on health products in your local stores.  So as you see with just a little knowledge you can find a health insurance plan that gives you what you need and matches your budget and helps you meet a New Years resolution at the same time.