Individual Health Care Insurance
In a perfect world everyone would have individual health care insurance, tailor-made to their needs and wouldn’t have to worry about the cost of insurance or health care. Unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world, or even a semi-perfect world. Not everyone is covered under a group plan offered by employers and many people find themselves looking for individual health care insurance.
Luckily the Internet has made it quick and easy to get individual health care insurance quotes from multiple providers at once.
To compare individual health care insurance quotes from competing insurance companies online just use our free comparison tool at the top of the page.
Individual Health Care Insurance Vs.
Group Health Care Insurance
Group Health Care Insurance – Group plans are usually provided by an employer. These plans are negotiated for the number of employees in a business and for a rate that takes into consideration some good risks, some bad ones and some average ones. The other thing about group health insurance is that it is guaranteed coverage and you don’t have to worry about pre-existing conditions. The downside of group health care insurance is that unless your employer foots the bill for you it is very expensive.
Individual Health Care Insurance - Individual health care insurance is coverage that a person goes out and purchases on their own, paying the full premium each month. These plans are subjected to limitations and exclusions. Chances are if you have a major pre-existing condition it will not be covered right away if at all or you may be declined for coverage (unless you are eligible for a guaranteed issue HIPAA health insurance plan). One huge advantage to individual health care insurance is that although only about 80% of applicants are approved for coverage, those that do get approved pay very low premiums. Individual health insurance coverage is about half the cost of group coverage.
What You Need To Know About
Individual Health Care Insurance
Premiums on individual health care insurance vary between policies with the same company, between companies, and by what coverage you need. Often times the details of these policies are complicated to understand and may require a broker or independent agent to help you sort out the details.
Are you insurable? When applying for an individual health care policy you will have to fill out a health questionnaire going back ten years and in rare cases maybe even undergo a medical examination. Based on your answers and the doctor report your coverage and premiums will be decided.
You may be turned down, given a limited policy, or charged higher premiums based on your age, weight, if you are a smoker, the presence of pre-existing conditions, and other high risk classifications.
Types Of Individual
Health Care Insurance
-
Health Maintenance Organization – With an HMO, a monthly fee is paid for your coverage and you have to go to specific doctors, hospitals and clinics who participate in the HMO.
-
Preferred Provider Organization - PPOs allow patients to use their own doctor and if he or she is in the PPO network, costs will be less. There is no need to get a referral to a specialist since you are free to use whatever doctor(s) you want.
-
Point of Service – The insurance company provides you with a list of participating doctors that you pick a primary care physician from. Any trips to the ER have to be approved and you need a referral for a specialist.
-
If you can not find traditional individual health insurance, depending on your income and other factors you may be eligible for certain government programs like Medicare, CHIPS, Risk Pool Coverage, or Medicaid.
How To Pick An Individual Health
Care Insurance Company
-
Ask for recommendations from family and friends.
-
Go with an insurance company that you have heard of before and has been in business for some time. You can research the history of most insurance companies via their individual websites.
-
Check out the insurer's financial strength ratings at A.M. Best.
-
Check with places like the Better Business Bureau and the local medical board to see if there are any consumer complaints listed about them. You can also find this information just by doing a Google search. If someone is unhappy with a company for whatever reason you can almost guarantee they will have said something about it on the Internet.
-
Ask your doctors office what plans they participate in, especially if you don’t want to have to change doctors. They are more than willing to share this information with you. Whoever does the billing in your doctor’s office is a good person to talk to about insurance companies. They are usually willing to share information with you about which companies are easiest to work with and pay claims quickly. In the long run having patients enrolled in individual health care plans where the insurance company is easy to work with makes their job easier.
Compare Individual Health
Care Insurance Quotes Now!
Use our free tool at the top of the page to get started comparing individual health care insurance from top insurance companies right now!