New laws will cause an influx of new shoppers for personal Health insurance. Along with the flood of new buyers will come an expanded range of insurance plans as companies compete for health insurance dollars. Fancy advertisements targeted at the new buyers will offer attractive policies with all the pretty adornments designed to reel in customers. Super-low prices and outrageous promises can separate the un-educated customer from his money while delivering no real value. No one wants to spend money without receiving something in return. This article attempts to expose some of the tricks used by insurance companies and make buying individual health insurance a successful endeavor.
In a supermarket, shoppers expect to see products in a range of prices. There will be nationally known brands and there will often be store brands or “generic” un-branded products at lower prices. The differences in the products are often subtle enough to make the lower priced store brands attractive to many shoppers. Health insurance, in spite of being priced higher than a can of corn, has similar options. Before a buyer decides on the lower priced policy he should know what the insurance company has done to bring the price down.
The most effective cost control was based on finding and avoiding those patients who were expensive to cover. The horror stories about insurance companies dropping people who were diagnosed with expensive-to-treat conditions are common. Persons who had pre-existing chronic conditions were regularly refused coverage. Smokers, overweight people and those diagnosed with depression were routinely denied. These practices vividly demonstrate the lack of compassion that most insurance companies operate with.
Another common and effective tool for insurance companies to manage costs is to use health maintenance or preferred provider organizations. These tools are actually effective at reducing costs and can benefit the consumer. The problems with HMOs and PPOs arise when the insurance company contracts with sub-standard providers or providers out of the patient’s area. Before choosing an insurer, the shopper should investigate the approved providers and the extra costs of using providers outside of the insurance company’s network.
Health insurance plans are available with a very wide range of deductibles, coverage limits, payment plans, and many other options. There is sure to be some standard coverage level established to meet the government requirement. If the buyer’s intention is primarily to meet the legal requirement he must make sure the policy he chooses actually qualifies.
The intent of the government plan is to spread the cost of insurance over a larger population. In the past very few young people paid for personal health insurance. Young healthy people have little need of insurance. As people get older they tend to need medical care more often and the care they need can be expensive. The cost of health insurance is driven in part by the ratio of older people to younger people. With young, healthy people being required to purchase insurance the young people’s premiums are expected to reduce the premiums for everyone. Any insurance company’s profits are also influenced by the ruthlessness the company uses when paying claims.
The growing health insurance market is certain to bring out new insurance companies with varying degrees of integrity. Buyers must be cautious and suspicious of new companies making outrageous claims or having super-low rates. Aggressive companies can find hundreds of obscure ways to deny payments and a buyer might find himself paying for an essentially worthless policy.
When buying individual health insurance, looking at price alone is sure to be a mistake. Some investigation and research will pay back the effort with a more acceptable product.
In recent months, the discussion of where to buy individual health insurance plans has been in the news. Buying individual health insurance is one way to acquire medical and drug insurance coverage.
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