Health Insurance 101 – What You Should Know!
Health insurance is a must in life. You cannot go without insurance unless you are prepared to handle a pool of medical debt that you will have to pay off out of your own pocket at all times. Are you going to have $80 to $100 on hand to visit your doctor when you need it? Will you be able to find $5,000 for that minor outpatient procedure that you need done? In most cases, people assume that they can’t afford health insurance. The reality is that you can’t afford to live without it. Health insurance provides coverage for major medical issues, basic healthcare services, routine preventative care, accidents and injuries, and even certain health screenings and special treatment services.
Coverage basically refers to which services are paid for by your insurance, and the limit is how much they agree to pay. When you are shopping for insurance, you will have to find the coverage that you are looking for. There are many different types of coverage available, and the limits will vary on each one. For example, if you have a $10,000 limit for specialist services in a year, you will have to pay everything out of pocket after that limit is reached. Additionally, you will have to pay a deductible. This is how much you pay BEFORE insurance kicks in, and is usually between $1000 and $2000 for private insurance policies.
It’s all up to you, so make sure that you do your homework before you start shopping for health insurance. The plans that you are offered will either be HMO or PPO plans. HMO plans are cheaper usually, but much more restrictive. PPO plans might cost a little more, but they do offer freedom and flexibility that you won’t get from an HMO.
Getting health insurance isn’t cheap, but it is easy and can be affordable if you are willing to look. Another element to know about insurance is that recent changes have made it easy for you to compare, buy, and manage your health insurance online. You can get free quotes from dozens of different health insurance companies and then choose the one that best suits your needs. You can research different insurers to find the most reputable company to work with. You can take care of everything from applying for quotes to filing claims online and never have to talk to anyone at the company unless you want to or need assistance.
What you need to do is use a website that will get a number of free quotes for you. You will get a number of options in no time. Then all you have to do is decide. It’s that easy. Keep in mind, as was just mentioned, that the quotes are free. They won’t cost you a thing, plus this is more convenient than seeing your agent.
Sean L Johnson is a journalist for Health Insurance Buyer a referral service that connects consumers to the insurance carriers that can best fit their wants or special needs. click on link to access your instant free health insurance quote