Monday, April 9, 2012
Life Insurance: What's The Point?
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Finding Affordable Health Insurance
Well, there is good news:
Affordable health insurance is becoming more of a reality than it used to be. I remember buying private health insurance on my first born alone and paying nearly $200 per month just for her. She was perfectly healthy other than a bout with jaundice when she was born. We had to go through a process of her doctor confirming, at one month old, that she no longer had jaundice. I thought it was rather ridiculous that we had to confirm that at one month old because babies born with it are definitely rid of it by that point. Yes, she could have been jaundiced with something else, but I did have documented proof that her bilirubin levels were down when we left the hospital and even took her for a check the day after we were discharged so the levels could be checked. That was exactly what they wanted to know. But no, we had to make a special out-of-pocket doctor's appointment in order to have her levels checked (normal, of course) so we could obtain health insurance on her.
It is very important to have health insurance. Trust me, I've had to pay out-of-pocket plenty of times in the past. My issue was a pre-existing heart condition and insurance companies wanting me to pay premiums for at least 12 months with no coverage for anything over a valve condition that 25% of the population has. Fortunately, those things are getting better. Cheap health insurance is available out there. It's just a matter of obtaining quotes and comparing policies so you can find one that suits you. What I eventually got for my daughter was very good. It allowed for well baby visits to not count toward the deductible and they were 100% paid for. She also got 2 sick visits a year where all I had to pay was the co-pay. Anything after that would count toward the deductible and be an out-of-pocket expense. However, she doesn't get sick often and that worked for us.
I did find this policy through esurance.com, which is why I'm including their link here. While I did have to go through a rigamarole over the jaundice, they were very helpful and only doing what the insurance company told them to do based upon policies. The experience may be different based upon the insurer you choose.
And I've noticed as we've added onto our family and needed to explore insurance options that plans are becoming more affordable, switching is easy when you need to, and a lot of the things that were issues when I was looking for insurance are no longer there. So if you are uninsured, at least explore your options and see if you can find something that fits you because, trust me, when something happens that can run up a huge hospital bill, you'll be glad you have it.
Affordable health insurance is becoming more of a reality than it used to be. I remember buying private health insurance on my first born alone and paying nearly $200 per month just for her. She was perfectly healthy other than a bout with jaundice when she was born. We had to go through a process of her doctor confirming, at one month old, that she no longer had jaundice. I thought it was rather ridiculous that we had to confirm that at one month old because babies born with it are definitely rid of it by that point. Yes, she could have been jaundiced with something else, but I did have documented proof that her bilirubin levels were down when we left the hospital and even took her for a check the day after we were discharged so the levels could be checked. That was exactly what they wanted to know. But no, we had to make a special out-of-pocket doctor's appointment in order to have her levels checked (normal, of course) so we could obtain health insurance on her.
It is very important to have health insurance. Trust me, I've had to pay out-of-pocket plenty of times in the past. My issue was a pre-existing heart condition and insurance companies wanting me to pay premiums for at least 12 months with no coverage for anything over a valve condition that 25% of the population has. Fortunately, those things are getting better. Cheap health insurance is available out there. It's just a matter of obtaining quotes and comparing policies so you can find one that suits you. What I eventually got for my daughter was very good. It allowed for well baby visits to not count toward the deductible and they were 100% paid for. She also got 2 sick visits a year where all I had to pay was the co-pay. Anything after that would count toward the deductible and be an out-of-pocket expense. However, she doesn't get sick often and that worked for us.
I did find this policy through esurance.com, which is why I'm including their link here. While I did have to go through a rigamarole over the jaundice, they were very helpful and only doing what the insurance company told them to do based upon policies. The experience may be different based upon the insurer you choose.
And I've noticed as we've added onto our family and needed to explore insurance options that plans are becoming more affordable, switching is easy when you need to, and a lot of the things that were issues when I was looking for insurance are no longer there. So if you are uninsured, at least explore your options and see if you can find something that fits you because, trust me, when something happens that can run up a huge hospital bill, you'll be glad you have it.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Why is Traveler's Insurance Important?
The weather is warming up and that means vacation season is on the horizon. You may be going to the beach or heading off to another country on a cruise. Or maybe you are:
- A student getting ready to study abroad
- Applying for a work Visa to work in the U.S.
- Going to be heading off onto a business trip
No matter what you are doing, you need cheap travel insurance to take care of any medical care you may receive abroad and you need coverage so you can recover some of your costs if your trip would end up cancelled or interrupted.
Put it this way: If you are in a foreign country that your regular health insurance doesn't provide coverage in, you could be denied health care or you will have to pay out-of-pocket expenses in the thousands of dollars. Traveler's insurance can also make sure you make it back home if you are ill.
And here's another scenario: You've thrown tons of money into this vacation to then find out that something completely out of your control will be keeping you from taking that trip. If you are insured, you are not completely out of the cost of the trip.
And here's another scenario: You've thrown tons of money into this vacation to then find out that something completely out of your control will be keeping you from taking that trip. If you are insured, you are not completely out of the cost of the trip.
In addition, there is senior travel insurance available for you at affordable rates. The rates are typically lower than the standard cheap travel insurance simply because seniors get a discount on practically everything, right? Of course they do because they deserve it! And seniors deserve to go on a vacation abroad and be insured so that the number of worries associated with traveling out of the country can be reduced.
If traveling in groups, you can invest in group travel insurance. It can be cheaper to purchase it as a group than it is to purchase it individually.
So if traveling, make sure you take a look at cheap travel insurance that has all of the things that you require during a trip. Although something may not happen during your trip, it is good to have the peace of mind that you will be prepared for the unexpected when so far away from home.
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