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How to Find Affordable Health
Insurance
by: Dr. Deepak Dutta
Affordable health insurance - it seems, especially today,
those words just don't belong together in the same sentence.
Health insurance monthly premiums have become the biggest
single expense in our lives - surpassing even mortgage
payments. In fact, if you have any permanent health problems,
such as diabetes, or have had cancer at one time in your
family history, your monthly cost could easily be more than
the house and car payment combined.
Shopping for affordable health insurance can certainly be an
eye-opener. If you have always had a health insurance benefit
where you work - especially a state or federal employee - and
now have to buy your own, you may not be able to afford the
level of health insurance coverage you have become used to.
Affordable health insurance, however, is definitely available
-if you know how and where to look.
When you are looking for affordable health insurance, you want
the lowest cost per year that will fit your budget, of course.
But, even more importantly, you want a company that has a good
record for paying without fighting with you on every detail.
Just as there is a car for just about any budget, there is
also affordable health insurance. You may not be able to
afford a "Cadillac" policy - but then you probably don't need
all the frills anyway.
Shopping for health insurance on the internet is the easiest
and best way to find affordable health insurance. Here are
five reasons why.
1. You don't need a local agent to help you submit the claims
for health insurance. The medical provider does it for you.
You save money because the health insurance company saves
money by not paying the agent commission. This could amount to
an 8% to 12% savings to you.
2.
All the top health insurance companies are at your fingertips
on the internet. Most local agents can only quote you from the
few companies that they represent. They may not offer you what
is best for you financially or health-wise but only what they
happen to have available.
3.
Health insurance companies have to be extremely competitive
because it is so quick and easy to compare them with their
competitors on the internet today. In the past you would have
had to visit physically eight to ten agents to do a similar
comparison. Most folks just didn't have the time or desire for
that.
4.
You can change your coverage, deductibles, and payment options
with just a few clicks rather than going through the paperwork
delay with a local agent (and then finding out he/she made a
mistake - more delay).
5.
Charging to a credit card means you aren't going to forget a
payment and be without insurance. Also, it gives you another
30 days before you actually have to pay. Also, many companies
today give an additional discount for "auto-pay".
The
key, however, to finding affordable health insurance is
realizing that the purpose of any health insurance is to
protect you from a major financial loss - not to protect you
from spending small money on clinic visits and sliver removal.
These small expenses may be cumbersome but they generally will
not hurt you. It's the $100,000 heart operation that will
break you. That's the financial disaster health insurance was
originally designed to prevent.
Also, keep this in mind. Health insurance, as with any
insurance, is a gamble. You are gambling that you will draw
out more than you pay in. Your health insurance company is
gambling they will pay out less. The odds are in their favor
for two reasons. They have all the facts for millions of
families to average out, so they know the risk in advance.
Also, they get to set the rules and the prices. The higher you
set your deductible, the more risk you take. This is not a bad
thing at all. You will most likely be the winner in the long
run.
Yes,
finding affordable health insurance is much easier than most
people think.
Taking more of the risk with higher deductibles, spending a
little time on the internet comparing eight to ten different
companies, and deleting coverage that you will not likely need
(such as maternity for many folks) will make it very possible
to find your own affordable health insurance.
Read
more: Click Here!
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