Saturday, October 9, 2010

Tips In Choosing the Best Health Insurance Plan

Health insurance Health insurance has a vital priority for many of us, whether if you are insured but not satisfied or uninsured this will carry a good advices for you.

There are options, and you can get a plan that meets your needs without draining your pockets. Here are some tips to help you chose the best health insurance plan, as well as some advice on how to get the most out of your plan once you make the right decision.

1. Research: The best first step when making any big decision is getting informed. There are three main types of health insurance: indemnity plans, HMOs and PPOs. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to know the difference between the plans.
2. Make a list of your priorities: Do you care most about premium charges or customer service? Do you already have doctors that you would like to keep? Does anyone in your family have a chronic illness? Different plans accommodate different needs, so it’s crucial to know what’s most important to you in a plan.
3. Think about locations: Insurance costs vary widely from state to state, so if you live near a state border, are considering moving or work out of state, you could save serious money by looking at all of your options.
4. Talk to a broker: Insurance brokers can do all the research to find the best plan for you with the best rates. They can also talk you through the whole process and give you expert advice.
5. Test-drive the plan: Although many people don’t know this, many insurance companies will let you try out their plans. If you aren’t satisfied after the set period of time, you get your money back. The best way to know if a plan is right for you is to try it, so this is a great opportunity, but do make sure to check the fine print, as the refund time periods usually range from one to six weeks.
6. Consider a health savings account: If you don’t foresee using your health insurance more than a few times a year, perhaps just for a yearly checkup and a sick visit, this option could save you lots of money. The account goes with an insurance policy with low premiums. The money you save on the premiums gets set aside and grows tax-deferred. You can spend this money on any unanticipated medical costs, and when you turn 65, the money is yours to spend as you wish.


Now that you know how to choose the best health-insurance plan, learn how to get the most out of it with these six tips.

1. Negotiate with your doctor: A recent Harris Interactive Inc. poll shows that three out of five patients paying out of pocket who negotiated with their doctors received a discount.
2. Get preventative care: The majority of insurance plans cover preventative care for free, or almost free, for a set number of times per year. Take advantage of this option, and you’ll almost certainly save money down the road.
3. Ask for generic prescriptions: Different plans cover different drugs, but generics are almost always going to be the cheapest option, so ask for them whenever possible.
4. Shop around for pharmacies: There is no rule to how much a pharmacy has to charge for a drug, so taking the time to compare different pharmacy prices can really pay off.
5. Ask for longer-lasting prescriptions: Co-pays, the amount of money the individual pays for medications, don’t change, so getting a prescription that lasts longer will save you money.
6. Be informed and double-check: Make sure you understand your plan completely and double-check your bills, as insurance companies and health-care providers often make mistakes when calculating charges. If you catch these mistakes every time, your bills will become more manageable.

Everyone may need a good insurance plan at some point of his life, even if it wasn't for himself, it could be for any family member, so go a head and make benifit of this advice and choose a good insurance plan without paying these un ending huge bills.

2 comments:

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

Good tips, I wish i can find a comparing tool for health insurance to help with choosing the suitable plan, those tools are really helpful because they allows you to review the plans that is available and compare between them, so its much easier to choose your plan, I found those tools for other insurance types like travel insurance https://qompanion.my/travel-insurance ,but not for health insurance yet