Thursday, 1 April 2010


The widely-discussed reform of healthcare industry in the US owes much of the stir around it to the simple fact that having your health insured in our country isn't affordable for millions of people of different demographic groups. In other words, it's just too expensive to be within the family budget of most US citizens. But how much does it cost to get your health insured these days, anyway?

This strongly depends on several factors that may vary your cost significantly. Things like your health condition, age, workplace, location, income and other live factors play a very important role in shaping your final rates. Not to mention the provider you're getting your coverage from. The form in which you get your health insured also plays a crucial role, because getting your insurance in a group from your employer usually costs less than if getting it on your own.

But what comprises the final insurance costs?

Many people get confused by the fact that there are more elements to insurance costs than just the rates you seen when quoting your price. Here are the most important of them:

Premiums

Premiums are periodic fees (usually, monthly) that have to be paid to the insurance company for receiving any medical services under your plan. If you have an individual plan then you are paying your premiums on your own. If you are covered under a group plan at work, your employer pays the premiums, usually requiring you to pay a small part of this amount. Premiums depend on your health condition, your age and your income status. Premiums also vary significantly between insurance companies, so you'd better spend some time on comparing health insurance quotes before you sign your plan.

Out-of-Pocket expenses

Out-of-pocket expenses are all the additional costs of health insurance plans that are extended beyond premiums. These usually include deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance. With some plans these expenses can be limited to a maximum amount, while other plans have no limitations at all, so be on the lookout for that.

Deductible is the amount of money you have to pay on an annual basis before your actual coverage kicks in. You will most commonly encounter them in PPO plans for the services received outside the network. And as with other types of insurance products, you will have to pay lower premiums if your deductible is higher.

Coinsurance is the part of the medical cost you have to meet after paying the annual deductible. It is usually 20-30% of what you pay for the services when going to the doctor.

Co-payments represent a fixed fee for certain services within your plan. In many HMO and PPO insurance plans co-payments are set for things like doctor's visit or prescription medications.

And what are the average costs?

  • Across the US, the premium is $2,985 for individual health insurance and $6,328 for a family plan.
  • The annual premium differs significantly between states. If a family in New York had to pay $13,296 as an annual premium, the very same plan in Iowa was worth $5609.
  • The amount of deductible paid has a strong effect on the annual premium. A family plan that had no deductible had a premium of $12686, while a $10,000 deductible shed this amount more than in half, with $5380 to be paid.




Posted by Posted by roomen insurance at 17:08
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When you have a car the only desirable thing should be being able to maintain it in a good condition. Nothing else should scare you or make you feel afraid. If you think about getting an insurance there is always one little problem that can occur. The money should be there for you to be able to get it. But little do people know that there are a few other things that are important to know when you are about to get your car insured. Here are some of the tips.

The best advice anyone can ever give you is to research. Yes, it may sound very simple but researching is gold. There are plenty of coverage types and you might want to get the type you desire and need only. A well-thought decision is always the best one because you take time with it and usually conclude well. Manuals can help you but it is better to take advices from those people that you know. If you can communicate well - nothing will stop you from getting support on your first ever insurance experience.

After you learned about the coverage types it is preferable to find the right company to deal with. Don't wait to do for too long. If you leave it and then get back to it when the time is almost up you have a very good chance of missing an opportunity.

There are plenty of companies that are willing to work with you on flexible terms. You can take advantage of these conditions if you decide to. If you need to change the coverage some of them will do that for you. It can be a very pleasant surprise when you don't expect it anymore.

Before you actually put your signature anywhere or agree on any type of deals we would recommend you to take into consideration your actual needs. They are the most important. Of course, people want what' best but it might not be suitable for you at all or your 1997 Mercedes Benz car. However, it is totally up to you.

Don't go cheap with the insurance. One thing is to be able to get the exact one you need for a good price or with a discount and a totally another is to get just anything at all because it is not expensive. If you have financial possibility to pay for your car insurance please be as much insured as you can.

When you are to get yourself some insurance please don't be embarrassed to get into details. They are very important to know about. There might be some terms you might not totally understand or some conditions that you may question - all of these things should not intimidate you. Please contact the company or an agent and ask them everything you need to know about to make a good decision.

Try to get auto insurance quotes from as many places as you can. Internet is always a good place to start searching and it is always the place to visit to get cheap auto insurance fast and reliable. But of course, you should know to differentiate between trust-worthy sites and trick sites.

Your first car insurance experience doesn't have to be a problem. It can be remembered for long time as a truly wonderful experience.





Posted by Posted by roomen insurance at 17:07
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