Archive for January, 2011
Self-Employed Health Insurance – Chronic Conditions
As a self-employed individual, healthcare insurance can seem like a huge, unbearable expense. Taking out a policy on just yourself or your family, without the benefit of large group rates like employers get can be expensive. If you have a chronic condition such as hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, or COPD, the potential expenses can be even higher. Unfortunately, not only do certain conditions make your premiums higher, but can also be eliminated from coverage for the first year as a pre-existing condition. That means not only do you pay more for insurance than your time clock-punching counterparts, but you also have to shoulder the expense of your condition on your own.
For many self-employed people the fact that they must deal with pre-existing condition limitations for their hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, COPD, or similar chronic illnesses is reason enough to forego buying a health insurance policy. For others, the sheer cost of an individual policy is participation prohibitive. Unfortunately, those with chronic conditions are the people who often most need major medical coverage. The irony of needing insurance to cover a chronic condition but being unable to afford the expense due to no coverage for the first year because of a chronic condition is seldom lost on these individuals. In fact, it is this irony that motivates many to push for healthcare reform.
While many debate the validity of this type of reform or that, millions of chronic disease sufferers are left to pick up the pieces of their broken financial futures. While there are many programs and companies that offer assistance not only to self-employed sufferers of Crohn’s disease, COPD, hepatitis C, diabetes and other conditions, but also to other uninsured or underinsured households, there is still much to be done in terms of assistance. This is evident by the number of prescription assistance programs available today that were unheard of just 10 or 15 years ago.
Tags: chronic condition, chronic illnesses, crohn s disease, employed health insurance, financial futures, health insurance policy, hepatitis c, major medical coverage, prescription assistance programs, self employed health insuranceRelated posts
Temporary Or Short Term Health Insurance
Temporary short term health insurance can be a huge relief for you and your family if you suddenly find yourself without health insurance benefits. This type of insurance will provide you with coverage for major illnesses and injuries. It can also assist you with routine checkups and prescriptions under the guidelines of some programs. You may also be able to obtain dental coverage as a package deal. This type of insurance plan is generally allocated for a time frame of one month to one year, depending on your needs.
This type of insurance program is a great investment for those who are between insurance plans, unemployed, self employed, in college, laid off, or who are seasonally employed. For some individuals, temporary short term health insurance is cheaper that the COBRA program offered by their employer.
Most companies who offer this type of insurance allow you to pay the premium on a monthly basis. The premium will depend on various factors including the state you reside in, your age, health, type of coverage you are wanting, and if you are getting an individual plan or a family plan. Some plans will require you to get a health examine and inquire about tobacco habits as well.
Almost all temporary short term health insurance programs have a deductible. This means you will have a portion that you pay out of pocket before the plan will pay anything. Most plans allow you to choose your deductible amounts. You will likely have a different deductible amount for emergency room care than you do for in hospital treatment. The higher the deductible, the lower your monthly premium will be. However, be careful not to choose a deductible that is so high you can’t afford it.
Tags: deductible amount, deductible amounts, emergency room care, health insurance benefits, health insurance coverage, health insurance programs, routine checkups, short term health insurance, term health insurance, tobacco habitsRelated posts