Health Insurance for Individuals
If one is paying for health insurance for individuals because of a job loss, business venture or simply because no insurance is offered at a place of work, chances are the costs are high and provisions are stringent.
For example, an individual and out of pocket plan might not cover as much as it would with a group plan or COBRA. Some women might be hard pressed to find excellent health insurance for individuals if she were pregnant and needed pre and post-natal care. Others with pre-existing conditions might be turned away or told to pay much higher premiums. It’s not fair but it’s more common than one realizes.
Thankfully, this past September there were some changes in the way individual health insurance plans do business with customers.
For example, there is now compulsory coverage for children, even those with pre-existing conditions (like asthma or allergies). This law was mandatory for group insurance plans but now individual plans will follow the same guidelines.
There is also free preventive care, which means health insurance for individuals will cover cancer screenings, mammograms and blood work. Such preventive care could save the lives of millions of people.
A third notable change is an end to denying coverage to customers after they fall ill. Believe it or not, insurance companies have done this in order to avoid paying high claims. It’s not fair business practice and although it was used as measure to avoid fraudulent claims, it’s become an unfair disadvantage for those who are left with no coverage after forthcoming information was given.
If an insurance company decides to rescind coverage for any valid reason, they must provide its customer with thirty days to repeal the decision.
A final change for those with health insurance for individuals is no more limits. There are some insurance policies with lifetime limits and although they do lower the cost of expensive premiums, the notion of limited benefits is a nightmare if a customer falls terminally ill. What would be the point of even having insurance at that point in time when it will cost a customer thousands of dollars in medical charges?
Most plans with health insurance for individuals have eliminated caps on coverage, as of this past September.
Shopping around for the best insurance quote is easy by entering a zip code in the above box. There are so many variables that determine the cost of individual insurance, and location is one of them. With all of the above changes in insurance plans and laws recently, it’s best to do the research and shop around for quotes that will do one justice. Economical times are tough and with such stress put upon all Americans, the last item one should be concerned with is proper medical coverage and health insurance for individuals. It should be a right and not a privilege. Vigilant research and care will help ensure that one is able to live a long and healthy life with an insurance company as an advocate.
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