Your Health Insurance Info Portal

admin 0 15:21

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As always, let me disclaim that I am NOT a health insurance
agent or expert. I am just sharing what I have learned and recommending you
consult a professional. Without a doubt, I do recommend taking the time to
really educate yourself about your health insurance options if you are buying
your policy independently.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I HAD heard of bridge policies - designed to act as a gap
between loss of coverage for whatever reason and the next opportunity to enroll
in "Obamacare." Going forward, I'll use the official abbreviation of
ACA for the Affordable Care Act. These policies are NON-ACA compliant.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That means they HAVE exclusions for pre-existing conditions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It also means they are substantially... SUBSTANTIALLY less
expensive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here is the kicker, and what I did NOT know. You can buy
bridge policies as an ongoing method of insurance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As long as you do NOT have one of the pre-existing
conditions that would exclude you, such as a heart condition, cancer, etc, you
are allowed to just purchase these types of policies, instead of ACA compliant
ones. There are a couple "gotchas" that I want you to be aware of:<o:p></o:p></div>
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1) Talk to an Independent Health Insurance Agent<o:p></o:p></div>
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The "Navigators" that are part of the ACA process
cannot talk to you or really give you guidance about health insurance in
general. They can only talk about differences between their ACA-compliant
policies. Ask your insurance agent if bridge policies would be an option for
you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2) Timing Matters<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bridge policies are for a specific period of time, up to 12
months. If you develop an exclusionary condition while covered, you will not be
able to get another bridge policy when it ends. You can only sign up for ACA
during open-enrollment (unless you have an exemption like losing a job). So, it
might be wise to time your policy end date during open-enrollment. Ask your
insurance agent.<o:p></o:p></div>
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3) There IS a penalty<o:p></o:p></div>
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There IS a tax penalty for choosing this option. Talk to
your accountant. For my family, the combined cost of the penalty AND the bridge
policy was still considerably less than the premium for an ACA compliant
policy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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4) Stay Healthy<o:p></o:p></div>
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Without a doubt, the key to using these policies is being
healthy. If you already have an exclusionary condition, then most likely they
won't work for you. But if you can stay healthy, bridge policies may be an
affordable alternative.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Talk to an Insurance professional.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I recently read that one thirty-minute walk per day can make
an incredible difference in your overall health. See you on the trail.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9166006</div>

As always, let me disclaim that I am NOT a health insurance agent or expert. I am just sharing what I have learned and recommending you c...

Flying Solo - Taking On Individual Health Insurance

admin 0 15:17

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Up until recently, most people got their health insurance
through their employers. The company they worked for chose a provider and a set
of options within that company, and it was provided for their employees. Fewer
people have group coverage today due to economic reasons and growing costs of
health care and medical procedures. As more companies cut their health care
programs, more people are finding their own individual health insurance plans.
While it requires a little more time and research, there are many advantages to
choosing your own plan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Options<o:p></o:p></div>
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With an individual plan, you are able to choose the
provider, options, and details that work best for you and your family. There
are seemingly infinite options offered by numerous organizations, and many people
who may or may not qualify for their company's medical insurance are forced to
find their own providers that meet their needs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Freedom<o:p></o:p></div>
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The ability to switch plans and companies is important for
many people, as trying out different options may be part of the process of
finding the right one. In addition, when you have your own health insurance,
you don't have to worry about losing coverage if you switch jobs or lose your
job. This allows you to choose your job based off of your needs and goals, not based
off of the benefits you receive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Independence<o:p></o:p></div>
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When you go with group insurance, you allow your employer to
have control over your health care options. For example, many women would like
access to birth control but are under group insurance that does not cover birth
control. With an individual plan, you're able to cater your coverage to your
own values and priorities.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Doctors<o:p></o:p></div>
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Many group plans only allow you to see certain doctors; with
individual coverage, you can see the doctors you trust and visit the hospitals
you already know.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Who Gets Individual Health Care?<o:p></o:p></div>
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As mentioned above, fewer employers today offer group
insurance than in the past. Traditionally, individual plans were reserved for
people who were between jobs, self-employed, fresh off of their parents'
coverage, or who just worked for a company that didn't offer coverage (whether
they didn't offer it at all or certain employees didn't qualify). Today, the
number of people working for companies without coverage is growing, as are the
numbers of self-employed individuals.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Group health insurance generally has the benefit of being
partially or fully funded by your employer, but it can keep you in an
unsatisfying job for fear of losing coverage and can also get you stuck in a
situation that doesn't meet all of your needs. Many people feel overwhelmed
when presented with the mass array of providers and the various plans that each
one offers. When considering moving to an individual plan, it may be worth
trying to work with a local agency to find one that meets your needs, both
medically and financially.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9155740</div>

Flying Solo - Taking On Individual Health Insurance

Up until recently, most people got their health insurance through their employers. The company they worked for chose a provider and a set...

You Will Not Die When You Think You Will

admin 0 15:15

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The following is a true story. Anna was a beautiful,
intelligent young woman living in silicon valley with her whole life ahead of
her. She had just begun what she hoped would be the job that would lay the
foundation for a rewarding career in high tech. She was dating her college
sweetheart, Jack, who she hoped to marry in the next year or two. They were
talking about having a family and her life seemed too good to be true, it was.
One night about 7 pm just as Anna was leaving work she got a phone call from
her mother that her father, Ted, was admitted to the hospital after suffering a
major stroke, they didn't know if he was going to make it through the night.
Anna rushed across town to be by her father's side. When she saw her father
laying there with wires and tubes hooked up to him, she said to herself how is
this possible, he is only 49 years old, he has never smoked and only
occasionally had a beer. He seemed so healthy, never getting very sick except
for a cold once in a while. She looked down at him and squeezed his hand and
his eyes opened and he smiled. Anna's mother took his other hand and held it
tightly. Then he seemed to drift away. Hours passed, doctors and nurses came
and went, IV bags were changed, but there was little change in Ted's condition.
Anna and her mother sat beside Ted's bed and held his hands. Then about 4 in
the morning he took a deep breath, exhaled and he was gone. The shock was
overwhelming.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Following her father's funeral, Anna realized that she had
to be there to help her mother adjust after being married to her father for 26
years. They sorted through his belongings finding it hard to throw anything
away. Anna moved home to be closer to her Mom. She decided she needed to put
off her marriage for a year, then it became two years and then three. The days
and months all seemed to blur together; work, be with her mom and share too few
hours with Jack.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One day she and Jack had been out to listen to a band they
liked and to dance, it seemed to lighten the load on Anna's shoulders. Afterward,
they went to have something to eat. When they were driving home Jack asked Anna
how much longer she planned to be living with her mother? Anna hadn't thought
about it, it's just something she did day by day. Jack basically gave her an
ultimatum that they had to start their life together or he was going to move on
with his.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It felt like ton of bricks were dropped on Anna's shoulders.
She didn't want to hurt her mother's feelings by moving out and marrying Jack
and she definitely didn't want her mother to be alone if something happened and
she either hurt herself or became mentally incapacitated. After weeks of
sleepless nights Anna told Jack she needed to be with her Mom, her heart ached,
but she knew it was best after all, her parents had sacrificed to raise her and
put her through college this was her way of repaying them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A year later Anna's mother fell and broke her hip, months of
rehab and physical therapy followed. Her mother was in her 50's when arthritis
set in to her hip and she became less able to move around without help. By this
time Anna had changed jobs a couple of times, getting a promotion each time.
When she become a Vice President she had to spend more time at work, she was
pleased with the accomplishments, but she felt guilty about leaving her mother
with a caregiver.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then one day Anna got a call from the caregiver that her mom
was refusing to eat and had thrown her lunch plate across the room and screamed
at the caregiver. The caregiver cleaned it up, but was not happy about being
treated like that by Anna's mother and had given notice. The caregiver was
costing thousands of dollars a month. What was Anna to do, she didn't want to
put her mother in a "home" and it is hard to find good, caring,
honest caregivers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anna convinced the President of the company to let her work
remotely from home three days a week, but her work began to suffer because her
mother would sleep during the day and be awake at night. Anna was exhausted.
She had no life, no friends outside of work, no boyfriend and her work was less
and less rewarding both personally and financially.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One morning Anna was getting dressed for work and looked in
the mirror, she didn't recognize herself. Where she had been a natural beauty,
she now had lines and looked tired. Where her mouth use to have a smile it was
almost always in a permanent frown. There were streaks of grey through her
chestnut hair and the sparkle in her blue eyes had vanished. How is it possible
that fourteen years had passed so quickly. She was now 44 years old. She had no
children, her job was suffering, her expenses seemed to increase every month
and she had little to show for the last fourteen years other than being a
"good daughter".<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then just after Thanksgiving, her boss called her into his
office and told her they were shutting down her division at the end of the year
and that she would receive a six month severance package and a year of
benefits, he said he regretted that they had no other job for her in the
company, he also said he would give her a good reference and wished her well.
Now what was she going to do? She works in a youth oriented industry and by
most industry standards Anna was considered "old". She had little
savings left and didn't want to touch her 401k. Her mother continued her slow
downward slide, between her mother's arthritis and increasing dementia she was
a handful. Anna took consulting jobs to make ends meet, they also provided some
flexibility, but when she needed to travel she had to find a caregiver on short
notice. Anna never achieved the same earnings she had before. She had given up
her dream of having a family and a rewarding career, but she took solace in the
fact that she had done what was right.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anna's mother lived to be 77, when she died Anna was in her
early 50s. Now Anna was all alone and had nothing to look forward to. Who was
going to care for her when she got older? Where would she find happiness?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Most people think they are going to die quickly and there
will be plenty left for their heirs, but the reality is most people are
incapacitated for years before they die. Ask most people and they will tell you
they don't want to be put in a "home", they would prefer to stay at
home, but the cost of home health care is astronomical and going up every year.
Home care drains people's savings and strains their relationships with their
children and spouses who should be there to provide support and comfort, not to
have to clean up their parent when they have incontinence problems. Nursing
homes are only short-term solutions and have very specific requirements for
admission and Medicare doesn't cover most home health care costs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Simply put long-term care insurance is asset protection. If
we could discipline ourselves to save and invest the same amount as we pay in
premiums that would be great because we could save the cost of insurance, but
the fact is, we will use those savings the first time we have a need. When you
buy a long-term care insurance policy it is like a forced savings plan and it
is there when you need it, plus none of us knows when we will fall ill or have
an accident.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After being referred to California Trust by one of her
mother's caregivers, we spent time with Anna to learn what she enjoyed doing
and what she wanted to do with the rest of her life; we then began to help her
accomplish those goals. Anna has built a successful small business online in
just three years, she is dating a man she met when she joined a hiking club,
her health and mental outlook have improved and she is happier than she has
been in decades.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9126591</div>

You Will Not Die When You Think You Will

The following is a true story. Anna was a beautiful, intelligent young woman living in silicon valley with her whole life ahead of her. S...

Your Health Insurance Info Portal

Flying Solo - Taking On Individual Health Insurance

You Will Not Die When You Think You Will

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