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Revision as of 19:12, 12 June 2008
, 19:12, 12 June 2008Everyone knows that the health insurance industry is continually raising monthly premiums, and many feel this is unjust to you as the consumer. However, the health insurance industry has had to fight
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== Stay Legal! Avoiding Insurance Fraud ==
Everyone knows that the health insurance industry is continually raising monthly premiums, and many feel this is unjust to you as the consumer. However, the health insurance industry has had to fight increasing health insurance fraud. The amount of money spent on investigating and prosecuting fraud is then passed on to policyholders. Many people do not understand what health insurance fraud entails, though. With reports estimating health insurance fraud is a $30 billion to over $100 billion industry per year, the topic should not be taken lightly. Every health insurance policyholder should understand what health insurance fraud is and its consequences. By doing so, you are more able to recognize and fight fraud.
Health insurance fraud is typically defined as intentionally deceiving, misrepresenting, or concealing information to receive benefits from the insurance company. Essentially this means that you assert that you paid for certain medical procedures or expenses out-of-pocket which you have not actually received, and you are submitting claims to the insurance company to receive reimbursement. Another example of member fraud is to conceal pre-existing conditions or to alter medical documents so that non-policyholders or ineligible members receive medical benefits under your policy. Perhaps your sister does not have insurance and needs medical attention. Having her use your name and policy to cover the expenses is health insurance fraud. While you may think that this is a small issue in comparison to your sister receiving treatment, it is actually very serious to your health insurance company and industry, and will result in fines and possible imprisonment if your are caught.
Not only policyholders commit fraud, but providers (physicians, hospitals, etc.) do as well. Since physicians and hospitals bill the insurance company for services they provide for you, they are also receiving reimbursement from the insurance company. When providers commit fraud, they may be billing the insurance company at higher rates for services rendered or they may bill for services you never received. In these cases, you will probably be asked to cooperate in the insurance company’s investigation.
Another type of health insurance fraud that has developed recently targets the policyholder more than the insurance company. Schemes have developed where fake insurance companies or agents sign unsuspecting customers for coverage at surprisingly low premium rates. They often act much like a regular insurance company for the first few months, paying for smaller medical claims like physicians visits. But once you have a more serious medical condition that needs treatment, the insurance company will disappear – along with the money you have been paying in premiums.
The rule with health insurance fraud is much like that of any other scam: if a deal seems too good to be true, just remember - it probably is. Remember to be honest in your dealings with health insurance companies and expect the same in the return from these companies, as well as your health care providers. Stay legal to avoid fines and prison and to continue receiving health insurance coverage.
== Dental Benefits ==
Dental insurance is often an afterthought when obtaining health insurance for a number of reasons. Some people may simply dislike the dentist and use the lack of dental insurance as a reason to not visit the dentist; others may feel that dental insurance is not worth the added cost to their monthly health insurance premium. Still others may simply feel that their teeth are in good shape and there is little need to spend the extra money to cover a part of their body that does not currently have any problems. Nevertheless, dental insurance is important because of several benefits.
When people think of the cost of dental work or procedures, they often think of costly bills. Even simple procedures like getting your wisdom teeth removed can average in the hundreds of dollars per tooth! However, one obvious benefit to dental insurance is the coverage of simple but costly dental procedures such as getting a tooth removed. In the end, the slight increase in a monthly premium may be worth it to avoid a high dental bill. Moreover, dental insurance also helps financially if a dental emergency develops. Perhaps you are in need of a root canal or dental implants – both extremely costly procedures that you often do not anticipate. Dental insurance will most likely cover a portion, if not all of these expensive procedures.
Also, while many feel that brushing and flossing daily is all the dental care they need this is simply not true – even for young, healthy adults. Dental disease is common and can affect your body in a number of ways. For instance, some dental diseases left untreated can lead to more serious medical issues such as kidney infections or even diabetes. Most people do now know of the connection between dental diseases and other illnesses. Thus, having dental insurance that covers routine visits to the dentist, which can help uncover dental diseases early, is extremely important. Dental insurance is designed to encourage preventative care, because spotting dental diseases or dental problems early reduces the overall cost of treatment.
Dental insurance may seem like just another gimmick to get a few more dollars out of you, but it is essential for your health. Your regular health insurance plan, whether it is through your employer as a group plan or an individual plan, should offer you the option of buying dental insurance coverage, and you should consider this piece of the plan thoroughly when purchasing health insurance.
== Do You Need A College Health Insurance Plan? ==
When you are finally done with your high school education, there is no doubt that you’ll be enrolling into a college. Many times when a child reaches the age of 20, they are no longer covered by their parents’ insurance and this can lead to a troubling situation if they are not working and just strictly going to college. However, many colleges offer health insurance plans. Whether one of these insurance plans are right for you or not takes a lot of deliberation.
College health insurance benefits are going to vary from campus to campus. Although many people think that they are free, this is not true. While there is usually no charge for an office visit and routine checkups, the student will have to pay for lab work and other specialist type of visits. Benefits will usually pay completely for only types of covered services at the campus health center. In the event that you have to see an outside doctor then the student’s coverage can drop up to 70% and run the risk of being required to pay a high deductible.
If you have a pre-existing condition, then you may have a problem with getting treatment at the college health center. Having a pre-existing illness or disability does not mean that you will be disqualified for obtaining a college health insurance plan, but you may not be able to get treatment for that pre-existing illness. This can lead to a number of problems if a new problem arises and is a product of a pre-existing illness.
All plans are different, so be sure you find out everything you can about your college’s plan. Be sure to check if you or your child will be covered during summer break when students are not taking classes. This is important because you don’t want to have an accident and find out that the insurance becomes inactive when they are not in class. Many colleges have coverage during summer break, but some do not.
Make sure you understand the plan. Is it an HMO, or can the member use any provider they want? This is just as important because you want to know where you can go in the event of an emergency, and there is nothing worse than finding out after the fact that you will be stuck with paying the full amount for a medical bill.
There really is no definitive answer as to whether you should or shouldn’t commit to getting college health insurance. Be sure that you understand your plan fully so that no problems can arise in the event of an emergency. While it is not free insurance, it surely will save you money in the event of an accident or illness.
== Disability Insurance ==
We all know how important typical health insurance is, but did you know that disability insurance is just as important? In the event that you are hurt on the job, and cannot work, disability insurance will give you peace of mind—you will still able to provide for your family. While we would like to think that we always work safely, accidents do happen and you need to be sure that you have every angle covered in the event of an accident. If you become ill or injured on the job and as a result you are unable to return to work, there are a couple of options that will replace lost income. These types of disability insurance are not going to fully replace your income because they want you to have an incentive for returning back to work once you get well.
Social Security benefits are paid to you when your disability is expected to last for at least 12 months. Most of the time this is when no gainful employment can occur and you must remain out of work for the entire duration of your leave. Employer-paid disability is required by almost every state in the United States. This type of disability insurance is deducted from your paycheck, and is there for you in the event of an accident. When you are looking at disability insurance policies, it is important to understand what they mean. While the two available policies are both for disability, they both cover a different amount of time you will be covered, and when you will start receiving your compensation.
A short-term disability policy means that you will be covered for no longer than 2 years. With this policy you may have to wait up to 14 days before you start receiving compensation. A long-term disability policy is a little different. The disability compensation will not kick in for several weeks, sometimes a couple of months. However, long-term disability will cover you for a longer period of time, and sometimes for the rest of your life.
Along with having the two different types of insurance policies, there are also two different protection features. Protection is offered to you to ensure that you are not going to be treated unfairly due to your inability to work. Non-cancelable means that for no reason other than not paying your premiums can your policy be canceled. With this type of policy you will lock in your premium and will not risk a decrease in the benefits. On the other hand, a guaranteed renewable policy means that the same benefits will be available every year. The only way that your premium will be increased is if every policyholder within the same rating class as yourself increases also.
While there are many options when choosing disability insurance as well, these are the most popular selections. It is important to discuss all available options when choosing a disability insurance policy to ensure that you know what you will receive in the event of an accident or illness. Research your options to find the best choice for you and your family.
== Attract Employees: Group Health Insurance ==
Many small business owners know that in order for them to be successful they must offer an incentive to recruit employees to work for them. This can be any number of things, but most often it is the benefit of offering group health insurance. While this could be an excellent strategy for your small business to take in order to recruit new employees, there are a few things that you must know first before you dive into selecting a plan. Research group insurance policies thoroughly before choosing one for your company.
A group health insurance plan can be obtained by any small business that has as little as two employees to as many as fifty. There are two ways you can go about supplying the health insurance to your employees; this will mainly be decided by your own budget. Many small businesses that offer group health insurance help contribute towards the cost of the plan. On the other hand if an employee wants to have coverage for their families, the employer might offer to pay the employees’ premiums and have them pay the premium for their families.
Another aspect of the group health insurance plan will be deciding between managed care or fee-for-service. Managed care plans include Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), or Point of Service plan (POS).
An HMO will significantly reduce the cost that your members will have to pay for medical care as long as they use the providers specified by the HMO. A PPO will not require a referral in order for them to see a specialist. While the PPO is more flexible it will bring higher costs to the per-visit and annual deductibles. The POS plans are basically a combination of the features that you will find in an HMO and PPO. Members get to decide whether to pay a flat fee for offices in the network, or pay a deductible charge to see someone out of network. The fee-for-service plan gives the employee the power to select health care providers themselves. This means that they will have way more flexibility with where they can go for medical assistance.
Adding an appealing Group Health insurance plan to your business could potentially bring you more employees. This is just the basic information about Group Health insurance; there are many options to consider when choosing a plan. Be sure to investigate all options to create the best plan for your employees.
== What You Don’t Know Can Kill You ==
== What You Don’t Know Can Kill You ==