Affordable Health Insurance in California - Low Cost Quote Online

Are you wondering if you'll ever find affordable Health Insurance in California? Have you heard that almost all of the major health insurance companies now offer low cost health insurance quotes online? Getting competitive insurance quotes from National insurance companies is a snap when you use the Internet.

California Health Insurance Plans

Currently there are (3) three major types of health insurance plans in California. Indemnity, PPO managed health care, and HMO managed health care. Indemnity plans pay a portion of your medical bills after being billed by your doctor or hospital. Sometimes, you may have to pay the bill out of your own pocket first, then get reimbursed from your insurance company.

With a PPO or HMO health insurance plan, you go to a doctor within the PPO - HMO network and receive medical care. All you pay is a small copayment for each visit. Doctors and hospitals have already agreed upon the prices they charge insurance companies for these services. This helps insurance companies keep a lid on medical costs while passing on the savings to you.

When shopping for health insurance always compare deductibles. Finding low cost health insurance may mean choosing a policy with a higher deductible. Deductibles range from $500 to $5000 and premiums adjust accordingly. The higher the deductible the lower the monthly premium.

Health Insurance in California Quotes

One of the best ways to find affordable California health insurance quotes is to go to a free insurance quote website. There you can get competitive quotes, from up to 5 health insurance companies, so you can compare plans and prices. After you have your quotes, you can look more closely at the policies and decide which one is the best for you.

Cheap Health Insurance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Adults living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who can't afford to pay for health care may be eligible for coverage under a government sponsored plan. This plan is called adultBasic and if an individual meets certain criteria, they may qualify. For many people living in this city the adultBasic coverage simply isn't an option. For them, finding cheap health insurance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is imperative.

One of the determining factors in how much a person can expect to pay for health insurance has to do with their personal demands. Many of the low cost health insurance plans in Philadelphia require that the individual visit only certain doctors and hospitals. If you are dead set against this, you can expect to pay more for having a choice. If you rarely visit a doctor but want coverage in case of emergency, this type of low cost plan can work.

If you rarely get prescription drugs consider not paying for this type of coverage. Prescription coverage is typically incredibly expensive and if you aren't on any regular medications it may not be something you require right now. The only real downside to not having the coverage in place is if you suddenly take ill and have to pay drug costs out of pocket. This can be incredibly expensive.

Another optional type of coverage is dental care. Although too many neglect their teeth, it is important to keep them healthy. If you know that you don't have any special dental issues and you are prudent about visiting the dentist at least once a year it may be financially smart to have limited or no dental coverage on your plan. If the cost of a check-up and cleaning is less than the yearly premiums for coverage, you need to weigh the pros and cons of the coverage to decide if it's worth it for you to purchase it.

Health Insurance Fraud - Have You Been A Victim And How Would You Know?

Hundred of us fall victim to medical health insurance fraud every day and the problem for most of us is that it can be very difficult to spot until it is too late. In most cases it is not until you come to make a claim which is denied that you discover that you have joined the growing list of people who have been victims of this particularly nasty form of fraud.

One of the problems with health insurance fraud is that there are many different forms of fraud perpetrated today and some of these are very cleverly carried out and extremely difficult to spot. There are however a number of things that you can do to help protect yourself.

First, you should always be wary of any health insurance plan which offers you excellent coverage at a very low cost. Medical bills have been rising consistently for some considerable time now and health insurance, in whatever form you purchase it, is not a cheap item. So, if you are offered a plan at a price which seems too good to be true then the chances are that it is not true.

Second, you should be especially suspicious of unsolicited mail which offers you discounted health insurance and your suspicions should be heightened if this offer comes from a company whose name you do not recognize. Fraudsters are especially adept at using names which closely resemble well known household names but which, on close inspection, are found to be spelt slightly differently. If you are not sure about the company but feel that it might be genuine then check with your State Insurance Commission to see if they are aware of the company and, more importantly, have licensed it to sell insurance in your state.

Thirdly, if you receive an offer which appears to be genuine you should read through it in its entirety and pay close attention to any fine print. Even if the offer is genuine, it is the fine print which covers such things as exclusions, which may transform an apparently good offer into a very costly one.

Forth, if a salesperson calls with an offer and asks you either to pay in cash or to pay the full amount of any premium up front then you this is almost certainly a case of fraud.

These are just a few of the steps that you can take to protect yourself against medical health insurance fraud. Perhaps the best answer however lies in only ever purchasing a health insurance plan from a well established and reputable company with a sound track record.

Remember too that there is perhaps nothing better than a personal recommendation from somebody you know and trust. So, if you have a friend or family member who has a plan with a particular company and has had a good experience of dealing with that company, including making claims against their plan, then this is one of the best places to start your own search for sound health insurance.

Medicare Part D FAQ's

You've likely heard about Part D, Medicare's new coverage for prescription drugs. Of course, that doesn't mean you understand it. Here, we answer your frequently asked questions.

Who is eligible for Part D?
Anyone with Medicare - that is, anyone over age 65, or under 65 with disabilities.

What does Medicare Part D cost?
There are hundreds of different plans, with an average premium of about $22 a month. If you're under a certain income level, you may qualify for free coverage.

How do I get Part D?
You can sign up within three months prior to or three months after turning 65. If you don't sign up then, you can't sign up again until the following November and you may pay a penalty. Once you've chosen a plan, you have to stick with it for the rest of the year—but everyone is allowed to switch plans between November 15 and December 31.

What will I be paying for prescription drugs?
First, you must meet your plan's deductible (this year, the deductible can be no higher than $265). After that, you're responsible for 25 percent of the cost of covered prescription drugs until together you and your plan have spent $2,400. At that point you've reached the Part D coverage gap or "donut hole," in which you must pay the full cost of drugs. But once you have spent $3,850—including what you've paid for your deductible, copays and coinsurance, but not premiums—you qualify for catastrophic coverage. Under this, you pay $2.15 for a generic or preferred drug and $5.35 for other drugs, or 5 percent of the drug's price (whichever is greater) for the rest of the year.

Should I sign up for Medicare Part D, even if I don't take a lot of medications?
"We urge everyone to sign up," says Jeff Nelligan, spokesperson for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. "Situations change—and they can change pretty rapidly."

How should I choose a prescription drug plan?
Because there are so many plans, there are many different cost structures. Some plans may have a higher monthly premium, but they may also have a lower deductible or cover more medications. Their copayments may be lower as well.

Keep in mind the following factors:

Deductibles. These vary widely—they can be anything from zero to $265.

Participating pharmacies. Make sure there's one on the plan that's convenient to you. Also, if you spend winters in one state and summers in another, make sure both places have participating pharmacies. Some plans may offer a mail-order program that delivers drugs directly to your home.

Medications. Make sure that the drugs you currently take are in the formulary. If not, you won't get coverage for them, nor will they count toward your deductible. Some plans require doctors to prove that you really need the drug. You can find information about each plan and what it offers by visiting medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. Now that you better understand Medicare Part D, you can make wiser choices about prescription drug coverage.

Dealing with Procrastination

Procrastination is a poison to the person looking for health insurance. Over the years I have sat with, spoken to, too many people that have put off buying a health insurance policy only to have a tragic event occur and thus rendering them un-insurable.

Case in point, I remember the time I sat with an older couple and spent over two hours with them discussing the benefits and reasons why they should get the health insurance policy, and in the end, they did buy. Feeling good about the sale I went home. Two days later the wife called me to let me know that her husband was admitted into the hospital for what later was diagnosed as a stroke. If they had waited, if they had turned me away, he at least would be un-insurable.

Let's discuss the number one reason not to procrastinate when looking for a health insurance policy.

The number one reason is the unknown. There is a problem that plagues us, humans. I call it the Unknown. It is the future. We do not know what tomorrow brings. We don't even know what the next hour will bring. It is the unknown factors that we guard against. It is the reason we lock our doors at night. It is the reason we prepare our houses for a big storm. It is the reason we buy insurance. Not knowing the future is only a problem if you are not prepared.

The fix, then is to be prepared. When you are shopping for a deadbolt to put on your door, do you pick the cheapest, least effective lock on the market? No, you choose a lock that will withstand anything thrown at it. It is your family that you are protecting, so you buy the best lock on the market.

Likewise, when a major storm is approaching, do you leave all the windows and doors unprotected? Do you leave yard items in the yard to blow around? No, you put the storm shutters on the windows and doors, the yard is picked clean, and everything that can be tied down is.

If you prepare for the storms and the burglars that might come your way, then doesn't it make sense to prepare for the health storms and burglars that can rob you of your good health and eradicate your bank account? Health Insurance does just that. Health insurance protects you and your family just as much as that lock and the storm shutters protect you and your family.

My suggestion, don't procrastinate. Get the best policy that you can get to protect your family. I guarantee that you will sleep better at night knowing that you have protected your family against the dangers of the unknown.