Alternative Low Cost Health Insurance - Staying On Top Of It

Some things in life are taken for granted and the privilege of having health insurance may be one of them. Employers have to give their employees some kind of benefit program in their overall compensation package. The employee expects it and enjoys the security of having good health insurance. Everything changes when the employee leaves the employer. Insurance decisions have to be made. No one can escape from this process. The employee soon finds the cost to continue the insurance to be much more than expected and they start scrambling for alternatives. Are there alternatives? What can be done to reduce the cost?

There has been a major shift in thinking by the insurance buying public over alternatives to lowering the cost of health insurance. Low deductibles are a thing of the past. It has taken some time to change the thinking about having low deductibles. Low deductibles mean less out of pocket expense. It works the opposite in today’s market for health insurance. The premiums paid for lower deductibles are so high that it no longer makes sense to have them. The higher deductibles reduce the premium dramatically. There are deductibles as large as $5000 in some health insurance plans.

Two Alternatives

1. Take the highest deductible that you can afford. This is called self-insuring. You are insuring yourself for the deductible amount in exchange for a lower premium.

2. Start a Health Savings Account. This is a savings account that is used for medical expenses only. This is a fantastic way of putting money aside for the out of pocket deductible amount and any additional medical expense. The best part about it is that the health savings account is tax deductible. See your tax advisor or accountant on how to set up this plan.

Insurance is a great place to start to lower your monthly bills. We hope that this will help you analyze your next quote. Please refer to our recommended source for insurance quotes of all types.

All about car insurance

Many factors influence the premium for your Motor insurance policy. Your insurer will have asked you many questions whilst producing your quote - some of which will affect your premium and some will not. Below we discuss the key variables that are within the policyholder's control.

Location
A big influence on the cost of your car insurance is where you live. The chance of your car being broken into or stolen is a key concern for the insurer. More urban areas traditionally facing greater risk of theft and therefore tend to be more expensive than countryside locations.

Excess
By agreeing to pay a greater excess on each claim you can reduce your car insurance premiums. This is because you are reducing the liability of the insurer and therefore in return they are able to offer you a lower premium.

Your Vehicle
The cheaper and slower your vehicle the lower your premiums are likely to be. If you are looking to buy a new vehicle make sure you fully consider the cost of insurance – you may be able to buy the car but can you afford to run it?

Consolidating policies
By insuring a number of vehicles with the same insurer, or by trying to take out home and life insurance through your car insurer, you may be able to secure a ‘bulk buy’ discount.

Parking
Where you park your vehicle overnight is also very important to the insurers. If it is kept in a locked garage, you should be offered a lower premium than if you leave it unattended in the street.

Mileage
You can control your insurance premiums by restricting your annual mileage. However, be aware that if you exceed the restricted number of miles you'll then become uninsured!

Security
Security devices that prevent or hinder theft may also reduce your premium. Common examples include alarms and immobilisers, however, be aware that as we improve the quality of our security devices the thieves just become better at bypassing them.

No Claims Discount
Save up your no claims discount by avoiding making small claims upon your policy. After a set number of years, 4 or 5 typically, you'll often be offered the option to pay an additional small premium to protect your no claims bonus. This can prove very helpful if you subsequently end up having an accident.

Your Sex
Women are statistically less likely to have an accident and, if they do, it's less likely to be serious. Because of these statistics women benefit from lower premiums. It is also worth noting that if you represent one half of a couple you should consider having the female as the primary driver with the male as the second driver.

Advanced driving skills
By taking an advanced driving course you may also be able to reduce your premiums. The Institute for Advanced Motorists and the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents each offer membership which provides you with discounts for both the cost of driving courses and your car insurance premiums. Two key variables NOT within the policyholder's control.

Your Age
The older you are, the less likely you are to make a claim. As a result insurance companies charge lower premiums for more mature drivers.

One final piece of advice
A large percentage of car insurance is now sold on the Internet. That's because it's convenient and cheap. Many insurers now give a further 10%-15% discount if you buy online.

Affordable Individual Health Insurance - How To Control Your Own Insurance Costs

The need for affordable individual health insurance is becoming more prevalent because of the rising numbers of self-employed. Entrepreneurs are changing the landscape. Home-based businesses are growing at a phenomenal pace. The enormous growth of small business has generated a greater demand for individual health insurance. This is a first time experience for many of these new start-ups. Group health insurance is provided by the employer. The employee that is enrolled in the company group health insurance plan rarely examines the coverage or the cost. This changes dramatically when they are forced into purchasing their own individual plan.

COBRA (the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) guarantees a continuance of coverage when you leave your employer. This coverage is made available for 18 months after you leave. You have a 60-day window after termination of employment to shop for your own individual health plan. This window of time is critical to the insurance shopping process. If you have any thought of leaving your employer then it is imperative that you investigate the availability of individual health insurance.

Individual health insurance is medically underwritten. That means that the insurance company will gather all applicable medical information on you and or your family to determine if they can offer you an individual plan. Pre-existing conditions are often eliminated and in some instances coverage can be denied.

Things to consider:

1. Health – Do not presume that you or any of your family is Insurable. There may be certain pre-existing conditions that are covered by some companies and excluded by others.

2. Self-Insuring – The higher deductible that you elect will decrease your premium dramatically. This is called self-insuring. Some companies have deductibles that go as high as thousands.

3. Insurance Company – There are many reliable insurance companies in the health insurance industry use their quotes to compare coverage.

We have done the research so you don't have to. Please see our recommended source for insurance quotes online.

Affordable Individual Health Insurance

Health Insurance - There are many options for an individual to obtain affordable health insurance coverage. Keep in mind that there are savings in numbers; the more people in a plan, the better the savings for each member.

In some states, like Florida you may purchase group policies for a group of one. Some states allow a two-person policy to qualify for a group rate. If you are a sole proprietor and your spouse helps you with things like bookkeeping, filing or mailings, you may be able to claim them as an employee and get the group rate.

Another option for the self-employed is the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE). NASE offers self employed individuals the choice to deduct 100% of their medical premiums and 100% of their non insured medical expense from state, federal and self employment taxes through a program called 105 HFR.

If you’re not in a business, don’t despair. You may be able to enjoy the lower premiums associated with group plans by joining an organization such as trade or alumni associations.. For instance, as a writer, I might elect to join a group association targeted to help writers secure discounted health insurance. Groups such as ASJA American Society of Journalists and Authors.

Fitness instructors might elect to participate in the health insurance program offered through IDEA, an organization of health and fitness professionals. Pregnant women may join the American Pregnancy Association which offers both government funded programs and discount health programs such as MaternityCard AmeriPlan.

Because association health plans are not subject to the various state regulations that group health plans are subject to, they are able to offer cheaper insurance coverage. Keep in mind, however, that an association health plan is different from a group health plan in that the association does not have to offer the same premium for each member.

Affordable Health Insurance Plan - What Everyone Needs To Know About Individual Health Insurance

Affordable Health Insurance - The discussion about health insurance will rarely cross your mind as long as you are employed. The group health insurance benefits that you have while you are employed are so easily taken for granted. There may come a time when a change or loss of employment may send you scrambling into the health insurance market place. You will have a lot of new decisions to make. You will have to educate yourself very quickly because there is only a 60-day window after separation from your employer to purchase a new plan.

There are an increasing numbers of baby boomers reaching their mid-fifties that are leaving their employers and starting businesses. This requires health insurance planning. An affordable health insurance plan is only possible when you begin to understand the basics of health insurance.

Group health insurance is almost always a Major Medical plan. There is a lifetime maximum payout of benefits up to a million dollars in most plans. These plans have the typical in-patient and out patient care subject to a number of different deductibles. It is imperative that you understand the major medical policy. You do not want to purchase supplemental health policies to replace a major–medical plan. Hospital Income policies are one type of supplemental health insurance. The hospital income policy pays the insured a dollar amount benefit for each day that you are hospitalized and not much else.

Your best way to make health insurance more affordable is by taking advantage of the premium reductions gained from taking higher deductibles. The next step is starting a health savings account to fund the deductible and any other unforeseen expense. The health savings account is tax deductible. Your accountant or tax advisor will give you more details.

Insurance is usually the best way to decrease your monthly bills when you want to save money. Please see our recommended source for insurance quotes online to get the cheapest rates possible. We have done the research so you don’t have to.