Individual Health Insurance & Family Plans in USA

How to Get Better Health Insurance

If you want to know how to get better health insurance, you are in the right place. You can always learn about new tips on how to pick the best health insurance. Follow us here to find out about the latest changes in how to access health insurance plans and learn about better health tips. Your access to healthcare is largely dependent on your insurance, so learning all about it is a really smart idea. Luckily, we’ve done a lot of the work of gathering the information so you don’t have to. Just read all of the better health insurance tips here. Whether you’re on Medicare or you have personal health insurance, you’ll be more knowledgeable about how to get care. The new health insurance markets may seem confusing, but if you’re informed it will be as easy as pie to get your health care taken care of by professionals.

How to Get Cheap Health Insurance for Kids

Kids get sick a lot. Even a relatively healthy kid’s health care can really rack up costs. Having health insurance for your children is really important. Kids fall down, break bones and get sick all the time. You don’t want one trip and fall to mean financial hardship for you and your family. How can you get cheap health insurance for kids? There are many ways. 

See if you Qualify for CHIP

CHIP is the Children’s Health Insurance Program. It’s not part of medicaid, and it helps families who make too much to qualify for medicaid but still can’t really afford expensive health insurance plans for their kids. While adult health insurance has special enrollment dates, CHIP is open to kids at any time of year. You can apply easily by calling a special number or just by filling out some forms online. Certain states provide more benefits than others so do some research!

Qualify for a Subsidy for Help

Many families will qualify for a subsidy to help them pay for health care under the Affordable Care Act. This measure was voted out recently, so it won’t be around for too much longer, but you should still try to get it while you can as the future is completely uncertain as to how things will work after that. Even if the subsidies go away, try to save money while you still can. All you have to do is apply on your state’s exchange or on the US healthcare homepage.

Know How Kid’s Insurance Works

While adults usually have to get separate insurance for dental and vision, kids often have dental and vision included, which makes it even more beneficial. It’s a whole coverage service wrapped up in one. That’s because most people think it would be cruel to let kids go without these vital services just because their parents can’t pay for it due to financial hardship. However, not all plans cover this, so check yours and make sure.

Just Ask

If you don’t qualify for anything, it can’t hurt to call up an insurance company and ask if there is any way that you might qualify for a discount or if there are any benefits you may be eligible for. In addition, there are specific healthcare specialists who will help you get set up with a new health insurance plan that is perfect for you if you find things confusing.

While adult health insurance is pretty expensive, there are more options for affordable health insurance coverage for kids. Covering your kids is just what you need to do. Whether you get Medicaid, CHIP, a subsidy or just regular old health insurance from the marketplace, you’ll be doing yourself a favor when you get your kids health insurance care. When something goes wrong you won’t be thinking dollar signs and fear, you’ll just be focused on taking care of your kids and making sure they get the best possible care.

Find out what you want from a health insurance plan for kids and then find the one that you want. With the government marketplace it’s easier than ever. Remember to tune in here because the whole US healthcare system may change drastically in the near future. We will be covering all the changes to make sure that you stay in the know as changes develop.

What is Child Only Health Insurance

Some people who are parents don’t care as much about their needs, but they want their kids to be covered by health insurance. This makes sense because these days, health insurance is definitely pretty expensive. Families who need to tighten the belt might want to get child only health insurance to cover family members who need it most. Kids get sick the most often, and the ones who are especially rambunctious can break their bones in one fall. Without health coverage, this can cost a lot.

Child only health insurance is an insurance plan that’s just for a kid. It covers everything that adult insurance covers and then some including:

• Regular check ups - these are the routine appointments that your kids have all of the time. During these types of appointments, pediatricians make sure your kids are growing up big and strong.
• Immunizations - getting vaccinated is very important so your kids can grow up to be healthy. It’s also important for international travel.
• Prescriptions - Whether your kid requires antibiotics for an ear infection or a regular prescription for a chronic condition, having something that is covered under their health insurance is vital.
• Hospital care - It would be unfortunate to have a hospital trip with your children but if that does happen, most insurance plans do cover hospital care. Make emergencies less stressful by getting kids coverage. 
• Tests and X-Rays - If your children need tests or x-rays then you will be happy to know that most health insurance plans do cover this need. 
• Emergency care - Emergency rooms, ambulance rides and urgent care centers are notoriously expensive. Get health insurance for your kids to ease the burden when you really need help the most.
• Vision/dental - Some, not all, children’s health insurance plans include vision and dental. Check out the ones you are interested in to see whether or not they do.

If you are in a situation where your job doesn’t extend health insurance coverage to dependents or you just want to get health insurance for your children and not for yourself, just look into children only plans. There are several available because lots of insurance companies want to give children the opportunity to succeed with great health.

If you need some help getting children’s health insurance, there are a few options.

1. You can see if your family members will qualify for coverage under Medicaid. This means a low cost plan for low income families. If you can’t afford to pay then you can get the coverage that you need and this is an important program that has helped a lot of people.
2. CHIP is a special program for families whose parents make too much for Medicaid, but would still be too burdened by the cost of health insurance to provide it for their children. You can apply for this program, which stands for Child Health Insurance Program, at any time of year.
3. Private health insurance - Just sign up for a private children’s only health insurance plan during the open enrollment period. If you miss the period, it’s unfortunate but you will have to wait for that special time the next year. 

College Student Health Insurance

College students are a pretty unique population for a few reasons, and we’re not talking about how much they love to party. However they are unique from other adults in that they are under 26 and they have more options than most adults for choosing health insurance. Except for those who go to university later in life, most college students are between the ages of 18 and 22. Here are the options for people who are that age.

1. Enroll in a college student health plan. Most colleges offer specific health insurance for their students. If you want to enroll in one of those plans, you will most likely be covered from having to pay the “no health insurance fee.” Most of them are legitimate health insurance plans that will cover you in the case that something happens. College is stressful enough without having to worry about your health.
2. Stay on your parents’ plan. Ever since the inception of the Affordable Care Act, those who are under the age of 26 and are still a dependent of their parents can stay on their parent’s plan. If you live in the same state as your parents it would probably be worth it to stay on their healthcare, if they have it. They can add you to their health plan during the open enrollment period only so make sure that you get it done right on time.
3. Get your own insurance. If you live in a different state than your parents, you are over the age of 26, or no one claims you as a dependent on their taxes, it’s probably better to get your own health insurance, even if you are still a dependent of your parental units. This is because health insurance doesn’t translate very well from state to state. Each state has different plans and regulations, and you may end up paying more if you keep your parent’s plan because you’ll likely be going to out of network providers. 
4. Go without. If you choose to go without insurance you will have to pay at least $695 per year. This price may go up as inflation takes hold. However, that is probably way cheaper than it would cost to pay for health insurance for the year, so if it’s really an issue to come up with that dough, you could go this route. However, it’s really not a good option because if something happens you will be completely out of luck and will have to foot the bill completely.

Health insurance is very important for kids in college, even though they think they are totally invincible. Long hours studying and partying leads to illnesses like mono and other things that can occur from a weakened immune system. Plus, just like any time of life, you never know what is going to happen, and you want to be covered for those just in case moments.

Go International With Global Health Insurance

For the most part, when you get health insurance it only applies to place in the US. If you go to another country, you might not be covered. For that reason, you may want to get global health insurance. Most global health coverage plans are made for people who are not just traveling abroad for a little while. For that, there is travel insurance which can get you covered for periods of a few weeks. These plans are designed for families or individuals who are American Citizens who are going to live abroad for a long period of time, or at least travel for a long while. Most of these plans are for at least a year.

In addition to everything that regular health insurance covers, what makes global health insurance special is that it has features that are specifically tailored to expats and globetrotters. First of all, most of these plans include evacuation and repatriation in the event of a major medical emergency. So that means if you get really sick and you want to be treated at home, it’s a possibility. Most of these plans also have a 24 hour helpline which is very useful in case you’re not familiar with the language of the country you are in, or you just want some advice on what to do before you go to the doctor. What’s even better is that in most of these plans, coverage for your home country is included so you can travel with ease and visit family, carefree.

These types of plans are different than regular health insurance in that they are usually more flexible and you can choose what to include or exclude in many cases. Some of them offer the opportunity to include vision insurance or dental, and others offer the ability to exclude maternity care or prescription care if you think you will not need them in order to save some money. If you think you might exclude something, think about it carefully first. Saving a few bucks now seems attractive, but when you actually need something for your health you will regret making that choice. Get as much coverage as you think you might need!

Company Spotlight: Health First Insurance

Health First Insurance is a company that serves more than 1 million people in lower New York. They offer their plans on the official NY State health insurance marketplace. They have multiple options for individual plan purchasers and plans for small businesses to offer to their employees. They offer Medicaid and Medicare plans, Long Term Care insurance, Child Health Insurance and of course, traditional plans for adults. They have “leaf plans” and “premier leaf plans.” Leaf plans are standard health insurance fare that offer Bronze, Silver, Platinum and Gold options, as well as a “green” catastrophic plan that’s only available to people under 30. Their premier plans are the same, except they also include vision and dental, making them the complete package. Premier plans also come with access to a special video chat and phone line that allows you to talk to doctors to get advice without having to go in to see someone. Health First offers the same to businesses, with options for covering alternative medicine treatments like acupuncture and giving employees rewards for exercising regularly.

Health Insurance Advisors

What can a health insurance advisor do for you? Well, it’s clear that the health insurance marketplace is always changing and it’s going to keep morphing and evolving as new legislation keeps getting passed to make it different. Luckily for you, when the new Affordable Care Act was put into place years ago, they made special positions for health care advisors who would help people navigate the complicated procedures to follow and give them advice on what to do.

There are many ways to get with an advisor. First of all you can call the federal number. This will help you get started in your health insurance journey. You can also send an e-mail to a local agent, or go to an in-person walk in center that is staffed with people whose sole purpose is to assist citizens with signing up for health insurance. 

Becoming a health insurance advisor is actually a great career move. It is a fully trained position that pays decently and allows you to learn some skills that will transfer well to other jobs. You may find yourself handling a lot of inquiries and having to keep track of a lot of things, which is a skill that would appeal to other bosses. It’s a mixture of office work, customer service and good organization that is fulfilling  because you would get to help people have proper healthcare and health insurance.

If you have questions about health insurance, just contact your local health insurance advisor. They will help you navigate the twists and turns that come with getting health insurance.

How a Health Insurance Agent Can Help

When you are shopping for health insurance you have a few options for what to do. You can call a company or go online and get a plan without ever having to talk to a person. Or you can find an insurance agent who will work with you to figure out exactly what you need and make sure you get the best price on it too. 

Before you go with a health insurance agent or health insurance broker, you will want to make sure they are licensed. Each state has different requirements for licensing, but a license just helps to show you that the person is for real, and that when it comes time to use your health insurance you will actually be covered. Licensed agents often must agree to work in your best interest, which is why making sure your insurance broker is legit is quite important.

You should know that some agents work for specific insurance companies. This type of agent won’t sell you insurance for any other company. Other agents sell any type of insurance. Any health insurance broker can help you get a discount, if you qualify for an insurance subsidy, as long as they help you apply through the online marketplace that was created for the Affordable Care Act. 

You should also know that most insurance agents do get a commission for selling you insurance, if you decide to go with their plan. However, because they are licensed they have to try to work in your best interest and so they would get reported to the overseeing bureau if they tried to trick you into buying health insurance for their own personal gain. With a licensed insurance agent you really have nothing to worry about. They will simply help you get the health coverage that you need, in an ethical and moral fashion.

If you’re thinking of becoming a health insurance agent, you should know it’s a pretty good career and with all the changes in the health marketplace, there are always new positions opening up. You will most likely get a base pay that is pretty decent, plus commissions on top of that. If you’ve been thinking of a new career, and want one that can help people get health insurance, then becoming a health insurance agent might be a good option.