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Health Insurance – Simple Facts

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:49:28 +0000

California is known for its varied climate and geography, as well as for its ethnically diverse population. By 2007, California’s population has reached 37,700,000, making it the most populated state, the 13th fastest-growing in US. Having these numbers in mind, it is very clear why health insurance in this part of the world is so important. With growing hospital waiting lists and hygiene under scrutiny, health insurance is now vital and important for all the people that leave in this state. The personal income was $38,956 in 2006, ranking 11th in the US nation. Great number, one might say, meaning that Californians can afford to spend a few bucks on health insurance, for the peace of their minds.

In California, health insurance may be provided through a government-sponsored social insurance program, or from private insurance companies. Also, health insurance may be purchased on a group basis (e.g., by a company to cover its employees) or purchased by individual consumers. In each case, the covered groups or individuals pay premiums or taxes to help protect themselves from high or unexpected health care expenses.

But how exactly does this work? Health insurance works by estimating the overall risk of healthcare expenses and developing a routine finance structure (such as a monthly premium or annual tax) that will ensure that money is available to pay for the healthcare benefits specified in the insurance agreement. The benefit is administered by a central organization, most often either a government agency or a private or not-for-profit entity operating a health plan. Things are great so far. But what if man people get sick suddenly? Well, all the risks are calculated, operating with such big numbers leave almost no room for error. Basically, all insurance companies have great profit from this activity. Insurance companies use the term “adverse selection” to describe the tendency for only those who will benefit from insurance to buy it. Specifically when talking about health insurance, unhealthy people are more likely to purchase health insurance because they anticipate large medical bills. On the other side, people who consider themselves to be reasonably healthy may decide that medical insurance is an unnecessary expense; if they see the doctor once a year and it costs $300, that’s much better than making monthly insurance payments of $450. But this was also taken into consideration by the insurance companies.

The U.S. market-based health care system, so the Californian system as well, relies heavily on private and not-for-profit health insurance, which is the primary source of coverage for most Americans. According to the United States Census Bureau, approximately 85% of Americans have health insurance; some 61% obtain it through an employer, while about 8% purchase it directly. Various government agencies provide coverage to about 27% of Americans, and these numbers are similar for California as well.

Free Health Insurance for College Student – is it Essential to Have College Health Insurance?

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:53:25 +0000

Now that you have finally completed your high school education and are now pursuing your dreams by attending college, there are a few things that you need to ponder over other than just worrying about studies. One such thing is the aspect of health insurance. All this while beginning from your childhood till you reached 20 years of age, you were covered under the health insurance of your parents and will no longer be covered under it. This will be a difficulty as you are not working now as you are in college. So, how do you tackle this problem? You need to consider taking up a college health insurance plan. But, make sure to go over the details of the plan to ensure that the plan is best for you.

The benefits provided through college health insurance plans vary from one institute to the other. Although the popular belief is that many wrongly assume that these services are for free. Although consultations and checkup will not be charged in anyway, the individual has to bear expenses like lab tests or consulting a specialist. If services are availed at the health center of the college, the insurance will usually cover the expenses and nothing is paid by the student. But, if a specialist outside the campus is consulted, the coverage goes down and a high deductible is usually necessary.

If the student suffers from any preexisting problems, these are not covered if treated even at the college campus health center. Although treatment can be availed, the expenses need to be borne by the student themselves. It also poses way for fresh trouble as any illness that arises as a complication of the preexisting illness is also not covered by the college health insurance plan.

Since college health insurance plans can vary from one campus to the other, it is best to thoroughly learn about the benefits provided by your college health insurance plan. Check if the insurance plan provides coverage during your holidays when the college is not functioning and classes are not on. This needs to be checked as any mishap or illness during your holidays might not get coverage as your college health insurance may not be active during this period. While some plans provide coverage during this period, others might not.

Also, check about the details provided with the plan. See if the plan belongs to HMO type or you can just visit any physician under the plan? This is important to keep in mind for you to seek proper care in case of any medical emergency because if you have to visit a physician or hospital within a prescribed network you will be in trouble if you visit someone outside the given network.

Although it is debated on both sides about the essentiality of a college student opting for college health insurance, there is no ultimate answer. But, if you are planning on taking up one, it is best to thoroughly understand every benefit and detail about the plan so that you will not be in for a surprise when any emergency arises. While the insurance does not come free of cost, it will definitely be useful in case of any medical expenses due to an unexpected illness or a mishap.

All About J1 Visa Health Insurance Plans

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:33:26 +0000

Insurance policies are introduced to help you stay away from trouble caused by certain accidents or illnesses. Though health insurance is pretty important but there are lots of countries where people are still unaware of the benefits associated with health insurance but US is not like them. In fact, you ought to have an insurance policy with you while paying a visit to US especially on J1 Visa.

J1 visa is basically for exchange visitors, au-pairs, scholars, trainees, post graduate research students, etc. If you are in US on J1 visa, you need to make sure that you have a valid health insurance plan otherwise your visa will not be valid.

Benefits of J1 visa health insurance:

Like all other types of insurance policies, J1 visa health insurance is also quite useful in terms of dealing with unexpected accidents. If you don’t have this type insurance, you need to purchase it as soon as possible as it will help you to cover certain medical expenses along with evacuation and repatriation.

When it comes to J1 visa health insurance, you need to keep in mind that there are specific rules and regulations set by the Department of State. First thing you need to keep in mind this regard is that if you are coming to US on J1 visa, you along with your dependants must possess a health insurance plan meeting the following requirements.

• Insurance must offer benefits of at least $50,000 for an accident or illness

• Repatriation of remains must be around $7,500

• A deductible should never go beyond the $500 limit for a single accident or illness

• Insurance policy must be underwritten by some specific insurance corporation with the best rating of A or better for all types of ratings including Insurance Solvency International, Ltd rating, Standard and Poor`s Claims Paying Ability rating, etc.

• In case, you want to satisfy the requirements of insurance according to your home country, the policy must be backed by full faith and credit of the government.

These are few of the requirements which should always be kept in mind while buying this type of health insurance. Although you need to pay attention to these requirements on your own but there are several health insurance companies in US which can help you in this regard as they fully conform to the requirements and regulations set by the US Department of State.

So, the fact of the matter is that if you don’t want to find yourself in dire straits while visiting US, you need to pay special attention to the option of getting a J1 visa health insurance. This visitors medical insurance is not only useful but necessary as well. So, do make sure that you have an insurance plan and it conforms to the minimum requirements of US department of State.