Do You Have Health Insurance At Work?

HighRisk Health Insurance

According to recent figures, about sixty percent of Americans are lucky enough to get group medical benefits at work. Many of the rest rely upon a government program or private health insurance.

If you have a job or business which does not supply group heath insurance, you will probably look for an individual or family plan from a private insurer. This is a good choice for many self employed people contract workers, or employees of companies that do not have group plans. However, private insurers do not have to accept every applicant for an individual or family policy. This means that many people who have a pre-existing heath condition, like diabetes, will be declined.

You may find some cheap health insurance if you are fairly young and in good health too.

Health Insurance Declines and High Risk Health Insurance

If you have been declined, you can turn to a high risk pool. Every US state has some sort of plan to cover people with pre-existing conditions. Since health reform passed, the federal government is also implementing a new national high risk pool to supplement the state plans. The exact details of the state and federal plans will be different in different areas.  For example, premiums could vary by county. The medical providers could also be different in different parts of the country.

If you need to find health insurance, but suffer from a pre-existing condition, you should learn more about the federal and state high risk health pools.

The federal high risk pool was developed to help solve some of these problems. Since  it is subsidized by tax money, the premiums should be more afordable. You can find out more about the state and federal plans on the Internet. Simply search for the high risk health plan for your state. The website should explain the plan, how to qualify, and how much it costs. Each website should also have information about the new national high risk pool. You can decide if either option will be a good solution for your health coverage needs, find an application, and get covered.

This will not be the right option for everybody who is struggling to find health coverage though. If you have lost your job, or have a low income, you still may not be able to afford the plan. If you read the plan information, and do not think you can afford it, call for information about possible subsidies. If that still does not help you, you may need to look into some low income health insurance choices that you may qualify for. Programs like Medicaid and CHIPS can help some families find affordable coverage.

Just like you have to find auto insurance before you have an accident, it is always much better to buy health insurance before you get sick. Sometimes things do not work out that way, but you shoul take the time to consider your choices!

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Don’t think that the problem’s of health care cost and health insurance premiums are restricted to low income people. No, many small business owners, large business owners, and people with the bad luck to have been without decent insurance when they got sick, are struggling with costs too. And indeed, many outspoken people in the medical community have voiced their own opinions about how the crisis affect their own ability to provide top quality medical care to everybody who needs it. Even the health insurance companies will, sometimes, admit that they would like to cover more people at a lower cost, if only the could.

How Will the US Pay for Health Care Reform?

Of course, the 800 pound gorilla in the room has always been the cost. Our current Medicare system which covers most US seniors and disabled people, already costs billions of dollars. How can we cover more people when we struggle to pay for what we have?

Obama says that his government has found the answer, and I hope they have!

Some of the money will come from closing tax loopholes for wealthier Americans. That is not bound to be popular with the very rich, but since I am not in that club, I am still willing to listen! Others come from planned increases in efficiencies in the medical industry which needs to revamp the way they do business like other industries have. And some will come from increases in charges for government services.

Of course, none of these changes come without criticism, both that the cuts will hurt medical care or that they are unrealistic in the amount of savings they will really create.

Nobody said health care reform would be simple.

Do you need health insurance now?

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Along with a host of other problems that come with unemployment, like a lack of income, comes the concern over health insurance! We already knew that almost 50 million Americans lacked a medical plan, and that number has got to be rising with record unemployment figures. So what do unemployed people do for health insurance?

• COBRA – This is a law that forces some employers to extend group benefits for several months after an employee is terminated. However, those employers do not need to continue paying part of the premiums. The bill to the employee for the entire group insurance premium can be a burden.That is why many people look for: COBRA Health Insurance Alternatives.
• Individual Health Insurance Plans – You can find private insurance policies to cover yourself, and your family. You, and your family, will need to be accepted by a private insurer. So people who are fairly healthy, and also fairly young, will probably find an affordable individual health insurance policy. Keep in mind that many private insurance plans do not cover normal maternity expenses!
• Government health insurance programs – You can find some federal, state, and country programs for people with low income, or for people with high risk medical conditions that get them declined for health insurance. Learn more here: No Health Insurance.

You may have many affordable unemployment health insurance choices, but you may have very limited options. You need to explore an extension of group benefits if it is available vs. a private health plan vs. a government health program.