[A835]Average Cost Health Insurance

The government of the US has a hugely successful and highly acclaimed public health program in place for decades. In fact, many a times it becomes the crunching point in elections to the Senate and even in Presidential elections too. The most high profile contestant in next year’s race for Presidency, Hillary Clinton’s pet project is low cost health insurance, which will be affordable to the majority and really effective simultaneously.

When you are choosing between insurance companies, the first point obviously is the amount of premium payable and the annuity that is promised by the company upon expiry of the coverage period. The second point to ponder upon is whether the policy covers the expenses incurred in long term medial care, or, covers disability due to disease.

While pondering upon the disability clause, give extra caution while reading the fine print. For example, there is a huge difference between ‘disability’ and ‘income lost due to disability’. If your policy covers income lost due to disability, get crystal clear clarifications from the agent using fictitious figures so that if you do indeed suffer an income loss due to disability, you know what you can expect as a relief.

Some policies also offer certain extra coverage such as burial expenses. I know it is extremely depressing to discuss threadbare all these details and the insurance companies knows it too! The agents hurry you through all these details. So, you may not realize that you are paying extra for some perceived benefit which may not accrue at all when the need arises.

A word which spreads instant panic and dread is – cancer! It is battle which takes the life of the diseased and financially ruins his family. The insurance companies are very careful while covering this disease. They couch their policy in
so much legal hair splitting and euphemisms that it becomes almost impossible for a layman to unravel the true extent of coverage. Ruthlessly grill the agent about all the details and get it from him on paper the various payouts which the insurance company will do under various circumstances.

For all health insurance policies, an extremely important point of contention is ‘past health history’. Get proper clarification from your doctor about all the details. Never get yourself initially checked by a doctor on the list provided by the insurance company. You never know, some of the cracks in your health profile may get papered over by medical jargon while you are buying the policy. These same cracks will be pried open by the insurance companies if the occasion for a payout actually arises!
There are quite a few websites available which specialize in guiding and helping people in choosing a policy which is both most beneficial and economical to them. They have a wide variety of choices and cater to all categories of people. Even those who have a past record of medical problems may be able to find policies which will be suitable for them.