What should I do if I need affordable health insurance?

There are millions of U.S. citizens that go without health insurance every day. Some people who can’t afford health insurance aren’t eligible for Medicaid health insurance either. There are some simple steps you can use in order to find health insurance that won’t break your budget.

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According to PBS there are 44 million people in the U.S. who go without health insurance. There are another 38 million that have insufficient health insurance which makes up a whopping 33% of the U.S. population.

Finding Affordable Health Insurance

How can I be clever about finding affordable health insurance? While there’s no magic wand you can wave to make an affordable policy appear in front of you there are some steps you can take to make sure you’re finding the very best and most affordable rates. It’s first a good idea to know what you must have in terms of health insurance. If you are young without any health issue this process will be fairly simple. You can seek out a high deductible health insurance policy that has a lower premium and probably higher copayments.

The likelihood of needing to go on several doctor’s visits in one year is slim when you’re young, fit and healthy- making this a great time in your life to put affordability first. However, if you have an eventful medical history or have any preexisting conditions, finding affordable health insurance will prove to be more of a challenge.

If you have the option it’s usually a good idea to sign up for your employer’s group health insurance.

Group health insurance through your employer will usually offer some relief on the monthly premium amounts and what you do need to pay usually comes straight out of your paycheck. Another great benefit to group health insurance through an employer is the fact that the insurance company has to accept all employees who meet full time employment status.

I Am Unemployed

What if I’ve been laid off? If you’ve been laid off, the United States Department of Labor makes it possible for employees and their families to maintain health while they’re in transition. This is the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act or COBRA.

Another option if you’re married is to enroll in your spouse’s employer sponsored program. You are allowed to do this immediately according to the federal government’s Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act which is better known as HIPAA.

HIPAA is a federal law that does a few things. It will not allow insurance companies servicing employer sponsored plans to exclude those employees with preexisting conditions. It also gives opportunities to employees and family members of employees to enroll in the group health insurance plan if they lose their health insurance coverage.

For those who go without coverage for 63 days or more HIPAA will allow you to be subject to the preexisting condition exclusion.

When you do sign up for a new health plan you can exclude from the application any conditions that you received care for within six months prior to signing up.

Unusual Ideas for Finding Health Insurance

Any unusual ideas for finding affordable health insurance? It’s important to investigate every avenue of health insurance to make sure you’re getting the best deal. If you have family members who all need coverage it can be that much more challenging to find something affordable. It’s a good idea to shop for different policies for different individuals in your family to get the best overall deal.

Many times children under the age of 19 can be covered by the government sponsored CHIP programs. CHIP is specifically for children who do not qualify for Medicaid, but who still need health insurance. If your family falls in a certain yearly income level your children may receive CHIP for free or for a low monthly premium.

Many people don’t realize that organizations, associations and clubs they belong to might offer affordable group health insurance. This is a great way to find an alternative to individual private health insurance and can prove to be less expensive. If you do not belong to an association it might be a good idea to find one which relates to your work or interests and become a member. However, make sure you calculate the fees associated with membership versus how much you could potentially save by joining their group health insurance plan.

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