FIVE FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN A HEALTH INSURANCE

Nobody wants to get sick or hurt, right? You’ve always wanted to be protected from any health and financial risk, but you simply ignore the topic each time people talk about health insurance. In the United States, that situation prompted President Barack Obama to sign the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010. Also called Obamacare, the US President desired to make health insurance more accessible and affordable to Americans, improve the quality of health care and health insurance, regulate the industry, and reduce spending on health care.

Even though that is not your favorite topic, no one is excused from ignoring health insurance because it can affect your financial situation at any time. The following are the five things to consider when it comes to this insurance.

Maintaining a Coverage

Most people fear losing their coverage because of an illness or job change. Every state has their own regulations about it. In California, Covered California acts as the marketplace for applying for coverage, comparing plans, changing plans, and enrolling in a plan. Some services covered by a Covered California health plan include emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, prescription drugs, and maternity and newborn care.

Understanding and Assessing Options

Majority of employers give more than one option, and some of them allow you to opt out of coverage altogether and let you keep the savings. This can be a wise move, but not applicable to everyone because different people have distinct circumstances, including potential health concerns and number of children in a household. For instance, your spouse has a policy also. Which is better: Get only one policy covering everyone or both should have a health insurance? In most cases, the default position of split coverage is not always the best choice, especially if only one spouse is employed. In some cases, private health insurance might be a less expensive option than placing all family members on a company plan.

Increasing Deductibles

Insurance is primary designed to protect an individual from financial disaster – not pay for any maintenance cost. Prevention is better than cure. Flu shots, minor issues, and the like will not affect your finances. Medical costs will. If you can form a health savings plan enabling pretax contributions, which will escalate in value and roll over year after year, the minor expenses won’t hurt your savings or income that much.

Purchasing Drugs Online

Responding to public concern about the safety of pharmacy practices online, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy designed the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) program in 1999. It aims to verify the internet pharmacy adheres to licensing and inspection requirements . Especially to regular prescription users, buying drugs via the Internet can result to bigger savings.

Taking Care of Your Health

What is the use of a health insurance if you will not take care of your overall health? Several issues encompassing health insurance focus on the peril your health poses to the insurance firm. Smokers and heavy drinkers are considered at risk for more serious health problems. Therefore, they can find it difficult to secure a coverage. Or if they have a health insurance, the coverage can become more expensive. If you are mulling over the idea of quitting or changing your habits, do it now or pay higher hospital bills in the future.

Health insurance is a serious matter that must be included in any person’s (or family’s) financial plan. The next time you hear those words in a conversation, think about you and your family’s future. Go through the idea of including health insurance in your financial goal.