tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34869546559744554972024-03-05T05:17:35.709-08:00Health Insurance RatesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13094763685758508975noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486954655974455497.post-6858081952015668082014-06-16T22:13:00.002-07:002014-06-16T22:13:43.288-07:00Florida Health Insurance Rate Hikes and Quotes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Florida Health Insurance Rate Hike<br />
Florida Health insurance
premiums have touched new heights! Every Floridian has the common
knowledge that most annual health insurance contracts will endure a rate
increase at the end of the year. This trend is not new and should be
expected. Every time this issue pops up it seems as though the blame
game starts. Floridians blame Health insurance companies; Health
insurance companies blame Hospitals, Doctors and other medical care
providers, Medical care providers blame inflation and politicians, well,
we really don't know what they do to help the issue... No one seems to
be interested in finding the real cause of the health insurance premium
rate increase. Most individuals, self employed, and small business
owners have taken Florida Health Insurance Rate Hikes as the inevitable
evil.<br />
Hard Facts<br />
What are various reports telling us? Why do Health insurance premium have annual rate increases?<br />
Rate of inflation and heath insurance premium rate increase.<br />
America's
health expenditure in the year 2004 has increased dramatically, it has
increased more than three time the inflation rate. In this year the
inflation rate was around 2.5% while the national health expenses were
around 7.9%. The employer health insurance or group health insurance
premium had increased approximately 7.8% in the year 2006, which is
almost double the rate of inflation. In short, last year in 2006, the
annual premiums of group health plan sponsored by an employer was around
$4,250 for a single premium plan, while the average family premium was
around $ 11,250 per year. This indicates that in the year 2006 the
employer sponsored health insurance premium increased 7.7 percent.
Taking the biggest hit were small businesses that had 0-24 employees.
There health insurance premiums increased by nearly 10.4%<br />
Employees
are also not spared, in the year 2006 the employee also had to pay
around $ 3,000 more in their contribution to employer's sponsored health
insurance plan in comparison to the previous year, 2005. Rate hikes
have been in existence since the "Florida Health Insurance" plan
started. In covering an entire family of four, a person will experience
an increase in premium rate at every annual renewal. If they would have
kept the record of their health insurance premium payments they will
find that they are now paying around $ 1,100 more than they paid in the
year 2000 for the same coverage and with the same company. The same item
was found by the Health Research Educational Trust and the Kaiser
Family Foundation in their survey report of the year 2000. They found
out that the premiums of health insurance that is sponsored by the
employer increases by around 4 times than the employee's salary. This
report also stated that since 2000 the contribution of employees in
group health insurance sponsored by employer was increased by more than
143 percent.<br />
One business man predicts that if nothing is done and
the Health insurance premiums keep increasing that in the year 2008,
the amount of health premium contribution to employer will surpass their
profit. Professionals within and outside the field of Florida health
insurance, think that the reason for increase in Florida health
insurance premium rates are due to many factors, such as high
administration expenditure, inflation, poor or bad management, increase
in the cost of medical care, waste etc.<br />
Florida health insurance rate hikes affect whom?<br />
Rising
rates of Florida health insurance generally affects most of the
Floridians who live in our beautiful state. The highest affected
individudals are the minimum wage and low wage workers. Recent drops in
the renewal of health insurance are mostly from this low income group.
They just can't afford the high premiums of Florida health insurance.
They are in the situation where they can not afford the medical care and
they can not afford the medical insurance premiums that are assosiated
with adequate coverage. Almost half of all Americans are of the opinion
that they are more worried about the high health insurance rate and high
cost of health care, over any other bill they have on a monthly basis.
A survey also finds that around 42% of Americans can not afford the
high cost of health care services. There is one very interesting study
conducted by Harvard University researchers. They found out that 68% of
people who filed bankruptcy covered themselves and their family by
health insurance. Average out-of-pocket deductibles for people filed
bankruptcy were around $ 12,000 per year. They also found some
co-relation between medical expenditure and bankruptcy. A national
survey also reports that main reason for people not to take health
insurance is the high premium rate of health insurance.<br />
How to
reduce Florida's high health insurance cost? Nobody knows for sure.
There are different opinions and experts are not agreeing with each
other. Health professionals believe that if we can raise the number of
healthy people by improving the lifestyle and regular exercise, good
diets etc. than naturally they will need less medical care services
which decreases the demands of health care and hence the cost.( This
year in Florida the smoking rate has increased by 21.7 percent) One
Floridian sarcastically suggested that there are 'highs' and 'lows' in
health care that are needed to reversed. That the state of Florida is to
'high' in cost of medical care compare to other States and 'low' in the
quality of health care.<br />
Florida Health insurance rate hike has
attracted many frauds. These frauds float many bogus insurance companies
and offer cheap health insurance rate which attract many people to
them. These companies usually through assosiations that are based in
other states.<br />
Meanwhile reputable Florida health insurance
companies provide different types of health insurance like employer
sponsored group health insurance, small business health insurance,
individual health insurance etc. to vast number of employees and their
families. Still there are many people in Florida that lack any health
coverage. Today the employer also has found it challenging to decide how
to offer employer sponsored group health insurance to their employees,
so that both of them arrive at some point of agreement.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13094763685758508975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486954655974455497.post-62044936781419615192014-06-16T22:12:00.003-07:002014-06-16T22:12:29.761-07:00Obtain Cheaper Health Insurance Rates By Avoiding Alcohol, Smoking, And Applying Early<div id="article-content">
If you're like most consumers you probably on a glide path to
start contemplating the purchase of health insurance when you're much
older then your current age. In fact, studies show that many people
don't even consider health insurance until after they are married or
have children. Although it may seem unnecessary, the best time to start
thinking about health insurance is while you are young and still
relatively healthy. The fact is, the longer you wait to obtain health
insurance the higher probability that you will end up paying a higher
insurance rate or premium assuming you are still healthy enough to
qualify for health insurance.<br />
Research shows that when compared
side by side a person in their twenties or thirties will be able to
obtain a larger health insurance policy at a cheaper rate then a person
who is fifty or older. Good health and habits also play a large role
in determining your health insurance coverage and overall associated
costs. Someone who is healthy, doesn't smoke and avoids excessive use
of alcohol and stays away from drugs will also enjoy the same benefits
of a larger policy value with a lower cost when compared to someone who
is out of shape, in bad health and with lifestyle habits that are truly
bad for their body, mind and health.<br />
Sadly, some consumers are
under the misconception that they can get by without telling their
potential health insurance provider negative aspects dealing with their
health in order to qualify for better rates and coverage amounts.
Unfortunately what those same folks fail to realize is that normally
most health insurance companies and providers require a medical
pre-screening or physical before they actually provide health insurance
coverage. Typically, this medical screening combined with a thorough
look over a person's previous medical records identifies any current
health ailments that exist with the potential insurance client and as a
result the health insurance coverage amounts and rates are adjusted
accordingly.<br />
If you exam the economics side of health insurance
you will see that the health insurance companies want to insure you
while you are in your best possible health. For this it means more
money taken in from the premiums you pay and less money paid out based
on your lack of needing to receive regular medical care outside of
routine appointments, checkups and of course, medical emergencies.
Health insurance companies have gotten so good at this that they have
three different types of coverage rates or premiums they classify
consumers into based on their health. Those categories are standard,
preferred and preferred plus. The preferred plus premium is for folks
that are non-smokers and in excellent health continuing on down to the
standard premium for consumers with minor health issues and who may have
previously smoked but are no longer active in that habit.<br />
Health
insurance companies consider smoking a big deal so always make sure to
tell the truth when filling out your health insurance application and
receiving your medical exam and physical. In fact, some companies
actually test a urine sample in order to determine if you are an active
smoker. The bottom line up front is in order to enjoy lower rates for
your health insurance you really should abstain from smoking. Drinking
alcohol is also considered harmful to your health and viewed by many
insurance companies in a negative light. You will need to check each
individual insurance provider's policy in terms of alcohol consumption.
Some have no issue with consuming alcoholic beverages as long as there
is no prior evidence of abuse or previous treatments/rehabilitation that
were required and yet others will drastically increase your insurance
rates based on the health problems and mortality rate from drinking.<br />
If
you're still reasonably healthy then age can be the least
discriminating factor when it comes to purchasing affordable health
insurance. Generally speaking many consumers under the age of sixty can
still enjoy reasonable health insurance rates and adequate coverage so
long as there are no major health problems or illnesses to contend with.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13094763685758508975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486954655974455497.post-9787661531460191352014-06-16T22:12:00.000-07:002014-06-16T22:12:00.824-07:00What Are Normal Health Insurance Rates?<div id="article-content">
Over the last six years, in the United States, health insurance
rates have almost doubled. The good news though is that there are ways
by which individuals can lower their health premiums.<br />
Firstly, it
is important for individuals to research and shop for various rates. An
agent can help individuals to search the rates, which suit the budget of
the buyer.<br />
The other method by which individuals can lower their
health insurance rates is by quitting smoking. Firms always charge more
to smokers, as they are more prone to health problems and hence costs.<br />
In
addition, if individuals maintain good health or improve on their
health, they can also cut down on their health insurance rates. With the
help of few tips and precautions, individuals can get good health rates
that can save them their hard earned money.<br />
<b>Important Factors:</b><br />
Age is the most important factor, which affects health insurance rates. Young people pay a lower premium on their health plans.<br />
One
more factor that affects the health insurance rate is gender. Women pay
lower health premiums as compared to men. The reason is women are less
likely to suffer from diseases such as high blood pressure, heart
attacks, and other illness.<br />
Some insurance companies in the U.S.
offer discounts to individuals, if they pay their insurance premiums on
time, since they are viewed as better customers.<br />
Health insurance
rates vary as per the variance in medical expense in different areas.
The medical costs vary due to differences in medical practice, the
degree of specialization in different fields of medicine, and the level
of competition in that area. Most plans vary in their rates depending on
the zip code. The address of the employer's business determines the
rate.<br />
Some policies pay only limited amount of health expenses.
The insurer has to pay the remaining amount. Some plans have maximum
lifetime coverage. Here, the policy will pay individuals until the
amount reaches benefit's maximum. The remaining amount has to be paid by
the policyholder.<br />
<b>Conclusion:</b><br />
Health insurance is an
agreement between the company that provides the insurance and the
insurer. It is possible to renew the contract annually or monthly.<br />
HMOs
use the term health plan, whereas insurance companies use the term
health insurance. A health plan can also be a medical care arrangement
offered by health organization. These plans are similar to pre-paid
dental plans. HMO stands for Health Maintenance Organization. It is
costlier than a PPO. The major disadvantage of HMO is that, it gives
limited choice in doctors that too present in the network provided by
the policy.<br />
PPO stands for Preferred provider Organization. The
only difference between a HMO and PPO is the possibility to seek medical
attention from outside the network.<br />
POS stands for Point of
Service. It has the features of both PPO and HMO. POS is considered as
the best health insurance, although not the cheapest.<br />
According to
a recent study, health insurance rates are on the rise due to increased
demand and new treatments. Advancements in medical technology are also
responsible for increase in health insurance rates. Factors related to
lifestyle also contribute to increase in insurance prices.<br />
With
all this in mind the only way to be certain if you are paying the lowest
rates is to get a quote online for free. The good news is that you can
do just that by vising one of the sites listed below.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13094763685758508975noreply@blogger.com0