RX Stocker

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Risk & Insurance, published by Axon Group on April 15, 2009. The length of the article is 1209 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Personalization: the heart of health care: advanced technology can lead to better decision making.(PERSPECTIVE: Advertising Feature)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Risk & Insurance (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 15, 2009
Publisher: Axon Group
Volume: 20 Issue: 5 Page: 12(1)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning

Personalization: the heart of health care: advanced technology can lead to better decision making.: An article from: Risk & Insurance

When it’s time to select a low rate personal health insurance plan, we all know we’re supposed to shop around. Search for the plan that offers the coverage you need at the price you can afford, right? Right. But there are additional ways to find low rates on health insurance.
Selecting low rate personal health insurance is a breeze when you know how to cut corners. Don’t misunderstand; you never want to risk your health to save a few bucks. However, there are ways to cut corners without endangering your care.
Ask yourself the following questions:
How attached am I to my current doctor? A Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) generally has cheaper personal health insurance rates because the doctors, hospitals, and other health care professionals in their networks are contracted. They provide certain kinds of care for a certain amount of money, which means both the HMO and the doctor can afford to charge you low co-pay. Sure, you may have known your current doctor since he was treating you for chicken pox many moons ago, but he may not be included on the list of doctors an HMO provides.
How is my current state of health? If you’re in your 20s or 30s, have no children, and have no pre-existing health conditions, consider a personal health insurance plan that covers only catastrophic events. While this does mean you’ll have to pay for routine visits, you won’t have to pay for major injuries caused by a car accident. Purchasing such a major medical play is a great option for young, single folks who may be just entering the work force or going through some temporary financial strain.
Exactly how much can I afford? If you can’t afford to pay monthly or yearly premiums for personal health insurance right now, you may want to look into subsidies. Contact the Bureau of Primary Health Care for federal- and state-subsidized health care sites.

Kamini is a thought leader and expert when it comes to Marketing for Consumer Goods companies. Four months ago, she joined her current marketing consultancy after stints with consumer majors spanning over two decades.

 

Kamini has had a mild Asthma since childhood but never had to worry about her medical bills, insurance, or health facilities or type of accommodation her entire work life. All the companies she worked for over the years had excellent group insurance coverage, generous medical allowances with no caveats on which hospital to choose and what room type to stay, what tests were allowed or the type of hospital facilities.

 

Kamini took to running about a decade and a half ago, initially to fight Asthma and later because she fell in love with it, and hasn’t had an Asthma attack over the last 10 years. Though she still carries an inhaler and uses it once in a while, she has enjoyed a period of complete well being all these years. She is a regular at half marathons over the last 5 years, seizing every pportunity to run in the region whenever her busy schedule and family commitments permitted.

 

Two years ago, she was advised to stop running and choose less impact exercise regime as the wear and tear caused by her years of running were taking a heavy toll on her knees. Though she modified her work outs, she just couldn’t give up running totally.

 

Last May, she underwent a knee surgery and after a two month break, she was able to hit the road and was overjoyed at how new and wonderful the knees felt.

 

Two months ago, after she moved companies to join the current consulting major, she developed minor complications and had to get her knees re-examined. The first minor shock came when the insurance company declined her reimbursement citing pre-existing condition and that the coverage kicks in only after 12 months of continued employment.

 

Three weeks ago, she was advised by her knee surgeon to undergo a minor surgery to correct a small bone correction to improve the knee movement as a residual outcome of prior operation. The estimated cost, including hospitalization and surgery has been put at Rs. 2,50,000.

 

Kamini has two choices, get it operated now and pay the amount from her pocket (the company medical benefits would cover roughly 10% of the cost) or wait another eight months and then use the company insurance. It’s not a big amount, considering she is in the top tier salary bracket but what really got her worried was when she went shopping for a personal insurance coverage, no insurance company was willing to cover or quote and cited this is standard industry procedure.

 

Kamini anyway went ahead and bought personal health coverage with the exclusion of her knee with a promise to get the exclusion reexamined after a year of healthy living and was also able to negotiate on her Asthma coverage with a slight increase in premium considering she has been healthy all these years with no major problems. She has also modified her work outs to include cross training and cycling and now runs only once a week.

 

Kamini’s case isn’t unique, it’s what most of us think is an outlier, something that doesn’t affect us until someone close to us gets hit similarly when it suddenly takes center stage.

 

Group health insurance plans in general are company specific and cannot be ported over when we move employers. A pre-existing condition that one could have enjoyed coverage from a particular insurer may no longer be covered for another 12 months when one moves employers (or more or never depending upon the group health insurance plan) even if the insurer across the two companies is the same.

 

In addition, even when ported over, it may no longer come at the same premium or with same level of coverage.

 

Most people in their healthy and early years laugh off the idea of personal health insurance when this is precisely the best time when one should go for a health plan.

 

Not only it is much much cheaper for a person in his twenties vs. someone 20 years older (a quick check for a healthy male, in the age group of 20-25yrs vs. one in the age group of 40-45yrs, show a premium differential of approx 40% (approx Rs 4,000)* for a total yearly coverage of approx Rs 10lacs), a healthy body also would ensure no specific exclusions like Kamini’s.

 

Some of the insurers also provide coverage for pre-existing illness after you have been a policy holder for a few years. Spiralling medical bills can drain savings and in worse situations could wreak havoc on your assets and retirement planning. A personal health plan would ensure you would never have periods where you wouldn’t be fully covered when you move companies or decide to take a break or start something of your own, or god forbid, made redundant. These are the exact times when the last thing you would want would to be worrying about are money and your health.

 

So run a quick online check, avoid rude shocks of hefty medical bills or compromising on the medical facilities, or type of room or tests because you can’t afford it. Talk to an insurance expert who can help assess your need and advise you what plan works best taking your lifestyle, savings and income into account. It’s a small price to pay for complete peace of mind.

 

Amit Jain

www.MyInsuranceClub.com

One major objection to the healthcare reform bill making its way through Congress is that it may have a chilling effect on medical innovation. Advances in genetic testing have led to personalized health insurance plans that take an individual’s genetic makeup into account when prescribing treatment. Unfortunately, expert Dr. Francis Collins warns that the Obama administration’s focus on comparative effectiveness research, meant to reduce health care costs, could endanger this emerging field. Research in comparative effectiveness discover which treatment for a particular illness works the best. Health insurance plans, including the proposed public option, would cover the successful treatment of medication. Using this method is likely to reduce the billions of dollars wasted on ineffective health care, also lowering insurance premiums as a result. However, Collins told Reuters that caution must be taken in order to avoid ignoring genetic factors. For example, while one treatment might be most effective for the general population, one group with a certain genetic makeup would see the greatest benefit from the other remedy. The future of prescription drugs could be revitalized by the use of personalized medicine. New medications accompanied by diagnostic testing are being formulated and approved by the FDA. Testing for biomarkers (proteins, genes, etc.) present in the body will allow more individualized, effective treatments. These drugs will become increasingly prominent in the future. Although they are expensive, they will reduce the likelihood of multiple medication switches and continuous testing. Using genetics, laboratories may eventually figure out the cures for chronic conditions that cost health insurers billions. At the very least, treatments for these conditions will be more effective than some of the equally expensive drugs out there today. A healthcare reform bill might discourage research into these areas by companies like LineaGen. While the federal government has provided grants for genetic research, their financial support may decrease after undertaking the burden of comprehensive health reform. While seemingly more costly in the short run, personalized medicine has the potential to save more money if incorporated into healthcare reform. Genetic testing might convince some patients to avoid further, more expensive treatment. Take the case of breast cancer: in 2009, our health care system is projected to see a savings of $100 million from personalized gene tests. Exactly how does this happen? Breast cancer survivors can take a $3,500 test from Genomic Health known as Oncotype DX that predicts the likelihood of recurrence. About 50,000 women have taken advantage of the test this year, and many of them have found that they are at low risk for their cancer recurring. Studies have found that the majority of women judged as low risk for recurrence have opted against chemotherapy. This choice saves each patient $2,000, and their health insurance plans thousands more, which would have otherwise been spent on chemotherapy. Eventually, this will serve to lower the cost of cancer health insurance and make it more accessible. Women also benefit from not having to undergo grueling treatments that may be unneeded. All in all, controlling the cost of health insurance plans is essential. Still, saving money can go too far and negatively impact the quality of care of those already insured. For decades, the United States has been renowned for its advances in medical technology, but several measures purport that actual health of our population lags behind other industrialized nations with slightly less innovative equipment. Personalized medicine through genetic testing is state-of-the-art medicine that may also serve to better prevent and diagnose diseases. It has the potential to be a worthwhile investment for future generations of Americans. (Image: ghutchis under CC 2.0)

Health is the main concern of every person. Therefore, a protection of health is of paramount importance. Personal health insurance offer offer a good health protection. However, it is necessary to be selected to make an informed decision in relation to the respective insurance company.http://www.healthplan.pannipa.com/2009/09/personal-health-insurance-plans/

Two important factors influence this decision-making process. One, the services offered by the plan and, secondly, the cost, whether it would befeasible or not.

One must be from that which extends a personal medical insurance to secure. They will take your health for a long time. Another big advantage is that this plan is sufficient to cover family members as well. Major and minor complaints and conditions, accidents, etc covered by these plans.

Personal health insurance companies have a tendency to be expensive, but there are ways to reduce costs. Most people on their medicalTakes place in a group insurance through their employer, the cheaper proves many times over. Another good method is for health insurance with your car insurance which combine it in turn to a better price.

It is best to conduct a detailed study of the various health insurance available conduct committed prior to this book. You can compare the various offers provided the best decision. A considerable amount of time and energy has to be allocated to this process, theThey were shown good results. Also make sure that you take your policy from a reputable insurance company.

The Internet provides all the necessary information to make an informed decision. Most health insurance companies have established their own websites. You need to get some questions about the form they sent a response to a bid. Readily provide different offers, you need to consider carefully and compare before making a decision on the selection of personal healthInsurance.http://www.healthplan.pannipa.com/2009/09/personal-health-insurance-plans/

Health insurance is just one of those things that are a necessity to have in life. If you do not have life insurance, then your quality of life can suffer and as a result so can you.

Sometimes unexpected health expenses can occur in life and personal health insurance can provide you coverage for them. They also manage to cover the ones that are not covered by your provincial health insurance plan. There are several different health insurance plans that can cover various needs such as drug, dental, and supplementary health needs such as vision care, chiropractic care or emergency travel medical.

To get coverage, you and the people that you would like to include in your plan must be 69 years and under on the date that you apply. However unfortunately if you or anyone else that you would like to be covered in this plan does not have provincial health insurance, you will not be eligible for the coverage.

If you want to know what the cost is, the truth is it depends on the monthly premium because they all vary and is dependent on age and the type of plan that you choose. Personal Health Insurance is as affordable to all and is something that is not difficult to use. If you would like to know how much it will cost you, you can always get a quote online.

You have the option of how often you pay whether it is annually or monthly both you can pay by check. Your coverage will become effective on the next day after your coverage has been approved. Unless you have opted to request a specific day for your coverage to be approved. It can be 60 days after the day that you apply. They also must receive claims within 12 months of the approval date.

Kaiser would not take me back, after I had lapsed. I am normal, with aches and pains of most anyone, but afraid of being denied coverage at any new application!
I am about to re-appeal my Kaiser denial. I need a real person to contact at Kaiser Individual Plan Appeals in Pasadena. Also, anyone know of a Kaiser patient advocate (or similar title)? Third, Who should I contact at the CA Dept of Managed Care, if necessary? Thanks!

One size doesn’t necessarily fit all when it comes to health insurance. But if you have a group insurance plan, such as through your employer, you have to accept the coverages and deductibles they offer. A personal health insurance plan, on the other hand, lets you pick the coverages that are right for your health needs and that fit your budget.What Is Personal Health Insurance?

A personal health insurance plan can be anything you need it to be:

* A comprehensive insurance policy to cover you and your entire family long-term.

* A short-term insurance policy to cover you when you are between jobs.

* A supplement to cover gaps in your existing health insurance policy.Saving on Personal Health Insurance

Personal health insurance plans may be more costly than group plans because you are not sharing the cost with your employee. To help you get the best rate on your personal health insurance plan, follow these tips:

* See if your auto and home insurance company also offers health insurance and if so, whether you can get a discount.

* If you have any bad health habits, such as smoking or obesity, work to break these habits and improve your health.

* Set your deductible as high as you can afford.Buying Personal Health Insurance

Ready to investigate how personal health insurance can help you? Begin by visiting an insurance comparison website, where you can

* Get quotes for your personal health insurance plan.

* Chat with insurance professionals and get answers to all your questions about personal health insurance. (See link below).

To get your quotes, you complete a form with information about yourself and your insurance needs. You then receive quotes from multiple A-rated health insurance companies and can choose the plan that’s best for you.

With a little time spent comparison shopping, you can find the best rate possible for your personal health insurance plan.

Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get personal health insurance plan rates from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can also get more insurance tips there.

He has been known to do other underhanded things, and his accountant is just as crooked as he is….he claims this is okay and is rushing me to sign the return…..what should I do?
I am referring to the insurance on us and our children…he claims he can claim a portion of it. He is deducting thousands of dollars, and that is what is bringing us below the limit for earned income credit!
He deducted it as a separate expense. He did not include in the wages. He included it as an “insurance” expense.
S Corp – this is an S Corp

The preparation phase of filing for health insurance is an excellent time to implement a computer-based personal health record (PHR) because you can proverbially kill two birds with one stone, i.e. begin the creation of your own all important personal medical record and decrease the likelihood of being denied medical insurance coverage or experiencing gaps in your coverage known as pre-existing exclusions if your application is approved because of incorrect information entered on your application. The online health insurance application process from acquisition of health insurance quotes to the final application approval is a streamlined one which is designed to enable you to find the best insurance for you in the least amount of time, but if you do not have the proper information pertaining to your health while going through the process, the efficiency that is intended may be minimized or negated.  

The creation of a personal health record as you prepare to file for health insurance online probably can not only help you more efficiently and accurately go through the application process and find the health insurance that is best for you, but can also be of immense value to you in the future in other settings such as applying for a job, applying for various licenses that require health information, obtaining an airman medical certificate if you are a pilot, and preparing for visits to doctors or other health care providers, only to mention a few.  

In applying for health insurance, as is the case in virtually any application proceeding, going through the process without having documents to refer to can be very frustrating and might result in incorrect information being submitted causing your application to be denied, and in the worst case scenario, a conviction for health insurance fraud.

In deciding whether not to grant you medical insurance, insurance companies want to know a number of things about your past and current health such as past illnesses, current illnesses, dates of onset of symptoms pertaining to diagnosed and non-diagnosed medical conditions, surgeries, past and present medications, allergies, immunizations and even some details about the health of family members inasmuch as some conditions have hereditary links. Not all insurance companies use the same application form, but to get a good idea of additional information that you need to focus on entering into your personal health record in preparation for the application process you can download a standard insurance application for your state from a site on the Internet. You may be able to obtain some of the relevant information from paper records you already have such as copies of superbills from doctor visits, a health diary, prescription receipts, prescription bottle labels or notes you have taken during actual doctor visits. As you gather this information prior to applying for health insurance online is a good idea to organize it for quick and easy reference during the health insurance online application process by entering it into the appropriate sections of your PHR.

It is unlikely that you will have all the information you need at your fingertips, thus it might be necessary to obtain some of that information from your health care provider(s). While it would not be practical or reasonable to expect your healthcare provider to review your office medical record and answer all your questions during a sick visit or follow up visit, state laws give you access to review your medical records upon request during the office business hours. Because this might be a unique experience for your healthcare provider and staff and could engender some concerns regarding possible litigious intent on your part, it might be a good idea to be forthright early on in expressing exactly what your purpose is for acquiring the information and why you think having a personal health record would be of benefit to you and possibly the health care provider as well. 

As you review your office records is a good idea to take notes of what you can understand and perhaps make copies of important x-ray and laboratory reports which can later be incorporated in your PHR if you have a scanner. If your medical history is rather complicated and/or your office record is not legible or difficult to understand it might be best to speak with your doctor to see if a special appointment can be made to review and discuss the salient features of the record and/or if a summary with dates and copies of the important supporting documents such as laboratory reports and x-rays can be provided. If your doctor has a very busy schedule and would charge you a visit to provide this information you might request assistance from a qualified member of the staff instead of the doctor per se, if appropriate.

It is not necessary that your entire personal health record be finished prior to applying for health insurance online, but once the basic information for used for insurance application has been entered, the remainder of the work can  be done at your leisure.