Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Individual Medical Insurance - How to get the best rate for you?

In the market for individual health insurance? Here's how to get the best rate with a company rated A.

Individual Medical Insurance

There are two types of health insurance - indemnity plans and managed care health plans like HMOs (maintenance organizations, health), PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations) and PPOs (point of service plans).

Indemnity plans let you choose your own doctors and hospitals and pays all or part of their medical expenses. They are more expensive plans, require as much paperwork, but offer greater flexibility.

managed care plans to set up a network of doctors and hospitals, and assigned a primary care physician who oversees your medical care. They are the least expensive plans, require the least amount of paperwork, but can not choose their doctors or hospitals.

What is covered?

A good individual health insurance plan must include the following:
  • Medical Coverage - pays for doctor visits.
  • Coverage of prescription drugs - pay for their prescription drugs.
  • Hospital coverage - pays for room and medical services.
  • The surgical coverage - pays the fees of the surgeon and surgical costs.

In addition to its premium, it is possible that the costs out of pocket, such as:
  • A deductible - the amount you pay before your insurance company pays a claim.
  • A co-payment - the portion of medical fees you pay before the company pays.
  • Payment Coinsurance - The percentage of medical expenses you pay after your deductible is met.

What plan is best?

The best individual health insurance plan is the one who gives the most coverage for the least amount of money. Before buying a plan that should ask the following questions:
  1. Does the plan cover the medical services you need?
  2. Are there any pre-existing conditions that may make you ineligible or make you wait for coverage?
  3. What are the co-payments, deductibles and coinsurance?
  4. Is the insurance company reliable and give a good service?

How to get cheap health insurance individual?

The best way to get cheap health insurance individual is to compare rates from different insurers. There are websites for insurance comparison, you can visit that will give you quotes from different A-rated companies. The best comparison sites feature online chat service to get answers to all your questions about health insurance insurance professionals