There are so many consumers who live day to day without health insurance or individual vision insurance. Many can not afford it unless their employers helps to foot the bill. In some cases, people still can not afford the monthly cost, even through their jobs. If you and your family do not qualfy for medical assistance programs and you are without health insurance and individual dental insurance, there are ways to help curb the costs of health care.

An Ounce of Prevention

Maintaining good health is one of the best ways to lower the costs of your healthcare bills. Eating healthy will help keep your immune system strong and prevent you from being overweight, which can lead to major health problems like heart issues and diabetes, which require even more expensive medical care.

Take vitamins and getting a daily dose of exercise to keep from running your immune system into the ground, especially during cold and flu season.

Drink water everyday to keep your system flushed out and prevent the buildup of toxins that can make you feel sick or more susceptible to illnesses.

Wash your hands often throughout the day to keep from spreading and catching the germs of others.

Get fresh air and sunshine throughout the day. Even if you only have a quick lunch hour, take a walk outside. It will help reduce stress and sunshine helps to increase the serotonin in your body, which will help keep you feeling good.

Test Yourself

Perform self-examinations at home. Detecting lumps or other abnormalities in the early stages can significantly reduce the need for extended medical care.

Keep your weight in check and stop by the pharmacy where they usually have free blood pressure machines you can use.

Not Just Any Doctor

Leave the emergency room visits only for emergencies. A trip to the ER should not be a substitute for a doctor visit. If a medical situation arises after your doctor’s hours, opt for a clinic where the costs are more reasonable than an emergency room.

If your physician’s office offers the services of a nurse practitioner, whose rates are lower than a doctor. Confirm this with the office you will be visiting.

Ask and Tell

Tell your doctor the real deal. Many physicians will offer a reduced or discounted rate for patients who do not have insurance. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Chances are good that many more patients are in the same situation.

If you are being prescribed medication, ask the doctor about the possibilities of getting a generic version and explain that cost and no insurance are an issue for you. Many doctors do not contemplate that aspect when writing prescriptions.

Review Your Bills

Whether you’ve had a stay in the hospital or just a check up at the office, make sure you go over the bill when you receive it. It is possible that staff will make a mistake in billing and you need to be certain you are not paying for services you didn’t receive.

Check for Cheaper Rates

Chances are you can save some money by looking up individual health insurance quotes online. Usually there’a cheaper policy than what you have now if you’re not getting your healthcare from your employer.

If you are currently one of the 50 million Americans who don’t have health insurance
through their employer and can’t seem to afford it on your own, you’re probably looking for ways to lower the cost of health insurance premiums so that you can afford them! There are many options and features across numerous health insurance providers, but here are 8 tips to help you lower health insurance premiums to fit into your budget:

1. Raise the deductible. When you get a health insurance policy quote, it’s possible that the quotes are at lower deductibles. If you raise the deductible (the amount you pay out of pocket annually before your medical insurance will kick in and start to cover your expenses), you pay less per year for the coverage. Try obtaining quotes with various deductible amounts to see if you could more easily afford a health insurance policy with a higher deductible.
2. Start a health savings account. You can save money on a pre-tax basis into special medical savings accounts that can be used to pay for medical expenses. You can use the funds in a health savings account to pay for an annual medical insurance policy, as well as medical expenses not covered by the insurance plan and as an added bonus, your annual tax bill will be lower.
3. Consider major medical insurance coverage. Not everyone is aware that there are two primary types of health insurance coverage options – one that covers the standard visits to the doctors and prescriptions; and one that covers surgeries or procedures you must have due to accidents or emergencies. If you choose to obtain only major medical insurance coverage, your premiums will be lower than if you’re looking for major medical as well as standard coverage, and since the cost of major medical procedures are costly, it may help to at least have insurance coverage for these instances.
4. Keep an eye on your credit score. Believe it or not, your credit score can play a role in the price you pay for health insurance. Pay your bills on time, reduce your debt utilization, and make sure there are no errors on your credit report that are adversely affecting your score.
5. Throw out the smokes. Smoking is a habit that is costing you a fortune when it comes to health insurance. Because smoking is related to a number of illnesses and diseases, smoking puts you in a higher risk pool to insure, therefore making the price you pay for insurance higher than someone who doesn’t smoke. Quit smoking and the rates you pay for insurance will drop, plus you’ll save the money you were paying on cigarettes.
6. Pay the annual premium all at once. If you can afford it, paying the annual premium for a health insurance policy will typically cost less than if you were to pay the same policy premium on a monthly basis.

Many employees made the decision to take their current job based on the duties involved, the rate of pay, and the health insurance packages and other benefits offered by the perspective employer. In the even you lose your job due to a layoff or a termination, employees may qualify for a continuation of insurance even though employment has ended with the company. Because of the 1986 Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, employers who have more than 20 employees working must offer continued insurance, commonly known as COBRA.

COBRA insurance works in this fashion: employees who wish to remain under their employer’s sponsored insurance plan must pay 102% of the premium for the health insurance policy. This percentage includes the amount the employer initially subsidized during the individual’s employment term. Eligible participants will receive the same coverage and services as all other still-employed individuals receive under the policy.

The Downside of COBRA
While the option to continue on the same insurance policy as when they were employed seems like a great plan, many do not realize they will have to pay more for the insurance coverage than they did when employed. Since the company is no longer footing part of the bill, COBRA coverage can be expensive to maintain, especially if you are out of work. The coverage you may have under COBRA may fit your health care needs, the payments will not always fit your wallet so it may be in your best interest to shop elsewhere for medical insurance. Don’t be fooled into thinking that everyone else is jumping on the COBRA bandwagon after leaving a job. You need to do what you can financially to ensure your health care needs are covered at a premium you can afford to pay. Each individual will need to assess their own situation and find a health insurance policy to meet their needs, whether it is through COBRA or not.

Qualifying for COBRA
Before you make a decision to leave your position or to accept continued coverage through COBRA, you will first need to make sure you are eligible. There are various deadlines for applications and payments in order to have continuous coverage so you will need to know what time lines you will need to abide by so your coverage is not interrupted.

If you do plan to continue insurance coverage through your former employer, make sure you understand clearly the terms and conditions of the benefits under the policy. There is always a possibility that you will move to find other work. In the event you do make such a life change, you will need to know if the new area medical facilities will be covered under your policy. You also want to be clear about the total cost of paying for the premium and whether or not it is in your budget. It will make sense to shop around for other policy information and compare services and price with companies beyond the one sponsoring the policy your currently maintain.

It’s a frightening enough thought to know that you could be the victim of a scam artist who steals your social security number and uses it maliciously. Perhaps you could be on the wrong end of a scheme that involves your stolen credit cards. Whatever ways a criminal can find to extort information or money from you, it is important to note they will do whatever it takes and not care much about the red tape and aggravation they leave you to deal with.

Where There is a Will, There is a Way

Even more frightening is the discovery of a new way for a theft to steal your identity. One such way seems unimaginable but yet it happens. There are people who have become victims of criminal acts perpetrated again them and their own personal medical information. It is no longer important to just protect your social security number, it is also necessary to protect your medical insurance number as well. To some this piece of information can be very valuable, yet can hurt both you and your wallet where it counts.

Where Did You Go Wrong?

So, how does such information fall into the wrong hands? Many times the information can be stolen right from your mailbox when you receive statements or announcements from your insurance carrier. Experts have seen a rise of stolen medical insurance information particularly across college campuses, when students share living quarters with other roommates. Sadly, it is more common to have the information stolen from an insider at the medical facilities. The information can then be sold to individuals looking to buy it. Sometimes it is a whole crime ring that is involved who pay people on the “inside” to obtain your medical records. Consider the recent cases of celebrity medical records being sold to tabloid news outlets. The reality is this doesn’t just happen to the rich and famous but to people who honestly need the health insurance coverage.

The Last to Know

Often people do not discover their medical records have been tampered with until they need a medical procedure and are refused insurance coverage. It may also be discovered by consumers who wisely check every statement that comes in the mail. The consequences of someone else using your medical insurance can be great. Some people have been arrested, held responsible for large bills, and have had their credit ruined by collection accounts – all for services they have never received.

How To Cope

It is very difficult to rectify medical identity theft. You can be proactive in making sure your information remains safe by keep a lock on your mailbox and by not sharing your insurance card information with anyone. You may also go a step further and after each doctor visit, request a copy of your medical records as proof for later should you need it. Records will cost you a bit of money but it may be worth it in the end. Because identifying a medical identity theft is difficult, you can generally only hope that the medical providers involved will be willing to help you in your unfortunate situation. Should you find yourself in such a predicament, you should file a police report immediately to help protect you in your fight.

A career as an insurance underwriter involves reviewing the individual or business’s level of risk, reviewing various insurance policies and coverage amounts to determine if the policyholder has the appropriate amount of insurance coverage, or perhaps whether the person can even be insured with the company at all. Sometimes individuals or businesses are simply too “risky” to insure and must be turned down, and it is partly up to the insurance underwriter to make those decisions regarding risk by analyzing the individual or business and the item or situation they’re looking to insure.

People with backgrounds in engineering, economics, math and/or physics often find insurance underwriting jobs to be a good match for their knowledge and personalities, although somewhat surprising! The reason for this is because an insurance underwriter must be detail oriented and analytical. People who enjoy putting pieces together to finish a puzzle often enjoy the tasks of an underwriting job.

Job Requirements for Insurance Underwriters

Not everyone meets the requirements for becoming an insurance underwriter. Previously, having a college degree would often be all a person needed to become an underwriter – now, managers look for college graduates who had studied quantitative studies and a number of mathematical courses. If you want to be an insurance underwriter, you must have a good personality for dealing with other people as you will often have to deliver bad news.

It’s also necessary for an insurance underwriter to have a solid understanding of insurance in general, the insurance offered at the company they work with, and how claims are submitted. Underwriters are the “go-to” person in the insurance industry, with everyone from customer service representatives to insurance agents and claims adjusters contacting them for information. Even insurance policyholders will contact the underwriters with questions and concerns. If you’re looking for a career as an underwriter, you’ll have to be dedicated to learning the ins and outs of the industry.

Insurance Underwriting Job Salaries

A new insurance underwriter might expect to earn between $35,000 and $40,000, while a more experienced underwriter with knowledge in multiple types of insurance might expect to earn between $60,000 and $70,000 per year. The industry outlook for insurance underwriters is good, as there is always a need for insurance. There is great opportunity for career advancement and lifelong learning – but you may need to be willing to transfer from one insurance company to another throughout the course of your career to continue moving up the ladder.

Business owners have a lot of things on their plate to keep their business growing. Property, liability, workers comprehension and other forms of insurance are needed which can get costly and confusing if you try to navigate the sometimes murky waters of business insurance on your own. It helps to have a trusted insurance broker who can assist in making the right choices and act as a middle man when purchasing and maintaining important insurance policies for your business.

Insurance agent or broker?

There are differences between agents and brokers. The main thing that separates the two are the fact that agents work for a specific insurance company while a broker generally works independently with no specific insurance company that they are required to do business with. The difference gets harder to determine when people act as both an agent and a broker which can occur based on your needs and the insurance companies that are involved.

There are pros and cons of working with either an independent broker or an insurance agent. An independent broker may not have the same access to certain information as an insurance agent however in most cases the broker is working to find you the most competitive rate. That being said an insurance agent will only be able to offer information about the specific company that he/she represents but will have total access and possibly better information about the insurance company and policies, including pricing information.

Agent experience is important.

When it comes to selecting an insurance agent or broker- experience and expertise is important. While it is possible for a laymen to get a solid understanding of insurance policies, having an experienced representative working for you should make decisions much easier. Insurance requirements and policy information can quickly get confusing. The goal is to make sure you are adequately covered without paying too much money. When selecting an agent or broker make sure they have the knowledge to act on your behalf.

Making the decision.

If a candidate is interested in providing agent or broker services for your company they should be willing to make a presentation explaining their services and qualifications. You should be looking for the following:

• Compatibility of the business

• Level of commitment

• How the agent or broker will solve your insurance problems

• Why they are the right person for you and your company (why are they better than the competition?)

You may want to establish a review period when working with a new agent or broker to ensure the relationship is working out as anticipated.

Insurance, whether for a car or your home, is already an expensive monthly cost so it makes sense that you want to do whatever it takes to keep your rates as low as possible. While no one wants to ever have to use their insurance, the purpose of having insurance is to protect you in the event something does happen. However, did you know that certain things that do happen accidentally can cause your insurance rates to go up considerably or even limit your insurance coverage down the road?

There are certain claims against insurance that can indeed raise your premium rates and it is important to understand what some common claims can do to your present and future rates of insurance.

Water Leaks/Mold Issues

If you have a history of filing claims on your insurance for incidents of water damage caused by leaks from plumbing problems and such, you may find it difficult to later sell your home. Potential new buyers’ insurance companies can pull reports that show the history of insurance claims on a piece of property. If there is a repeated report of water damage, insurance companies may not be very inclined to provide coverage on the new home, typically because of the concerns of mold. If a new buyer can not get coverage on the home, it is likely you will find it difficult to sell. Instead of filing a claim for minor damages and problems, learn how to do it yourself and leave your insurance out of it.

Injury from Falls

In the event that a person would trip, slip, or fall down on your property due to a hazardous condition, such as a cracked sidewalk or a hole and the like, they may file a claim against your homeowner’s insurance. Such claims can make your insurance rates rise. For this scenario, it is better to be preventative. Make sure you maintain your property and keep it safe from hazardous areas to prevent people from getting injured. 

Pet Problems

If you have a pet, particularly a dog, you may be surprised to learn that dog bites are the biggest source of homeowner’s insurance policy claims. This has lead to many insurance companies listing breeds of dogs that have been considered mostly likely to attack. If you are an owner of such a dog, considered dangerous by your insurance company, you may be facing higher insurance rates or even a refusal of insurance. If you have a dog on the list, you may be able to work with your insurance company by striking a deal. For example, some insurance providers will provide insurance as long as the dog participates and passes an obedience course.

Check with your insurance company about other areas that may raise your monthly payments and be proactive in making sure you are doing what you can to keep your insurance rates at their lowest.

There are a variety of insurance policies that are considered good investments of your money, and many that you absolutely shouldn’t go without, including automobile insurance if you drive a car, life insurance if you have dependents, and health insurance.  On the other hand, there are a number of different insurance policies that pop up that could actually be more a waste of money than anything else!

Mortgage Life Insurance:  A mortgage life insurance policy is a plan that will pay for your mortgage in the event that you become permanently and completely disabled or you die.  If you’re married, this policy seems like a terrific idea because if you should die before your spouse, you know the spouse will not have to pay for the mortgage on his or her own.

If you have a life insurance policy already, either a separate policy you have purchased or one offered through your place of employment, chances are the mortgage would already be covered.  A standard life insurance policy gives your beneficiary the money that can be used for whatever they need to use it for – including the mortgage.    It really doesn’t make much sense to purchase a policy specific for your mortgage if you already have one that would cover it.  It makes more sense to pay for a general life insurance policy that your beneficiary could use to pay for whatever he or she chose, rather than have to use it only for the mortgage payment.

Cancer Insurance: With the number of people who are diagnosed with some form of cancer each year, it may sound like a good idea to invest in an insurance policy to cover medical expenses related to cancer.  Maybe not!  Cancer insurance doesn’t cover skin cancer, which is the leading type of cancer, and most policies won’t cover any outpatient expenses that a cancer patient undergoes during their treatment.

In addition to what cancer insurance doesn’t actually cover, the fact is – if you have health insurance, it will almost always cover medical expenses (both inpatient and outpatient) related to cancer patient care.

If you’re concerned about cancer coverage, check with your primary health care insurance first to see if they would cover cancer related expenses.  If not, then you may want to consider a cancer insurance policy (or looking into a better health care insurance, if possible!)  Otherwise, paying for a policy that is specific to one type of illness or disease is typically not a good use of insurance premiums.
Flight Insurance: Whenever you purchase airplane tickets, you’ll be asked if you would like to purchase additional travel and/or flight insurance designed to pay your beneficiary in the event your plane doesn’t arrive safely to it’s destination.  Check with the credit card you used to book your flight first – chances are it includes complimentary travel insurance.  Also check with your life insurance policy – most cover you even if something happens when you are traveling or flying and will pay your beneficiary based on the policy amount.

With the majority of credit card companies raising their rates for card holder’s, you could very well find yourself paying more interest on your card balances than you had originally planned on. The good news is you don’t have to take a higher interest rate as the answer!

In fact, as long as you have decent credit, there is no reason why you should accept an interest rate hike from your credit card company. With the economy the way it is, credit cardholders have been reporting that even though they’ve never made a late payment on their cards their interest rates have been increased or their credit limits lowered. If you receive a notice that your rate has been increased, you should take a moment to call them up and request a lower interest rate. If they say there is nothing they can do, you can thank them for their time and let them know you will be transferring the balance to another credit card with a lower rate.

Chances are, they may come up with something they can do for you once they hear those words! If so, you can decide whether the lower rate from the balance transfer offers are satisfactory to you, or if you want to shop around for lower rates.

When looking for credit cards to transfer your higher interest balances to, you want to keep in mind a few things to ensure you get the best deal, including:

• Make sure the new credit card has a lower annual fee than the one you are looking to replace (preferably pick a credit card without an annual fee)
• Read the terms of the balance transfer offer carefully: how long is the interest rate good for? What will the balance transfer rate change to once that preliminary period is over?
• Find out whether there are balance transfer fees, and how much they are. Sometimes, a card will offer a low interest rate on all balances transferred, but then turn around and charge you 1-3% as a balance transfer fee. You’ll have to play around with the numbers to see if you’re really going to save money over the life of the balance after paying the fee to transfer it.

The best balance transfer offers give you a low fixed interest rate for the life of the transferred balance. That means the rate doesn’t change for however long it takes you to pay off that balance, provided you make your payments on time. If you can’t qualify for that type of balance transfer offer, you should look for offers that give you 0% interest for 12 months, and focus on getting that old debt paid off within that year. If you are able to increase your payments enough to pay off the balance within the 12 month introductory period, you’ll pay back just what you owe and nothing in interest!

At the very least, you could consider balance transfer offers of 6 months interest-free; and if you still have a balance at the end of that term, see about moving the balance to a new credit card with a 0% balance transfer offer; or requesting a better rate from your existing credit card company.

It can be quite difficult to find a health plan that includes a lot of coverage for the least amount of expense. Being able to determine what you need most and when isn’t always easy but here is a good breakdown of different stages of life and what insurance services you need to have covered.

Single/No Dependents
If you are in good health, you most likely will get what you need from an HMO, or the least expensive insurance package. Try and stay within the network service providers when seeking treatments such as with your PCP (primary care physician). In the event you need to see a specialist, your PCP can refer you. If you are able to easily stay with your insurance network of providers because all of the doctors you see are listed as part of the network, you should consider choosing a plan that carries a higher deductible for physicians out of the network so you can pay even less in premiums.

Marry/No Dependents
If married couples both are offered insurance plans from their employer, it is important that both plans are reviewed and compared throughly. By choosing which plan has the best coverage for both individuals, you will save money rather than keeping up two separate plans. Some companies will even offer a cash opt-out for those employees who choose not to take coverage from their employer. On the other hand, some companies will hit you with a charge simply for adding your married partner who has alternate insurance options onto your policy.

Married/With Dependents
Married couples with children may choose to have both parents stick with their own employer’s plan and add the kids to one parent’s plan under the employee and family option. Or they can opt to cover the entire family under one plan. It depends on how many members there are in your family to determine whether or not you want to choose an HMO or a PPO. If you have kids away at school who are still covered under your plan, it may be in your best interest to have a low-deductible PPO plan since it is likely that most of the kids providers will be out of the network. The PPO option is also a good choice for families who have special needs children.

Aging Parents/Kids Gone
Once the kids move out of the house and are taking care of their own insurance needs, the parents the left behind will want to find an affordable plan that covers prescription costs and the costs for seeing specialists. Plans that have the lowest prescription co-pays without caps on spending will be the best to consider. When looking over coverage options, remember that finding the lowest premium may not be what you are looking for. A higher premium policy may even out the costs coming out of your pocket. You may also appreciate the ability to see specialists without having to go through your PCP for a referral each time.

Sure it takes time to weed through the plan options for health insurance coverage but the time you invest in choosing the right plan for you will save you hard earned money.