Health Insurance Articles

Waiting Period
In the field of health insurance, the waiting period is the time between the signing of the contract and when the insurance protection goes into effect.

Utilization
Utilization refers to the method by which health insurance companies will evaluate the value of a given procedure.

Insurance: Tort
Although we all complain about legal costs, they do work in order to protect the rights of their clients when they feel they have been wronged.

Successive Periods
As a part of many health insurance policies, they will consider successive periods to refer to multiple hospital visits for the same issue.

All about Accident and Health Insurance
Accident and health insurance is an important way of protecting the finances of you and your family in the event of unforeseen circumstances.

Accident and Sickness Insurance
We all want to have good health, but none of us knows the future, and disability insurance will protect our finances if we are unable to work.

State of Domicile
With state regulations, all insurance companies must be licensed before they are allowed to write policies, and the state of domicile is where they are based.

Risk Retention Group
It is created to essentially help people and businesses that have troubles in acquiring a liability insurance in a traditional insurance enterprise

Risk Management
Risk management is one of those ways that companies can reduce their health care costs, as it makes their employees less likely to become injured.

Residual Benefit
Many companies offer disability coverage as a part of health insurance, which is referred to as a residual benefit, in order to help them through an illness.

Renewal
No insurance plan is in effect forever, and health insurance is no different. These policies face a renewal term in which the rates are adjusted each year.

Reciprocal Insurance Exchange
Once of the considerations when looking at ways to save on health coverage is referred to as an insurance exchange, where they pool resources and risk.

Qualifying Events
When you want to make changes to your health insurance policies outside of open enrollment, you will need to have a qualifying event occur.

Qualified High Deductible Health Plan
One of the ways that you can save on your health insurance premiums is by participating in a high deductible health plan and transfer some risk to you.

Preferred Provider Organization
In the field of health insurance, one of your options is a PPO, or preferred provider organization, in which costs are controlled in the network.

Pre-existing Condition
When considering your health care insurance options, one of the things that they are going to look at is if you have any preexisting conditions.

Point of Service Plan
Among the options that you have for your health insurance coverage is a type of policy that is known as a point of service plan.

Participation Rate
When considering a group health policy, one of the main concerns is the participation rate, or the number of people that take part in the plan.

Own Occupation
When you are looking at disability insurance, you should try to get an own occ policy if possible, as this ensures that you are safe in your field.

Member Month
In the field of health insurance, a member month refers to the average customers they have in a given month, and this relates to how they perform in the business.

Loss Reserves
In order to protect the company from loss, they will hold back a portion of the premiums in order claims when there are higher than expected claims.

Loss Ratio
The loss ratio in insurance is what determines whether or not the company remains viable based on the rates that they charge their customers.

Loss Ratio and Medical Loss Ratio
In order for the health insurance company to remain viable, the must show a profit. The ratio shows how well their finances compare to the policies paid.

Lifetime Reserve Days
Lifetime reserve days are days of additional hospital coverage that can be used in the lifetime of the policy that can be applied after normal coverage expires.

Knowing Non Cancelable on Different Insurance Policies
With some special types of health and disability policies, they are considered to be non cancelable, which means that they cannot cancel the policy for any reason.

Least Expensive Alternative Treatment
the least expensive alternate treatment plan is commonly a part of dental policies, and this is one of the ways that they try to save money on policies.

Qualified vs Non-Qualified Policies
A special type of health policy is the long term care policy, and the qualification of it refers to how it is treated when it comes to the taxability of the policy.

Out-of-Pocket Limit
Most health insurance policies have in place what is referred to as an out of pocket limit. This means that you will not have to pay more than this each year.

Employer’s Liability Insurance
Employers have an obligation to have liability insurance in place in order to protect their employees and customers from loss and injury.

Elimination Period
With health and disability policies, there is an elimination period where there is a delay before receiving benefits in order to ensure the claim is valid.

Disease Management
Disease management is important for a couple of reasons. First, it improves the quality of life of the patient, and it saves the company money.

Deductible
Most types of insurance that are on the market today will require you to assume some risk by paying a deductible on claims. The amount will affect your premium,

Case Management
When it comes to planning out the health needs of patients, sometimes it is necessary to use case management in order to ensure that they receive proper care.

Health Savings Account
For those that have chosen to save money on their health insurance by using a high deductible policy, and taking advantage of health savings accounts.

Copayment
With almost all insurance policies, you will be forced to pay a copayment, or copay. This is where you will pay a partial fee for a doctor visit.

Concurrent Periods
There may be times in which you will want ensure that there is no lapse in coverage, so you may have multiple policies in place for a period of time.

Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)
Inflation impacts all of us, so when setting up your disability protection, it is a good idea to pay the extra fees to get inflation protection in the policy.

Coinsurance
When it comes to coinsurance, this is the type of health policy that most of us are aware of, as this is where both you and the insurance company pay a portion.

Annual Administrative Fee
When you and your company puts together the insurance and benefit plan for your employees, and administrative fee will be charged to the company for managing it.

Direct Writer
There are many ways that you can buy insurance. One of these ways is by the company writing their own policies with using agents, but there is a tradeoff.

Benefit Period
When looking at long term care policies, one of the most important considerations is the benefit period. This refers to long long you will receive benefits

Health Reimbursement Arrangements
Health reimbursement arrangements are an additional compensation arrangement where your employer will reimburse you for some of your medical expenses.

Health Maintenance Organization
Health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, seek to reduce the medical costs to both you and the insurance company by focusing on preventative care.

Creditable Coverage
In the case of where someone suffers from a preexisting condition, there is a period of time before coverage begins. This takes care of the time frame.

Will Medicare pay the Copay to the VA if you are hospitalized in a VA Hospital?
Unfortunately, if you visit the VA hospital system for anything other than emergency care Medicare will not pay them for their services.

What are the Timely Filing Limits for BCBS?
Just like all other insurance companies, Blue Cross Blue Shield has a specific amount of time in which claims will need to be filed or the claim will be denied.

What You Need To Know About Health Insurance
Health insurance is one of the most important types of insurance that you can have in place in order to protection your health and financial picture.

What Organization of Doctors and Hospitals is a Combination of Traditional Fee-For-Service and a Health Maintenance Organization?
A PPO will have a similar network to an HMO, but unlike an HMO, the PPO model is one where there is a per per service model for each service you receive.

Will an Insurance Carrier Deny Certain Employees Coverage under a Group Health Insurance Plan?
With group health insurance policies, generally speaking all members of that group will be granted access, but there are cases where they may deny access.

What Types of Group Protection Do Most Employers Provide?
When it comes to health insurance protection, employers offer a wide range of different types of group plans, such as HMO, PPO, and POS plans.

What is the Importance of a Medical Fee Schedule and What Factors is it Based On?
The medical fee schedule refers to the various fees that doctors are reimbursed for based on the time and difficulty of the procedure.

What is Not a Recommended Strategy for Controlling Your Health Care Costs?
The costs of health care are rising at a rapid pace in the United States, but there are things that we can do in order to lower the pace of these costs.

What Is A Comprehensive Plan And Its Advantages?
One of the best types of health insurance plans that you can get is the comprehensive policy, as this will provide the best range of protections for your family

What are the Various Ways that Individuals Receive Health Insurance Protection?
There are a number of different ways that people get insurance coverage. Those that are poor can get it through the state, and the rest can purchase a policy

What Are the Three Components of Health?
Living a healthy lifestyle is much more than simply being disease free, This also involves our mental health and the lifestyle that we choose to life.

How Long Has Elder Health Care Been an Issue?
Traditionally, families would take care of the health needs of their older members, but as people have become less family centered, this has become a business.

How Can a Labor Union Provide Group Insurance?
Because the members of the labor union are part of the same group, the union will often purchase health insurance on behalf of its members to reduce costs.

For Insured Employees With Dependent Coverage, Does the Deductible for Each Person Have to be Satisfied Before Reimbursement Begins?
When employees have a family plan, there is a per person and family deductible. The individual deductible must be hit until the family coverage is met.

Are All Prescription Drugs Covered Under Health Care Plans?
Whenever you are given a prescription, it is a good idea to check and see if the prescription is covered, as each policy will have their own list of covered meds

Why are Health Care Costs Rising in the US?
There are many reasons why health insurance costs are continuing to rise, one of which is that we are living longer thank to better technology that is not cheap

Who is an Eligible Employee?
When it comes to health insurance, the company is able to use any standard for determining eligibility, as long as they apply the same standard to all.

What Types of Services are Generally Covered by a Group Health Insurance Plan?
Every group insurance health plan will be different, but they will generally cover the same types of things, such as doctor visits and hospitalizations.

What is the Major Difference Between Group and Individual Insurance?
One of the biggest differences that you will notice between group and individual coverage is the costs and the benefits that are available to you as a customer.

What is Managed Care Plan?
One of the ways that policies will try to manage their health care costs is by providing managed care plans to customers, and there are different types of these

What is Coinsurance?
With coinsurance, this is different than a typical copay where you pay a set amount per visit. Coinsurance requires you to meet a deductible before they pay.

What is a Risk?
When you get health insurance, the insurance company is accepting a certain level of risk. The risk that they are assuming will be reflected in your costs.

What is a Mandate Benefit?
When is comes to health insurance, insurers are not able to exclude anything that they want, as some things are mandated by the government at various levels

What is a Deductible?
Depending on the type of health insurance policy that you have, there are number of different types of deductibles. This is what you much pay before insurance does.

What is a Base Plus Plan?
This type of health insurance policy has two main parts. One part will cover basic health, and the other part will cover more comprehensive issues.

What are the Minimum and Maximum Numbers of Employees Allowed by State Law to Participate in a Group Health Insurance Plan?
There are two types of groups health policies, small and large. The minimum number of employees that need to take advantage will vary by state.

What Are The Advantages to a Base Plus Plan?
A base plus health insurance plan can be one of the most economical ways for healthy individuals to meet their health insurance needs.

What Are the Advantages of Group Insurance Over Individual Insurance?
If you have group health insurance available, you should take advantage of it because the cost will be far cheaper and the pool reduces the risk.

Is Pregnancy a Pre-Existing Condition?
Generally speaking, pregnancy is not considered to be a preexisting condition, although many companies will not pay expenses if you were pregnant before getting the policy

Is a Hernia a Pre-Existing Condition?
When you apply for health insurance coverage, of you have had a hernia or surgery for it, this will be considered a preexisting condition.

Is Being Overweight a Pre-Existing Condition?
When you get health insurance, some companies will consider heavy weight to be a preexisting condition. This is because the weight can lead to medical problems.

Is an Amputation Considered a Pre-Existing Condition?
In the case where an amputation is due to a previous diagnosis of diabetes, this is considered to be a pre-existing condition.

How Does Secondary Insurance Work?
Most of the time, secondary insurance is utilized in order to fill the gaps in your existing health insurance coverage by purchasing a second policy.

How Did Bioethics Start?
The field of bioethics began as a direct response to the discovery of the experimentation on humans perpetuated during the Nazi regime.

What Kinds of Hospital Outpatient Expenses are Covered?
The outpatient procedures that will be covered as a part of your health insurance policy will vary widely, and you should consult your agent before a procedure.

What is the Definition of Primary Diagnosis?
When you enter a hospital or are being treated for a medical condition, the primary diagnosis is the condition that requires the most resources to treat.

What is Direct Reimbursement for Dental Care?
With a direct reimbursement dental care plan, you will need to pay your bill in full and then submit the receipt to the insurance company, and they will issue you a check.

If the Parents are Divorced Which Insurance is Primary?
When the parents divorce, the nationally accepted rule on which insurance will be the primary payer is the birthday rule, where the earliest birthday is primary

How is Vision Care Covered?
Generally speaking, if you want eye coverage, you will need to purchase a specific policy for that, as health insurance will only cover an eye injury or disease

Do Health Insurance Plans Cover Dental Care?
Dental coverage is generally not part of a standard health insurance policy, but many companies will bundle a dental policy along with a health policy.

Can an Employer Work Directly With an Insurance Company?
Especially if a company is larger, it is possible for them to work directly with an insurance companies, but most will get better service with an intermediary.

Does Increasing Medical Technology Tend to Increase the Demand for Health Care?
Although advances in medical science have allowed us to live longer and healthier lives, this does substantially add to the costs of health coverage.

Are There Different Types of Drug Plans?
Not all drug plans are the same. In fact, there is a wide range of the offerings that they have, and the costs will vary accordingly.

Are Employers Required by Federal Law to Purchase Group Insurance for Their Employees?
Bear in mind that there currently is no law that requires you to provide group health insurance for employees, but it also cannot be withheld if offered to some employees.

Are All Types of Dental Services Covered by Insurance?
Bear in mind that except in the case of an accident, it is rare for health insurance to cover dental services. You will need a dental policy for this coverage.

What is a PPO?
One of the types of health insurance policies that you can select is a PPO plan. These types of plans will save you money as long as you stay in the plan.

What is an HMO?
An HMO is a special type of health insurance program where instead of being paid for the number of procedures, you doctor is paid to keep you healthy. They receive a set amount for each patient for the year.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPPA, was designed to help to protect a patient’s privacy and records, and it also ensures that they can continue coverage for a period of time after leaving a job.

Health Insurance – How Can I Tell If My Prescription Is Covered?
Prescriptions can bankrupt a family, so it is important to make arrangements to protect your budget with this coverage or at least a discount plan of some sort.

Can You Get Coverage With a Preexisting Condition?
You do have some options for medical coverage if you have preexisting conditions, although getting coverage may be a challenge and be more expensive.

Will Changing Insurance Plans Allow Me To Keep My Doctor?
When looking at insurance policies, it is a good idea to check with your agent in order to make sure that your regular doctor, or doctors in your area, will accept the coverage.

Things To Consider When Choosing a Health Insurance Plan
There are many things to consider when looking at a health insurance policy, as no two families will have the same needs or face the same medical issues.

What is Open Enrollment?
If you work for a company, once a year they will allow you to add or change your health insurance coverage, so be sure you don’t miss this window.

What Is COBRA?
Cobra allows you to continue your health coverage after the loss of a job, although you will be required to pay the full cost of the policy instead of your employee discounted rate.

What Is a Preexisting Condition?
Those you are dealing with a health condition may find it more difficult to get coverage, but be sure to check around, because it is not impossible.

Dental Care: Is it a Part of Insurance?
Dental health is an important part of your overall health, and you should check to ensure that you health coverage offers you this coverage.

How Do Co-pays and Deductibles Work?
Copays and deductibles are a fact of life when it comes to health care and insurance, and we are going to look at what these terms mean.

Conditional Receipt
A conditional receipt will prove that you have health or life insurance coverage while they are processing your application and payment.

Long Term Care Insurance
You have many options available when looking at long term care coverage, and this can keep you from losing everything in retirement.

Long Term Care Insurance Coverage
Long term care insurance is a necessity as we near our senior years, because without it, we could lose everything.

What Are The Different Types of Health Insurance?
There are many different types of health insurance plans and options, so you should shop around in order order to find the proper coverage for you and your family.

Health Insurance Options for Early Retirees
You can many options to try when you are trying to retire early and secure your insurance needs.

Saving in Health Insurance
There are ways that you can make insurance more affordable, and you should make sure that your family has coverage.

Calculating Health Insurance
Very complex calculations go into figuring out your rates for health insurance, and this is why you should shop around.

Does Medicare Cover Nursing Home Services?
Nursing home care can be very expensive, so it is very important to plan for the future, as Medicare will not meet long term needs.

A Quick Overview On Health Savings Accounts Or HSA
A look at what the HSA can do for you in saving on your health insurance premiums.

Seek And You Shall Be Insured: Health Insurance Denial
With health insurance, being turned down from one company does not mean that there is no hope.

5 Easy Steps On Reducing Health Insurance Cost For Small Businesses
There are some things that you can look at in order to reduce your fastest growing expense, health insurance premiums.

Looking For Affordable Health Insurance Coverage?
There are many options when it comes to insurance, and they can cost widely different, so you should look at what each options offers.

Overview of an HMO Health Insurance Plan
Find out what an HMO health insurance plan is. We dive into the details of an HMO plan and what differs it from other health insurance plans.

Overview of a PPO Health Insurance Plan
Know the differences in health insurance plans. In this article, we discuss a brief overview of a PPO or Preferred Provider Organization.

Is a High Deductible Health Insurance Plan Right for You
Find out who if you are a good candidate for a high deductible heath insurance policy.

Learn Why Health Savings Accounts are Gaining in Popularity
Learn all about a Health Savings Account or HSA and why they have been gaining in popularity.

How Are Health Insurance Rates Calculated
Health insurance can be expensive. Before you shop, read how Insurance Companies calculate health insurance rates. Knowing what effects the premium can save you money.