Health insurance is a type of insurance wherein the health insurance
company pays the medical costs of the insured if the insured falls
sick or meets with an accident. The claim of medical costs is governed
by the type of health insurance plan you have purchased. For this the
individual has to give monthly premium to the insurance company. In
the United States most of the health insurance is provided by the
employers be it corporate or government. However the trend is changing
and more and more companies are opting out of providing medical
coverage to employees due to the exorbitant cost of providing health
insurance.
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As a result more and more people are being forced to buy an individual
health insurance plan or a family health insurance plan. There are
literally thousands of health insurance plans available online or
through agents or banks. It is easy to get confused if not bewildered
by so many plans. However few basic points can help in choosing a
health insurance plan to suit your needs and your pocket.
Deductibles: Higher deductibles, lesser premium. Deductible is the
amount of bill you pay and the rest of the medical bill is paid by the
insurance company.
Length of coverage: Short term coverage costs less and the premium is
the cheapest available in the market today.
Doctor access: Most insurance plans provide doctors networks to reduce
their cost. If you want your family physician check before hand
whether the insurance plan includes your family physician or your
preferred hospital.
Type of Coverage: Basic coverage costs less and coves only
hospitalization and surgery. Comprehensive is costlier and covers
preventive care, prescription drugs, routine medical check ups and the
costs covered in basic coverage.
Specialist Visit: insurance plans usually require a general physician
to recommend a specialist, rather than going directly to a specialist
doctor. If you want that flexibility in your plan, then you have to
pay more premiums.