Buying Low Cost Health Insurance

Title:Buying Low Cost Health InsuranceWord Count:358Summary:There are many ways you can save on the cost of your health insurance but first you have totake into account the cover you want and if you are going to be taking individual cover orwhether you are taking cover for the whole family.The cost of health insurance can vary greatly depending on the amount of coverage you need, ifyou were take all the options available in private health insurance then the premium would beastronomical and something which very few people can ...Keywords:health insurance, PMI, private medical cover, health coverArticle Body:There are many ways you can save on the cost of your health insurance but first you have totake into account the cover you want and if you are going to be taking individual cover orwhether you are taking cover for the whole family.The cost of health insurance can vary greatly depending on the amount of coverage you need, ifyou were take all the options available in private health insurance then the premium would beastronomical and something which very few people can afford to do. Fortunately however, youcan get good coverage for a decent premium by shopping around and following these tips.抰Always check the policy because it might include things which you don need, for instance if抰you are a single man and a policy includes costs for pregnancy then this obviously won be抰needed. While this might seem like common sense, it is surprising how many people don

look into what is in the policy they are buying. So always look into the different packages thatare available.If you are considering the lowest cost health insurance then look into purchasing a policy thatonly covers major illnesses. Limited cover is one of the cheapest ways to buy private cover buttake into account that minor illnesses and accidents will not be covered.You can keep the cost of the premium down if you offer to pay a higher excess. All policieswill require that you pay something towards the cost of treatment before the insurance will kickin, this can start from something as low as ?00. You could offer to share a percentage of the costwhich will also bring the premium down that you will have to pay.While most people take out private insurance to beat the waiting lists that the NHS are noted for,it can help to bring your premium down if you choose to have a waiting period. For instance,you could choose a waiting period of 6 weeks and if during this time you can be seen on theNHS then all well and good, if not then you go privately.Title:Health Insurance ?It's Important To Know What's Not Insured!Word Count:1206Summary:Around 7 million people in the UK are covered by health insurance, the majority being coveredthrough their employers. The problem is that few have really studied their policy documentsand many misunderstand what is covered. And perhaps just as important, what isn't. If youexpect health insurance to pay all your health costs, you're mistaken.Health insurance is designed to provide protection for curable, short-term health problems andallow policyholders to jump the NH...Keywords:medical, insurance, what, is, coveredArticle Body:Around 7 million people in the UK are covered by health insurance, the majority being coveredthrough their employers. The problem is that few have really studied their policy documentsand many misunderstand what is covered. And perhaps just as important, what isn't. If youexpect health insurance to pay all your health costs, you're mistaken.Health insurance is designed to provide protection for curable, short-term health problems andallow policyholders to jump the NHS queues to see consultants, be diagnosed, receive surgeryor be treated. That sounds fine, but before you buy you need to appreciate the treatments andsituations that fall outside the scope of the cover.

But first a word of warning. This article does not relate to any specific policy and the terms andconditions issued by individual insurers do vary. So please ensure you also check your policydocuments. After reading this article, you'll know what to look out for!Sorry ?it's a chronic conditionIf a condition can be cured and is not a long-term problem, your insurance company willclassify it as acute and should meet the cost. If your problem is incurable or it's a problem that,despite appropriate treatment, will be with you for a long time, then your insurance companywill classify it as chronic - and no, you won't be covered.But drawing a firm line between what is acute and what is chronic is fraught with problems, andleads to the biggest area of conflict between insurer and policyholder.Everyone agrees that diabetes and asthma are chronic conditions as you're likely to suffer fromthem for the rest of your life. So those sorts of condition are not covered.Problems arise when the medical team initially considers a patients' illness to be curable, but thecondition subsequently deteriorates and the doctors change their mind, it's now becomeincurable. This can happen especially in the treatment of some types of cancer.In these circumstances, the condition is initially defined as acute and is therefore insured, butdeteriorates and becomes chronic - and outside the terms of cover. This is possible as insurersretain the right to reclassify a condition from acute to chronic during treatment.Sorry - it's too long term搇The insurance company will not pay out for long term treatment. But you need to check yourpolicy documents to see how they define ong-term? You can find the situation where acourse of drugs extends for say 12 months, but the insurer will only pay for ten months.Sorry ?it's preventativeYour insurance is designed to pay for the treatment and cure of conditions when they arise. It isnot designed to pay for treatments that are used to prevent an illness.Again, the problem of definition arises. Sometimes it is arguable whether a treatment ispreventative or a cure. Take the drug Herceptin for example. This drug can be used in the earlystages of breast cancer. Research shows that Herceptin can halve the incidence of cancerreturning for women who have a particularly virulent form of the cancer known as HER2. Inthis situation, is Herceptin offering a cure or is it a preventative?Insurance companies are split on the debate. Norwich Union, WPA, BUPA and Standard LifeHealthcare will pay for Herceptin for HER2 patients whereas Legal and General and Axa PPPwill not.Sorry ?the drug is not approvedTwo of the main attractions for taking out health insurance are: to jump the queues at the NHS,and to get the latest treatments and drugs. But there's a rider.Unless the drug has been approved for use by the NHS in England and Wales, by the Institutefor Health and Clinical Excellence, your insurer is unlikely to approve its use. The problem isthat the Institute's brief is not simply to decide whether a drug works, but to carry out a

cost/benefit analysis to ensure that the benefits to the nation outweigh the financial costs ofusing it in the NHS. Not an easy brief - and one that has placed the Institute under scrutiny forthe extended delays in drug approval.The compromise hit on by the Financial Ombudsman is that if a health policy won't pay for theuse of experimental treatments, then it should meet the cost of an approved conventionaltreatment with the policyholder footing the bill for the balance if the experimental treatment ismore expensive.Sorry ?it's a pre-existing condition損The basic principle is that if you are already suffering from a condition when you start a policy,then that condition re-exists?the policy and any claims for its treatment are invalid.For this reason, insurance companies insist you complete an exhaustive questionnaire beforethey agree to insure you. After all they need a clear picture of your medical condition beforethey quote. For many applications, the insurer will, with your approval, also write to your GPfor specific details of your medical history. They like to have a complete picture.So lets say some years ago you injured your knee playing football. It appeared to recover butnow it turns out that you have a torn cartilage and need an operation. The insurer could arguethat this is a pre-existing condition and you have to pay for its' treatment.Some insurers try to accommodate these grey areas with a moratorium provision within yourpolicy. These provisions typically say that so long as you have been symptom free for two yearsrelating to any condition you've suffered from within the last 5 years, then they will pay forsubsequent treatment. Not all policies have these moratorium provisions and the time periodsdo vary between insurers. You should carefully read your policy.Sorry ?its not coveredHealth Insurance is an annual contract ?just like your car insurance. So when it comes torenewal, your insurer is at liberty to review not only your premium but also change theconditions on which your cover is provided.Therefore, if your policy comes up for renewal mid way through a course of treatment, it'spossible to find that your new policy no longer covers that particular treatment. This means thatyou will have to foot the bill for the balance of the treatment.Furthermore, with ongoing advances in medical research, more and more conditions arebecoming treatable. This progress has the effect of shifting back the dividing line betweenchronic and acute conditions.This hits the insurers' pocket in two ways. With more conditions being reclassified as acute, thenumber of claims is increasing. And there's also a trend for new treatments to costmore ?Herceptin being a good example. The net result is that the insurers are findingthemselves having to pay out far more. This is inevitably passed back to you through increasedrenewal premiums. And in an attempt to reduce their risk exposure, insurers have a tendency toadjust their definitions and exclusions. This means that you must read your renewal noticeclosely before you decide to renew.

So when you are considering Health Insurance, be aware that everything is not always blackand white. And if you've got insurance and need treatment, always contact your insurer withoutdelay and get them to confirm that your treatment is indeed coveredTitle:Small Business and the Health and Safety PlanWord Count:628Summary:Thousands of dollars can be saved by implementing a health and safety program for smallbusinesses.Keywords:small business insurance,insurance discounts,insurance claims,small business forums,smallbusiness insurance,business liabilityArticle Body:Small Business and the Health and Safety PlanSmall businesses that have a voluntary health and safety program in place have fifty percentless accidents and reported insurance claims than that of their counterparts according to OHSAstats. Most small businesses fall below the legal requirements for having a formal health andsafety program in place due to number of employees on staff. Sixty eight percent of reportedaccidents are in the service industry which shows even businesses such as retail establishmentsare not free of accidents.抯Setting a health and safety program in place will reduce costs. Having a program will reduceaccidents and will lead to lower company worker comp premiums; further businessinsurance companies prefer their customers to have health and safety programs. Theseinsurance companies might even discount the premium if a program can be proved to exist. The抯average cost of an accident is $68,000. Direct costs in accidents such as worker comp andfines levied can close a business. Indirect costs such as low morale of employees, legal fees,and retraining can be as costly if not more.A working program will:1) Improve employee morale ?Shows care in their well being2) Reduce revenue loses ?Fewer accidents keeps all employees at work3) Give a boost to the customer ?Makes sure business is operating optimallyA health and safety program can be started by writing a health and safety policy; this is simplyvalues that a company wishes to convey in its work processes. Secondly, is how communicationbetween all employees and owners will function. And lastly, put procedures in place to ensuresafe practices.

To find unseen hazards and unsafe practices, an audit needs to take place. Take a hard look atthe workplace and record all factors that may lead to injury. These hazards might be dangerous揇 抰chemicals or as simple as a letter opener. Identifying these hazards will lead to procedures tocontrolling them. Controls such as on run with scissors in your hands?are effective. Writeall procedures in a manual.Implementing these health and safety procedures will be done with behavioral change. Someprograms become weak and non effective because of:1)No definition of safety practices ?No written processes2)No teamwork ?Safety is communication from the top to bottom and vice versa. A well written揳plan will describe what roles everyone plays in safety policies.3)No effective goals ?The ccident free days?poster will come as a result of sound safetyprocesses.4)Wrong incentives ?Money as a reward does not work well. Health and safety should be fun揻and worth employees effort. The right incentive plan can be cost effective and have obtainablegoals. Incentive plans can include movie passes or simply ree coffee on the boss.?Theinsurance industry reports for a dollar spent on health and safety yields four to six dollars insavings.Once all of the hard work of developing and implementing the health and safety program isdone, set aside some time each month to review the workplace. Record what is found; this is agood practice to see dangerous trends that might occur such as a fire exit constantly beingblocked. On the quarters of the year post a meeting with employees. These meetings are a greatway to get vital feed-back from employees and keep them involved. At least once a year, do anaudit to make sure your health and safety program is current with present business operations.A health and safety program is about as exciting as putting on a new roof and it is as importantfor your business. Knowledge of hazards in the workplace and how to control them will keepeveryone safe. For help in getting started, drop us an e-mail at [email protected].