Week 36

Making any major purchase can be difficult.
But choosing your health insurance can be particularly difficult because it touches the things that matter most: your family's
health and finances.

Here are some questions to ask when shopping for a health plan or analyzing your current plan:

How much am I prepared to pay out of my own pocket?

The key is to find a balance between the deductible you're prepared to pay and the premium you can afford. The best way to minimize your risk and still maintain a reasonable premium is to look at gap policies that can work well with a high deductible plan and give you immediate coverage for such things as accidents/injuries and short-term hospital stays. These can keep your risk at a minimum without paying ridiculous premiums for a low deductible plan.

2. Are my doctors in network?

This is important especially if you have physician(s) that you prefer.

3. How do I want to pay for doctor's visits?

Do you prefer copays or plans that require you to meet a deductible first. Many are surprised to find out that plans without copays are actually a better fit for many people.

4. What other coverage's do I need?

Did you notice any similarities in different conditions your family has been diagnosed with? If so, you might want to consider a plan that takes your health history into account. Also, What would happen if you or your spouse were to become critically ill or temporarily disabled. Medical bills would be mostly taken care of by your major medical health insurance. But what if one of you had to take significant time off work? How would you continue to pay bill and expenses if your income declined or disappeared for a time? Critical illness and disability policies can be very inexpensive but crucial to protecting your family.

To Do List

O - Call or e-mail your trusted health insurance agent. Schedule a time to go over your Health Insurance Analysis and discuss with him/her your health history to make sure you are adequately covered. You will likely find that your current coverage can be restructured in a way that will cost you the same or less, but will cover you better where you need it the most. If you don't have a trusted health insurance agent or don't know yours... e-mail us... We can help.

O - For those of you that still do not have health insurance.... E-mail us... you might be surprised to see what we can do for you!

Extra Credit

O - Take a moment and think of the people in your life. Do you have a friend in need or someone that could use your kindness? Take action and call or visit that person. Let them know how much they mean to you.