Health Insurance Premiums Are Affected by Nine Factors

Health insurance plans are rather expensive. There are nine factors that have influence on the cost of your plan. Learn what they are and their consequences on the premium.

Whatever you do, please work with an experienced agent. He can explain how this works and help you to understand the different terms and how the factors affect your quote. There is no cost to you to use a good agent and he can make the shopping experience less stressful.

Let's go through the different factors now:

Age: As you might guess, the younger you are, the less you have to pay for health insurance. Why? Because generally speaking, younger people are healthier than older people. As we age, different and various illnesses show up.

Perhaps you are eating too well and you develop type 2 diabetes. Maybe you don't get the exercise you should. Certainly, you will agree, that younger people are usually healthier than older people.

Gender: Males are much less complicated than women. This is said, tongue in cheek, but you might also agree. Just take the annual physical for example. A woman needs an OBGYN exam, a mamagram, pap smear along with all the other blood tests to determine if she is well. Men usually will have blood tests and a cancer screening PSA test.

Psychologically, women tend to use medical services much more than men, also. A typical man feels invulnerable and won't go to the doctor unless he is really sick. I know, this is generalization, but it is frequently true!

Health history: How healthy have you been? Are you the right weight for your height and gender? Have you developed a condition such as elevated blood pressure or elevated cholesterol? Our human body is extremely complex and so many things can go wrong.

Healthy individuals will get a lower premium quote because the health insurance company in NC extrapolates your health into the future. Healthy people tend to remain healthy. A person with many health challenges, will have those challenges or more in the future.

Exercise: People who exercise typically have fewer problems with their weight. They have less susceptibility to insulin resistance - type 2 diabetes. They have fewer health problems of any kind.

The recommended minimum amount of exercise for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina is twenty minutes of exercise for three times per week. Obviously, you can exercise more than this, but if you do at leas this amount, it will be beneficial.

Whether already insured: If you have been covered by a health plan for years, the new insurance company interested in insuring you is less worried.

Certainly, if you have been under a doctor's care, it is less likely that you will develop an undiagnosed condition that the new insurance company would be responsible for.

Perhaps the most difficult person to insure is one who has never had a family doctor. He may think that he is very healthy because he has not needed to see a medical person.

However, there may be some condition that has been developing over the years that he is unaware of. That is why health insurance companies are happier if they need to insure someone who has had continual health coverage.

Type of plan chosen: If you choose a relatively new type of plan called a high deductible health plan, and use it in conjunction with a health savings account, you will definitely save money.

The HSA type plan costs you less each month in premium amount. It costs about $60 for a doctor sick visit, but you are likely to save thousands of dollars each year on premiums.

In addition, if you have a high deductible health plan, you can open up a health savings account at your local bank.

Money that you deposit into your health savings account can be used for any medical expense...and importantly, that money is not taxed! Money that escapes taxation saves you about 40%.

By the way, if you don't spend all your savings in any year, it doesn't matter. It doesn't go away like in a flexible spending account. This savings money is yours, like an IRA, and it will be there to help you pay your medical expenses. At the age 65, you can take the money out of your account and use it for anything you'd like...finally though, you will have to pay taxes on the money.

If you spend your health savings account on qualified medical expenses, you will not have to pay income tax on this money. Great sound to that eh?

Deductible chosen: If you choose a high deductible plan, the insurance provider will not charge you as much of a penalty, called a "rate up".

A rate up is extra premium that that require because you may be on high blood pressure medicine, for example. That rate up takes into consideration that you will need medication for the rest of your life, most likely.

If you choose a high deductible plan, they calculate that you are willing to take on more risk. Consequently, the insurance provider won't have to charge you as much monthly premium. If you are looking to save money, choose a higher deductible plan.

Insurance company: The insurance company that you choose is very important in how you will be charged. Some insurance providers have many subscribers in the state and consequently, they can spread the risk over many, many people.

As an example, BCBSNC, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina insures about 90% of the people in NC. Consequently, their rates are more stable and they aren't affected by pockets of the state that my turn up to be less healthy.

The insurance company is important in being able to see the doctor of your choice and go to whichever hospital you need to go to.

Because an insurance company has great penetration in a state, means that virtually all the doctors and all the hospitals will participate as a health provider. That's good for you because you have better choices.

Health Insurance Agent: A good agent who specializes in health insurance can provide you with a depth of knowledge about the plans that might fit you best. Another way the agent can help is interpreting how to answer the questions.

Many times, people read something into the question that isn't there, and answer it improperly. You don't want to answer a question that wasn't asked. Ask your agent his opinion about what it means. The agent is paid a commission by the insurance company - not the insured. It is advisable to use in insurance agent who has specialized. Read More..

How to Choose the Right Health Insurance Care Plan

We need to admit the fact that more and more people today don't have any health insurance coverage. This is because it is too expensive while some people think that they don't need it because they don't feel or suffered any major health problem. However, you need to keep in mind that a health care plan is something that you can't afford not to have. And, it is something that will prepare you for the future in case the time comes where you will need it.

So, here are some tips on how to choose the right health care plan for you and your family.

The first thing that you need to think about is if you will be getting group plans or individual plans. Although some people think that it is cheaper to purchase a health care plan through an employer or through a group health care plan, there are some cases where purchasing individual plans can be cheaper.

The cost of the plan will always depend on different factors. If your employer will be the one who will pay for most of the premium, then obviously you will get a cheap health care plan and it is probably best to choose this option. However, if you are healthy and that your employer is offering you a health insurance plan but they are leaving you responsible for paying most of the premium, then it is wise that you should try buying an individual plan of your own.

You have to remember that group health plans must cover everyone on them which includes preexisting conditions. This is written on state laws and that it means that healthy people included in the group health insurance policy will balance out the costs that the insurance company needs to pay for individuals with preexisting health conditions that are covered by the same plan.

Finding cheap health insurance is very easy to do. You will find that the internet will be able to let you access thousands of different health care plans from different health insurance companies. All you need to do is do a little research and find a plan that suits your needs as well as your family. These are the ways on how to choose a health care plan. By following these tips, you can be sure that you will be able to get the right plan for you and your family. Read More..

Low Cost Health Insurance

Health insurance pays specified sums for medical expenses or treatments, and can offer many options and approaches to coverage.
There are different types of health insurance coverage designed to meet your needs and budget.
Health insurance is a risk management tool which helps ensure that you and your family have access to the healthcare you need when you need it, without causing a tremendous financial burden. The cost of health insurance, which is the premium, may be higher for a policy that provides a great amount of coverage and flexibility, while the premium may be lower for a policy that provides less coverage or flexibility.

While selecting a health insurance policy, it is important to consider the level of risk you are able and willing to assume, the premium you can afford to pay and the flexibility that you desire. Health insurance is generally available through groups and to individuals, and if you get group insurance at work, the premium usually is paid through your employer. If you are taking out individual insurance, it is best to contact a professional health insurance agent to review your options.

While choosing health insurance it is important to consider exactly what your needs are. Buying low-cost insurance is of no use if it does not meet your specific needs. The way to get best a health insurance policy is to remain healthy and provide proof of your healthy habits. If you don't smoke and have a well-maintained body then chances are you will get competitive insurance increases. If you prove that you have good health you can get a good quote, and if you have the necessary health care certificates the process becomes even easier. Read More..

Group Health Insurance Benefits: How to Keep Health Insurance Coverage 100%

Only 5% of employers in the U.S. still offer 100% coverage for their employees’ health insurance benefits. Other employers are choosing high copay plans or high deductible plans. Most others are passing their increase in health care costs on to their employees.

Fact: Health Care Premiums are rising faster than workers wages

Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose an average of 6.1 percent in 2007, less than the 7.7 percent increase reported last year but still higher than the increase in workers’ wages (3.7 percent) and the overall inflation rate (2.6 percent), according to the 2007 Employer Health Benefits Survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust.

The 6.1 percent average increase this year was the slowest rate of premium growth since 1999, when premiums rose 5.3 percent. Since 2001, premiums for family coverage have increased 78 percent, while wages have increased 19 percent and inflation has increased 17 percent.

The average premium for family coverage in 2007 is $12,106. On average, workers now pay $3,281 out of their paychecks to cover their share of the cost of a family policy. While premiums continue to rise faster than wages, this year’s gap of 2.4 percentage points is much smaller than the 10.9 percentage point gap recorded four years ago, when premiums rose 13.9 percent and

wages grew just 3 percent. (Agent Sales Journal Nov. 2007)

Lets Keep it 100% coverage and reduce the premiums

This is a strategy from Easy To Insure Me .com

We will use 2 equations for a 15-employee group: Current and Future Solution

Equation 1 Current

15 employees

(Yearly Premium) $100,000=Health Care

Equation 2 Future Solution

(Yearly Premium) $60,000 + $15,000 (employees x deductibles) = $75,000 maximum exposure

100% coverage and the employer pays for the deductible

while still saving 20% to 40%

**We say maximum exposure because not all employees will satisfy the deductible. Read More..