Catastrophic health insurance coverage

A catastrophic or major medical insurance plan is a deductible and comparatively cheaper form of health insurance with an element of speculation to it. A deductible is the amount you pay out of your pocket for medical expenses before the insurer pays the balance. For instance, if your deductible is $5,000 and the hospital bill is $12,000, the insurance company will pay only $7,000. The general rule is the higher the deductible, the lower the premium. When you opt for this plan, you're gambling that you will not face major medical problems in the near future.

It is a calculated risk. According to one survey, the annual medical expenses of 90% of the U. S. population are less than $2000; for 73%of the population, it is below $500.

Two groups that normally opt for catastrophic health insurance are young people in their twenties who are confident of their health condition, and older men between fifty and sixty-five who are still waiting for Medicare eligibility.

Catastrophic health insurance coverage is only meant to protect against major hospital charges and not routine medical expenses. It normally does not cover maternity care, doctor’s visits and prescription drugs. Certain pre-existing medical conditions and cases involving mental health and substance abuse are usually excluded from the coverage. A catastrophic health insurance policy can be purchased as an individual plan or as part of a group plan. In fact, there appears to be a trend among employers to encourage employees to opt for this type of medical cover. The maximum lifetime limit could be as high as $3 million.

Rates vary according to where you live and your age. In certain states, the saving on premiums could be two-thirds. For example, a 21 year old, non-smoking female may pay as little as $30 per month as a premium.

It is advisable to seek professional guidance from insurance companies and/or agents and compare quotes before making a decision.

Long term care - the who the what and the how

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While life is populated by choices, one certainty that faces the majority of adults is that they can control their future options only by planning ahead. Financial planners recommend diversifying interests to insure profit. Real estate planners bank on the idea that real estate matures over time and is a solid investment.

Life insurance promises a financial cushion for bereaved family members so they won’t have to worry about things such as house payments or accrued debt. Long term care planning focuses on the growing need for assisted care as the nation’s baby boomers near retirement age and individuals are living longer and longer lives.

Who benefits from the leads on long-term care?

• Long Term Care Facilities
• Individuals
• Insurance Planners
• Families

Long-term care is provided for individuals who need special assistance, but do not want to be a burden on their families. Why leave important decisions and financial burdens until the last minute? By planning ahead, adults can guarantee that their needs will be met in a manner that they choose and pay for.

For example, with life spans reaching 90 to 100 years old on average, a retiree with declining healthy may have to rely on family alone to support them if their health takes an ill turn or they are injured. Long term care planning puts those decisions and options into the hands of the people who will need them.

A 55 year-old man or woman is an excellent prospect for long-term care because they have the time and wherewithal to make the decisions now that will benefit them 30 years down the road.

What makes long-term leads a viable option in today’s market?

The target market of long-term care leads are far more likely to discard direct mail advertisements about planning ahead versus answering their own curiosity or searching out potential services on their own. Since the prospects provided by a lead service are already contemplating their options, it’s a much smaller leap for the agent to make in helping them achieve their plans.

Let’s face it, planning for a nebulous time of infirmity and ill health in the future is not a pleasant topic. Longer life span means that robust adults will not see a decline in their health until their years are much further advanced. They are less likely to take into consideration needs like debilitating disease or chronic conditions. Direct marketing techniques that pursue these avenues will likely outspend their return value.

A lead service can cut down on the overhead and output of marketing dollars while providing a more sustainable list of prospective clients. By cashing in on the prospects that are already aware they need some plan or formula in place, the agent’s work is halved with better odds at providing returns.

How can long-term care leads help everyone involved?

Yes, long-term care leads will help agents close more sales and thereby increase their profits. However, the concept behind long-term care leads will also provide excellent service to the target market. The information age is overripe with available material. Websites that detail the finest of small prints and where one resource can sound very much like another are a turnoff for a lot of prospective clients.

A lead service helps them to cut through the tape by acquiring their contact information and interests. That information and specific points of interest are then distributed to the right agents and contacts that can help them find what they are looking for. Ultimately, long-term care leads are a win-win-win situation for the agent, the client and the client’s family.

Inexpensive whole life insurance

We live in an age where knowledge is power. We are bombarded with information through various media. Although we are overloaded with information, it certainly has made our decision-making processes easier. The Internet is one such powerful medium that offers information and advice at a fraction of cost.

Whole life insurance is costlier than term insurance but provides more benefits. One might ask if there is a way to find whole life insurance policies that are inexpensive. There are Internet insurance services that offer inexpensive quotes. Even a close investigation among friends and relatives might reveal insurance products that are inexpensive. But as the saying goes, “there is no free lunch”.

When searching for inexpensive quotes, Internet services bring forward a template of questions to be answered such as age, history of diseases and smoking and drinking habits. In essence, the questions are designed to find out how healthy an individual is. Often, the younger the individual one, the better the chances of good health; additionally, the absence of smoking and drinking habits reveals that the chances of getting fatal diseases are less. The quote may be less expensive only if the answers indicate good health and chances of long living.

Insurance providers exist to make a profit. The way to increase their bottom-line profit is to increase the revenue from premiums and to decrease the chances of giving death benefits. This can be done by obtaining young and healthy policyholders. Hence, the clue to obtaining inexpensive insurance policies is to purchase a policy when one is young and to stop smoking. The policy for a non-smoker may be 10-20% less expensive than that for a smoker. It is difficult to get an inexpensive policy when one falls ill. So it is beneficial to get a policy when one is still healthy. It is advised to get quotes from different companies for the same policy and to ask free opinions from friends and relatives before buying a policy.

All of this information essentially means that there is no inexpensive insurance policy. It all depends on the individual and the needs.

Medical insurance rate - why does it change and how is it decided

Are you shopping for health insurance? Are you looking for the best rates? Are you totally confused? There are so many people scrambling for health insurance and are trying their best to compare the rates. This is not easy at first because the health insurance companies have had to come up with creative alternatives in their insurance portfolios. Those creative alternatives can give the average person an insurance headache.

The rising costs of hospital and physician services are always passed on to the consumer. The consumer depends on their insurance company to pay for their medical expenses in exchange for a premium. The medical rates are based on several criteria.

Here are a few:

1. Gender – Male/Female rates differ.

2. Tobacco - Non-Tobacco – Tobacco users are higher

3. Household Status - Single, Parent-child, Parent-children, Husband-Wife, Husband-wife-child, Husband-wife-children

4. Deductible – $500 to $5000 (with some companies)

There are some things that you can do to affect the rate. The most cost savings method is to choose a high deductible plan. The higher the deductible calculates into a lower the rate. Low deductibles no longer justify the premiums paid. This trend toward high deductibles is called self-insuring. You are taking on the financial responsibility for the deductible amount.

The best way to offset and prepare for the out of pocket deductible is to start a health savings account. This is a tax deductible savings plan for medical expenses. It’s the equivalent of a medical IRA. The tax deduction offsets some of the out of pocket expense you incur with the higher deductible. Contact your tax advisor or accountant about starting a health savings account.