Trying To Choose A Good Health Insurance Plan?
Many American citizens and residents are unable to afford health care, or at least that is what they believe. This can be one of the most important decisions of your life, so it is incredibly important that you are able to find the health insurance you want. The tips in this article should help you get started.
Because Obamacare hasn't officially become law yet due to it being tied up in the Supreme Courts here's a quick health insurance idea. Most employer supplemented policies cost around one hundred dollars a month. This equates to nearly $1200 a year. Are you going to spending that much on health care in one year out of pocket? Are you usually very healthy? If this is the case, it may be better to have no insurance and pay out of pocket the one or two expenses that actually come up and save several hundred dollars.
Did you know that your health insurance can help you pay less on your taxes? Lots of people don't know that health insurance premiums are tax deductible. Health insurance premiums, prescription costs, deductibles and other expenses not covered by insurance may be deductible on your tax return. Deductions differ for taxes, depending on the state you live in, so double-check the guidelines.
When purchasing auto insurance, you can keep costs down by naming your spouse, if you have one, as a driver on the policy. Many insurance companies will first offer a discount for a combined policy rather than holding two separate policies for the same household. Plus, marriage is seen as a stabilizing effect that reduces your risk.
If there is a specific doctor that you would like to see, make sure that the insurance plan you are going to be getting is taken by that doctor. This is important, because if that doctor does not take your insurance, you could end up with someone that you do not feel comfortable with.
When looking for a personal care physician, make sure to check with your insurance company for a doctor in your insurance network. Your insurance co-pays will be higher with an out-of-network provider, or you may find your visits won't be covered at all. Your insurance company should provide an online directory of physicians from which you can choose.
Be sure you regularly assess your health insurance needs over time so that your coverage accurately reflects what you need now. For example, young single adults without children generally have lower healthcare costs than adults with families, so perhaps for them, an HMO makes more choice in the beginning, while a PPO may make more sense for an adult with an established family.
Before any major procedures, confirm if you need to get pre-authorization from your insurance company and make sure they check on every aspect of your procedure. Stories about of people receiving large bills because the anesthesiologist was out of network, or that you needed to try a different medical option before going for a surgery. Save yourself the headache and get everything in writing before heading in to the hospital.
Before you change your health insurance plan, check to see if your personal or family doctor is included in the coverage. Some insurance companies will only cover you if you use their doctors, so you may want to steer clear if your family physician is not an approved one in their network.
Go over your current policy before you switch. Know your premium amounts, the deductible on your policy and the types of expenses that will be covered once the deductible is paid. Hang onto all this for your records, along with the information from your current policy to use, when searching for another policy.
You do not have to go with a popular insurance company for your health insurance. Usually, you can find better deals with smaller insurance companies. A small company will be able to process your claim much faster and should have a much friendlier customer service. Do your research on a local level to find a small company.
If you are self-employed, you can deduct what you pay for health insurance from your taxes. Keep this in mind when you are comparing quotes. You are going to pay money towards you taxes anyway, so why not subscribe to an expensive plan that could benefit you in case of medical problems?
If you want to be sure that you know what you are going for as you begin shopping for health insurance, you will want to get a few good tips in your head. It may not be the right time or the time could not be better, so be sure that you are using this advice to get the right policy at the right time.
As Covid-19 hospitalizations spike, some overwhelmed hospitals are rationing care
(CNN)Once again, Americans who don't even have coronavirus are suffering the consequences of Covid-19 patients filling up hospitals.
More than 101,000 people are currently hospitalized with Covid-19, according to data Thursday from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Now, some patients wanting urgent care won't get it because so many beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.
"Before Covid, our ICUs were pretty busy. It's because people were having car accidents and heart attacks and needing complicated surgery and going to the ICU afterward," said Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, chief clinical officer of Providence Health System in Seattle.
An average Covid-19 hospitalization costs Medicare about 150 times more than vaccinating a beneficiary
An average Covid-19 hospitalization costs Medicare about 150 times more than vaccinating a beneficiary
"And those people are being put on the back burner. So anything that's even remotely elective, we're canceling those cases."
In Idaho, the Department of Health and Welfare activated its Crisis Standards of Care in the northern part of the state Tuesday due to "a massive increase in patients with Covid-19 who require hospitalization."
Crisis Standards of Care are "a last resort" that's only activated when "we have exhausted our resources to the point that our health care systems are unable to provide the treatment and care we expect," health department director Dave Jeppesen said.
Gov. Brad Little pleaded for eligible Idahoans to get vaccinated.
"We have reached an unprecedented and unwanted point in the history of our state," the governor said.
In Arkansas, only 23 ICU beds are available, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday.
He noted 91.5% of hospitalized Covid-19 patients and 90% of Covid-19 deaths are among people who did not get fully vaccinated.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/09/health/us-coronavirus-thursday/index.html
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1epF3asROLV-VbQsc3q4D-KoTPNFSY6wW-ygZRY4xrAo/edit#slide=id.gb305dd1d5e_0_6