Is Health Insurance Cheaper If You're Healthy?

Insurance companies have various ways of determining health insurance premiums. The laws which regulate these practices vary from state to state. Currently many insurance companies charge rates according to the health of each applicant for individual policies. Generally the person's age, gender and occupation are factors in determining rates. Current and pre-existing conditions are also factors in establishing prices.

The Health Status Rating is a rating system which charges higher premiums to people who have medical conditions or a history of medical conditions. Oftentimes, a health status rating is used for people who are joining a health plan for the first time. This is primarily used for individual and small group health plans.

The Health Status Rating system specifies certain conditions which could increase the likelihood that new clients may need health care. In these cases a person who might need health care could pay more than one who does not indicate a need for health care. Currently insurance companies can decide to offer or decline insurance coverage to people with certain underlying conditions. However, beginning in 2014 under the new health care insurance law they may not be able to do this.

Employers seeing their health insurance costs increase are raising rates. They can do this by requiring some workers to either pay higher deductibles or increase the costs of their policies. Individuals and families who don't have employer-provided health insurance are particularly vulnerable to high rates because they must pay for the total insurance bill on their own.

One national company has requested that employees must reveal their weight, height, body fat and blood pressure. The company referred to this as a "health screening and wellness review." Employees who refuse to provide the information will be required to pay an extra $50.00 per month for their health insurance.

Let take a look at this requested information. First of all the company wants to know the height, weight and body fat levels. This means they want to know the percentage of body fat relative to your overall height and weight. Your body fat percentage is calculated by taking your age, height, weight, gender and waist measurement into account. This will determine if you have too much or too little body fat. Body fat levels affect the immune system. Too much or too little can increase the risk of developing health problems.

High levels of body fat can be dangerous to your health because excess body fat increases your risk of developing serious health problems. High blood pressure is one of the primary risk factors. Excess amounts of body fat also increases your risk of developing high cholesterol, cancer and diabetes.

Low levels of body fat can be detrimental to health in numerous ways. Extreme low levels of body fat decrease the function of the immune system. This increases the body's susceptibility to illness. It can also deprive the body of stored energy and lead to a loss of bone density which can increase the risk of stress fractures.

Your health insurance costs may definitely be cheaper if you are in good health. Therefore, your best option to avoid an increase in your cost of future health insurance is to be as healthy as you can be. In general, eating right and exercising will go a long way towards achieving this goal.

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Does Health Insurance Cover Plastic Surgery?

Plastic surgery is not only used to make people look good. It many cases, it is necessary or the patient's well-being. These cases are called reconstructive surgeries. It means that a part of the patient's body has been damaged and need to be repaired. Most insurance agencies will cover a lot of reconstructive surgeries.

In order to be covered, any plastic surgery must be necessary for the patent's well-being. For example, plastic surgery of the nose is covered only if it is meant to clear the respiratory ways, thus allowing the patient to breath. An insurance agency will pay for plastic surgery for lips, if their actual state prevents the insured from eating.

These reconstructive procedures are usually necessary for people who were involved in an accident. However, the doctor needs to convince the agency that the plastic surgery is necessary from a medical point of view. There are many cases where reconstruction of the skin was not covered because it served only a cosmetic purpose, even though the person was involved in a serious accident.

Breast reconstruction is covered after mastectomy. This procedure is required by law if the woman's breasts had to be removed because of cancer. Breast reduction surgery is covered only if the weight of the breast can damage the woman's back.

There is one big exception which is covered by most agencies: weight-loss surgery. People who suffer from obesity are in danger of facing many other medical complications. If they are insured, most future medical expenses will be paid by the agency. In this case, a weight-loss surgery can save the insurance company a lot of money. However, not everyone can qualify for this procedure. Only people how suffer from severe obesity and their health is in great danger may get coverage for such a surgery. Will the skin reconstruction procedure be covered? No, unless it is necessary. Saggy skin, in most cases, does not endanger your life, so it is not covered.

What about plastic surgery for the sake of looking good? Is there any agency that covers such procedures? I am sorry to disappoint you, but no. it is highly unlikely that you will find any health plan to cover plastic surgeries that serve only a cosmetic purpose. So, if you want to make your nose a bit smaller, or lips a bit bigger, you'll just have to pay for it out of your own pocket.

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Health Insurance for the Beginner

When it comes to your family, selecting the right health insurance plan could be one of the most crucial decisions you ever make. There are so many choices, but in a sense, for your loved ones there will never be enough. With plans changing from year to year, costs going up and down, it is a good idea to do a bit of research before finally purchasing your policy. It may take a little longer to aquaint yourself with the area of health insurance, however, in the long run, it will definitely be the best for all involved.

There are two basic types of health insurance: indemnity plans, sometimes called fee-for-service, and managed care plans. With indemnity plans, you are allowed to use any medical provider. You also have a deductible to pay each year before the health insurance company starts paying. In this plan, fees for medical tests are prescription drugs are paid for.

While indemnity plans offer choice of doctors and health care providers, managed care plans have contracts with certain physicians and providers to supply services to members at a lower price. A managed care plan has reduced costs, but smaller selection of doctors and services. Three forms of the managed care plan are: Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), and Point-of-Service (POS) Plan.

Health care can be extremely costly; that's a given. But, just how expensive? There are quite a few different costs to take into account when looking into health insurance. First, there is the premium, or the monthly fee for coverage. Premiums range considerably depending on your coverage. Next comes the deductible, the dollar amount that has to be fulfilled before the company aids in your health care costs. And of course, there are co-payments and co-insurance; two more ways of dividing up expenses with your health insurance company.

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Why Does Health Insurance Cost So Much?

Why does health insurance cost so much? Year after year, many of the articles that appear in print detail the specific factors driving the cost of healthcare.

These factors include: general inflation, advances in drugs and other medical devices, rising hospital and doctor expenses, government mandates, increased consumer demand, litigation, fraud, and cost shifting.

The basic answer is that a magic bullet to solve the cost of insurance does not exist because the real difficulty is controlling the cost of healthcare. A simple way to dramatically decrease the dollars spent on healthcare is to reduce the demand for healthcare.

I have seen estimates that up to 40% of all healthcare related expenses result from preventable conditions. These preventable conditions are caused by lifestyle choices such as tobacco, obesity, stress, lack of exercise and poor diet.

Most of us, myself included, make lifestyle choices everyday that eventually increase our demand for healthcare. We are never going to be able to totally eliminate all lifestyle related healthcare costs. However, improved lifestyle choices would cause a dramatic reduction in demand. This would then result in a similar reduction in the dollars spent on healthcare.

Lower demand for healthcare would result in lower health insurance costs, increased productivity, and reduced absenteeism. If your organization has not done so already, your organizational leaders need to seriously consider the benefits of health promotion and disease prevention programs. Your return on investment will most likely be as high as 2:1 in the first year.

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How to Shop for Individual Health Insurance

If you find yourself in the position of shopping for an 
individual health insurance policy, there are certain things 
you'll want to keep in mind. Whether you are coming out of 
a job that covered you before, or are at the end of your 
COBRA benefits, or simply have never had coverage before 
there are things you can do to get coverage on yourself and 
your loved ones.

The basic thing to know is that if you have a shot a group 
health insurance, whether through a job or an association 
you're a member of, that is usually much more affordable 
than buying individual health insurance on your own. First 
you need to figure out your health insurance goals; in other 
words, what are you after? If you're young, healthy as a 
horse, no dependents and not attempting Mt. Everest next 
week, you may want to opt for a policy that covers only the 
catastrophes, and cover the rest out-of-pocket. On the flip 
side of that, if you're the sole bread winner with a family 
to support, the scenario is different.

The basic choices you'll have are Fee-for-Service, Managed 
Care Plans, and Association-based health insurance. Fee-for- 
service is the traditional indemnity plan, harder to 
acquire, more expensive, but usually great coverage. 
Managed care plans include most HMO's and PPO's. These offer 
lower costs but your choices are somewhat limited. Another 
way to get insured is through a group or association you 
may already be a member of, such as professional, religious 
or trade organizations. Often they may offer health 
insurance. It's worth checking out, as sometimes you can 
strike gold in this vein.

Things to consider when you're looking for any policy are 
what's covered on this plan, how much are the monthly 
premiums, what is the yearly out-of-pocket, what is the 
deductible, how much are office visits, does it cover 
preventative medicine, vision, dental? And I'm sure you can 
come up with many of your own. Sit down before you go 
shopping and make a list of your needs and wants, and decide 
in advance what you're willing to give to get. Be aware that 
once you start getting quotes they can vary as much as 50% 
for the same person! Remember, you're shopping, and nobody's 
making you do anything. If one insurer isn't cutting it, 
move on to another. If you're coming at this cold and have 
no good recommendations it may be wise to use a broker who 
represents several companies, as he or she wil be more 
likely to find the best policy for you, as opposed to 
selling the company they work for.

Shopping for individual health insurance can be 
frustrating and time-consuming, but if you come armed with 
facts you'll be able to navigate this highly competitive and 
ever-changing field.

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Health Insurance For Solo Entrepreneurs

One of the most important benefits employed people enjoy is health insurance coverage. It is also the single most costly expense for self-employed entrepreneurs. So what can you do to reduce ever increasing costs of health care coverage? Here are a few tips.

1. If a medical bill seems excessive, try negotiating

Your doctor or the office manager who handles billing will probably be flexible, provided you make a valid case. When one woman in Texas was charged $900 for surgery and "consultation," she explained that she had visited the hospital just once, for surgery; her bill was promptly cut by $370.

2.. Contact a medical bill "auditor"

Several services have a medical bill "auditing" system that evaluates your medical bills to determine if errors occurred in the billing process. Considering that 97 percent of hospital medical bills contain errors, it's no wonder why out-of-pocket medical expenses are on the rise for consumers. Because the typical hospital bill is extremely complicated, often containing several hundred line-item charges, there is ample opportunity for computer mistakes and accidental human error. Do a Google search for medical bill auditors to find companies offering this service.

3. You may get a tax break on your medical bills

Keep all your medical bills together and add them up at tax time. If they exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income, you may deduct the excess. Please note that these items also may be included in the total: the cost of eye glasses, contact lenses, physical therapy, x-rays, hearing aids, psychiatric care, insurance and transportation to the hospital or doctor's office (at 30 cents a mile). There are phase-outs in some cases based on adjusted gross income. Check with your professional tax adviser.

4. Deduct 100% of your healthcare costs from your taxes

The IRS allows all self-employed to deduct 100% of health care costs from their taxes by using Section 105 of the Internal Revenue Code. To receive this deduction, you must do the following:

a) Hire your spouse as an employee of your business.

b) Have your spouse receive health insurance in his or her name, and include the family on the policy.

c) Pay your spouse a salary that will cover the costs of the insurance.

d) Talk to your tax professional about planning for Section 105 on your taxes.

We all know your spouse is active in your business. Now, you can equally recognize their contribution he or she makes - and get Uncle Sam to give you a tax break.

5. Help for families with kids -- CHIP

All states have established new programs that help lower income families with children to pay for health insurance for their kids. Financed partly by the federal government, the Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) operate either as an expansion of the state's Medicaid program or a subsidy for basic private health insurance. Eligible families may be able to access coverage for their children at greatly reduced premiums which will vary depending upon family income. Contact your state Department of Health or Insurance for more information.

6. Shop around

Hospital costs vary widely, especially between urban and rural facilities. If your doctor has admitting privileges at more than one hospital, find out if you can be admitted to the one that's less expensive. Keep in mind that hospitals operated by non-profit foundations are usually less expensive than investor-owned, for profit hospitals. To find out how much your local hospitals charge, ask your doctor. Many states have Health Services Cost Review Commissions, which compile such data.

7. Check for free clinics in your community

You and your entire family can save hundreds of dollars by taking advantage of the many free screenings, immunizations, and other health clinics offered by your local community or a town near you. Numerous community hospitals and social services can provide blood pressure checks, shots for your children, free contraceptives and/or advice, and other preventative health care at little to no cost.

8. Get a second opinion out of town

Believe it or not, your chance of undergoing an expensive surgery or preventative procedure may depend solely on where you happen to live. Statistics show that the frequency in which certain medical procedures are performed varies widely from location to location. For example, residents of New Haven, Conn., are twice as likely to undergo a coronary bypass operation as residents of Boston, Mass. What's the reason for this discrepancy? One Dartmouth Medical School expert, John E. Wennberg, M.D., M.H.P., explains that certain operations are simply more fashionable in some parts of the United States than others. So, if you plan to get a second opinion prior to surgery, consider going to a specialist in another city. In addition, try to find out what the surgery rates for your procedure are in different cities. HealthAllies.com also offers this service online. To get the names of second-opinion doctors in your region, call the U.S. government's toll-free second-opinion hotline at 1-800-638-6833.

9. Don't pay double for a second opinion

As you make arrangements for a second opinion, ask your doctor to send copies of your medical records, x-rays, and lab tests to the second-opinion doctor. These tests don't need duplication; your second doctor will have the information he or she needs - and you don't pay double.

10. Emotional stability

Your mental health is equally important as your physical health. Do you have blue days once in awhile, or struggle with gray winters? St. John's Wort, an over-the-counter herbal supplement, has been proven to increase positive moods. Before rushing to your family physician for medication to make you feel better, try supplements with a combination of expressing your feelings with friends and a healthy lifestyle. Mood stabilizers are some of the most costly medications on the market today. However, you should be aware of the signs of stress or even depression. Give yourself a simple screening test:

• Do you have feelings of sadness and/or irritability?
• Has there been a loss of interest in pleasure activities you once enjoyed?
• Have there been changes in your weight or appetite?
• Have you noticed changes in your sleeping pattern?
• Are you feeling guilty?
• Do you have the inability to concentrate, remember things or make decisions?
• Are you fatigued or have a loss of energy?
• Do you experience restlessness or decreased activity noticed by others?
• Do you have feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness?
• Do you have thoughts of suicide or death?

If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, consider consulting your family physician. If they recommend mental health treatment, it is more cost-effective to have your family physician prescribe mood stabilizers instead of seeing a psychiatrist. However, follow your doctor's instructions on counseling and referrals to mental health professionals.

11. Order your prescription drugs by phone, web or mail

There are many discount prescription drug benefits available for a modest cost. Communicating for Agriculture and the Self-Employed offers a free prescription card through PCS. This program saves its members up to 40 percent at over 55,000 pharmacies nationwide. On average, CA members save $9.39 per prescription order. You can enroll free on SelfEmployedCountry.org.

12. Ask your doctor to prescribe generic drugs

Medicine marketed under its scientific name is usually 50 percent cheaper and just as effective as brand-name versions. In addition, look for generic drugs in the medicine you purchase over the counter. For example, 100 generic aspirin may cost $1.79; the same ingredients packaged under a well-known brand name can cost more than $5 for 100 tablets. Consider, also, just how important the new easy-to-swallow products are to your comfort. The lesser price of some medicines may be comparably easier to swallow when thinking about your budget.

13. Get enrolled in a group plan

For self employed people including those involved in small businesses, individual health insurance can be extremely costly - sometimes as much as 30 percent of your take home pay. By joining associations like National Association for the Self Employed (www.nase.org), you have the opportunity to enroll in a group insurance plan with unique built-in cost controls.

14. Choose a higher deductible

Often for the healthy family, the number of visits to the doctor totals less than $250 a year, a normally low deductible rate. This low deduction rate, however, can end up costing you more in the form of higher premiums. If your family has enjoyed good health for a number of years, you may want to switch to a higher deductible of $500 or $1000. You'll notice greatly reduced premiums.

15. Pay premiums annually

You avoid the service fee and may also receive a discount from your insurance carrier. Check with your insurance agent about how much money you can save if you pay your premium one time during the year.

16. Make sure there's a ceiling for out-of-pocket expenses for catastrophic illnesses

About half of individual policyholders lack this important provision, according to insurance experts, who recommend a major medical policy with a stop-loss clause limiting policyholder payout to $2,000 or $3,000.

17. Get educated about your health

Invest in your health by becoming information-rich. Read publications about health care. Pay special attention to free wellness publications like Inside Mayo Clinic at MayoClinic.org or have on hand a book on medical self-care, like The AAFP Family Health and Medical Guide and The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. A wealth of information is also available on the Internet.

18. Take advantage of free health advice

For free information booklets from the U.S. government about nearly every health care topic you can imagine, simply write to the Consumer Information Center in Pueblo, Colorado. The government offers several dozen booklets on topics ranging from nutrition, medical problems, mental health, to drugs, exercise and weight control. To receive a catalog explaining these booklets, write to:

19. Brush up on first-aid skills and become CPR certified.

Proper treatment of various accidents may reduce the number of visits to the doctor, and can save lives in an emergency. It's important to always keep an updated medical kit in your home or office.

Here are the basics for your first-aid kit:

• bandage supplies, including a roll of 3 inch wide gauze, individually packaged 4 inch sterile gauze pads, a roll of 1 inch bandage tape, butterfly bandage tape, and scissors
• elastic bandages
• cotton swabs
• sterile dressings or towels
• pain reliever (acetaminophen or ibuprofen)
• anti-inflammatory medicine (ibuprofen)
• ipecac syrup (for use on advice of medical professional to induce vomiting)
• tweezers
• hydrogen peroxide
• skin creams, including hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion and antibiotic creams
• an antihistamine (diphenhydramine for allergic reactions)
• flashlight
• eye patch
• arm sling
• tongue depressors (to be used as a finger splint)
• ice pack
• re-hydration fluids (such as Pedialyte or Infalyte)

20. Take a lifestyle approach to wellness - every day

Take charge of your health by making simple changes in your lifestyle. By following these seven basic rules of good health, you'll improve your chances of living a long, healthy, active life.

• Get eight hours of sleep per night.
• Eat breakfast every morning.
• Cut down on snacks between meals.
• Keep within 10 pounds of your recommended weight range. If you're unsure what your weight range should be check with your doctor.
• Exercise aerobically for at least 30 minutes three times per week.
• Don't smoke.
• Don't drink more than two alcoholic beverages per day.
• Take recommended dosages of vitamins and supplements.

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A New Healthcare Financing Solution

In this era of creative financing and cost management tools, many employers are looking for new ways to help employees finance their health care expenses. 

As an employer, you want to provide good coverage, but the cost increases in recent years have been tough to handle. A typical response to these increases may be to select a high-deductible insurance product that lowers your cost. However, there is a better solution. 

Think HMO. That's right - health maintenance organizations. The HMOs of today offer a whole new generation of health care financing tools that every employer should consider. 

It's not your father's HMO.
You may have heard bad stories or had a rough experience in the past. However, times have changed. HMO plans today offer extensive provider networks, excellent coverage for preventive care, the ability to frequently change a primary care physician and outstanding prescription drug coverage through broad pharmacy networks. 

HMOs take the surprise out of the bill.
With most health insurance plans, an employee is responsible for a percentage of the cost of care, often 20 percent or 25 percent. This can add up very quickly, and employees can't predict what their expense is going to be. 

With an HMO structured co-pay plan, an employee knows up front the expenses associated with most covered services. For example, an employee may have a $20 copay for a primary care physician (PCP) visit, which will include all services provided in that visit. Each time employees go to their PCP, they can expect to pay $20 - no surprises there. 

Higher co-pays offer savings.
The days of nickel sodas and 25-cent phone calls are long gone - and so are $5 and $10 co-pay plans. It's time to rethink the value of co-pays. New HMO plans have higher co-pays, some as high as $30 for a primary care visit and $50 for a specialist. But that covers all services provided during that visit. That's a valuable cost limit these days. 

HMOs offer bold new designs.
New HMO plans have fresh cost-sharing strategies that provide low employee out-ofpocket expenses in some areas while controlling your costs by increasing employee expenses through deductibles in other areas. 

In most deductible-based plans, employees have a high deductible that applies to all services. However, with these new focused-deductible HMO plans, the deductible is limited to specific services, such as hospital care or prescription drugs. After the deductible is satisfied, a co-pay also applies to that service. 

Furthermore, with these plans, employees continue to have a co-pay instead of a deductible for highly utilized areas such as physician or specialist visits. 

HMOs are FSA and HRA compatible.
Many HMO plans can be used with flexible spending and health reimbursement accounts, enabling employees to decide how some of their health care dollars are used. Many carriers are also developing health spending account-compatible HMO plans. 

HMOs offer more than health insurance.
Today's HMO plans offer health improvement programs such as discounted fitness club memberships and valueadded options that let employees take charge of their own health. 

There are two primary reasons to revisit today's HMO - savings to you and savings to your employees. Rediscover today's HMO - you'll be pleased with what you find.

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Eight Rules for Applying for Individual Health Insurance

Frustrated at applying for individual health insurance? Well, you are not alone. As a health insurance agent with over 30 years of experience, I can tell you that applications have only gotten longer over the years. A lot longer. The interesting thing is this though, that getting accepted for individual and family health insurance has actually gotten easier. Many conditions that used to result in a decline are now either approved at the standard rate or with a surcharge, or risk-adjusted rate.

The other factor is in the way questions are asked. For example, the introduction to the health history section of an application used to say, "Have you ever seen a health care provider, had treatment for any of the following conditions", etc. The problem was with the word "ever." Ever means back to birth. Well, who can remember every ailment they had so many years ago? This caused not only a lot of stress for people applying for individual and family health insurance it caused a lot of extra work for underwriters too.
That changed when the insurers stopped using that line as their lead-in. Instead they started confining their questions to specific time frames depending on the condition, with statements like, "Within the past five (or two, or ten etc.) years, have you had... " This was a huge step forward, and dramatically improved the approval rate for individual health insurance applicants. This leads to my first rule:

Rule #1: Read each question carefully. If you had a strained back 6 years ago and the question asks if you had treatment on your back within the last 5 years, your answer is no. If you are not sure when you strained your back, call your doctor's office first and ask them when your visit was. Undoing an incorrect answer after an application has been submitted is far harder than providing the correct information in the first place. And it delays the underwriting process.


Rule #2: Never self-diagnose a past health condition. If you and the doctor discussed the possibility of arthritis but you can't remember if he or she said you actually suffer from it, call their office and ask. You have the right to ask about anything in your medical records, so do not hesitate to ask.

Rule #3: Make sure you have all of the current contact information about your medical providers, like their address, phone and fax numbers. This is very helpful to the underwriters so that they don't waste time searching for the information themselves.


Rule #4: Expect a phone call from the insurer. All health insurers these days prefer to call and speak directly with you. This is faster and cheaper than requesting information from your doctors. It's also a good idea to keep a copy of your application handy so that when they call you'll have what you wrote down with you. They want to confirm your answers and clarify anything that may affect their underwriting decision. Be straightforward but do not volunteer extraneous details that could result in more questions from them.

Rule #5: If you take any kind of prescription medication, make sure you know when it was prescribed, the strength, dosage, and frequency with which you take it. If you take a generic form of a drug, be sure to indicate that. Insurance companies would prefer that you are taking generics, as they are far less expensive and you are far more likely to get a better underwriting outcome.

Rule #6: If using a paper application, be sure to sign in all the places required. This is very important, because the company will mail the entire application back to you if you are missing even one signature. This can be very aggravating, and delay the approval process.

Rule #7: If you apply for individual health insurance online, it's always a good idea to have all your medical history information at your fingertips before you log on to the application site. Many online application programs have a timeout feature, so it you are off looking for details and it takes more than 5 minutes, some will end the session due to inactivity.

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How To Compare Private Health Insurance To Get The Best Rate

You don't want to take any kind of risks with your family's health care, so finding the best quality health insurance plan and the best price is important. The question is where can you get low-cost health care coverage with a reputable provider?

Decide Which Kind Of Health Care Insurance You Need

The first step in finding the best medical insurance quote is to decide which kind of insurance plan you need. Numerous choices are out there, including:
- Major Medical Plans, which protect you in the event of accidents as well as serious illnesses, but permit you to handle everyday healthcare fees yourself. These are generally the lowest priced health care plans. They cover your hospital stays when you are ill or injured, but you are responsible for doctor visits and prescription drugs.
- Managed care plans including PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations) and HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) in which you trade some flexibility and choice for a lower rate. They are the cheapest all-inclusive health care plans, covering your hospital expenses, visits to the doctor, as well as prescription medications. But the only health care professionals you are able to see are the ones in your HMO or PPO network.
- Medical Savings Account Plans - These plans allow you to place money in a tax-exempt savings account to use for medical needs. These plans are for people who are self employed or for small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
- Fee-For-Service Plans, also known as Indemnity Plans, cover your medical costs after you pay your insurance deductible. These plans pay for your prescription medications, your visits to the doctor, as well as your hospital bills, plus they let you choose your own medical doctor. Since they're the most flexible of the health care plans they're also the costliest.

Which Plan Is Best

If you're young and in good health, a relatively inexpensive Major Medical Plan could be your best option. An HMO or PPO could be your best choice if you're on a financial budget and will need, or think you might need, heath care treatment. And if money is no object, a traditional Indemnity plan could be the ideal plan for you.

Where To Get The Cheapest Price Quote

Because prices can differ by several hundred dollars from one provider to another, obtaining a quote through your neighborhood agent is not an option if you want to receive the best rate. To ensure you get the best rate, you'll need insurance quotes from a number of companies.
Happily, there are insurance comparison sites which make obtaining and comparing insurance quotes from many different companies a snap.
All you need to do is visit the comparison site and fill in an easy questionnaire with details about yourself and your insurance needs. After you submit your questionnaire, you'll receive insurance quotes that you'll be able to compare from a number of top insurance providers.

Conclusion

Finding cheap health insurance coverage through a top provider is not really all that hard. All it takes is a little time to figure out which kind of insurance plan will fit your needs, then spend a few minutes at an insurance comparison site to get the lowest priced insurance plan with a top company. It's fast, it's easy, and it's free.

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Tips to Be Successfully Compliant With HIPAA

Most healthcare organizations know what HIPAA requirements are. However, considering recent regulatory and enforcement changes brings to the importance to be successfully compliant. Today, we will present ways that will ensure that a healthcare organization's preparation for compliance with HIPAA is proper and effective.

Assign a Compliance Officer

If your organization has been categorized as a covered entity, you will need to designate a compliance officer to make sure that your policies and procedures are in compliance with those required by HIPAA. Your Compliance Officer must be completely aware of what is expected of the role. Overall, they play an essential part in deciding what regulations the covered entity should follow and have to be prepared to answer questions that may be asked by the OCR about HIPAA compliance. Also, the Compliance Officer must keep you updated with the new regulations rules that are created because the healthcare organization may be required to adopt them.

Adopt Appropriate Policies and Procedures

One of the main advices to consider when being HIPAA compliant is to establish policies and procedures that restrict the physical access to electronic information systems. Covered entities must provide policies for examining activities in information programs that contain ePHI and especially when transmitting electronically records. Therefore, records of the system activity such as access reports and audit logs have to be reviewed regularly as well as reports, monitoring and violation logging must be documented. It is essential for the covered entity to terminate electronic sessions and to provide encrypting of ePHI.

Train Employees on HIPAA Compliance

Most covered entities have been offering HIPAA rules training to employees for some years. Nevertheless, being aware of recent regulations and enforcement alterations, we may conclude that it is important to ensure organization's HIPAA training is up to date. According to the HIPAA rules, all covered entities are required to deliver training to its employees in order to make sure that operational activities are carried out in compliance with HIPAA. Furthermore, workforce that is not properly educated on HIPAA compliance can cause a data breach, which will most probably bring to incorrigible damage to any organization's reputation.

Define a Contingency Plan

Another important precaution for successful compliance with HIPAA is to define a proper Contingency plan. It should include policies and procedures for reacting to an emergency or other event that causes damages to the systems, containing ePHI. The specifications of the Contingency plan comprise data backup plan, disaster recovery plan, emergency mode operation plan, testing and revision procedures and data analysis. Specifically, the backup plan needs to be tested repeatedly to ensure it is properly working.

Implement Security Software

Healthcare organizations are recommended to install appropriate security software in order to reduce the risk of data violations and to ensure data security and automate regulatory HIPAA compliance. Therefore, most covered entities look for options that will solve security configuration management and will provide continuous monitoring to detect incident problems. It is extremely beneficial for them to use software that monitors and records access and all user activities in information systems, containing ePHI.
There are a lot more tips to help you meet HIPAA compliance requirements. That is only a brief summary of many of the major points. If you consider you are a covered entity, you really need to keep updates with recent regulations as they apply to your specific organization.

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