0 Why is It Vitally Important to Buy a Travel & Medical Insurance When Booking a Trip

The high travel season is at the corner now. People from all walks of life around the world are currently busy searching for the best offers of air and land travel, accommodations, vacation packages to suit their dreams, needs and budgets. Some of them have even started to make their reservations.
Here I would like to emphasize one vitally important thing, which is a must to remember when booking a trip, but ignored by a great number of travelers.
Much has been written on the importance of having insurance coverage while you are on a trip, away from home. This is an issue that remains somewhat ignored by many travelers. After all, they have been traveling frequently for many years, and nothing happened so far to worry about. So, to buy a travel insurance should not a be a must. It is only an optional precaution!
But, reality urges us to believe traveling anywhere in the world without protection today, is a vital mistake. Regardless of where you are traveling in the world, you must have an insurance coverage to survive any unexpected attacks and disasters, especially after the 9/11 attacks in the U.S.A.
Let's say, you have been planning the trip of your dreams for a long time; you have finally found the opportunity to make your long time dreams of a special trip come true.
You are so excited! You have thought of all the details. You have been actively preparing for this travel; thinking, programming, shopping . . . spending a lot of time, money, and energy! You are proud of yourself that you have finally managed to materialize your dream!
Your trip can really be an unforgettable experience from start to the end, on one condition.
When booking your trip, you should have remembered that, like most exciting events in our lives, travel has some important risks, too. For example, potential medical and/or financial risks associated with travel, can suddenly turn all the excitement and pleasures of the trip to a nightmare.
Your baggage and/or your hand bag with your money, passport, credit cards in, can be stolen leaving you desperate & frustrated in a foreign country.
No one can guarantee that a natural disaster would not happen at the place you would be staying during your trip.
An unexpected accident, injury or illness would suddenly ruin everything. In fact, in the recent years medical costs have increased dramatically, worldwide. How would you be able to pay the emergency medical expenses, expensive hospital bills if you needed an urgent treatment, or surgery and care during your travel when you have lost your money, credit cards, and passport? Isn't it a real nightmare?
In such a frustration, the only thing you would have needed to survive was a reliable medical and travel insurance policy, wasn't it?.
Especially in the light of the horrible threats on and after September 11 terrorist attacks, the war on terror, other ruthless terror attacks in Istanbul, Spain, Egypt and London, frequent flight disruptions and cancellations, airlines' bankruptcies, and more. In addition, travel suppliers such as tour operators and airlines worldwide have made cancellation policies more restrictive.
Therefore, if you have to cancel a trip, it's likely that a big portion of your pre-paid travel expenses will not be refunded by travel suppliers.
Recent SARS and bird flu threats have also been urging travelers and vacationers to seriously consider to buy a travel and medical insurance.
Travel Insurance types and prices defer from one travel insurance provider to another.
You have to review, compare and select the best offers to suit your personal needs.
For instance, some insurance providers do not offer coverage outside the U.S.A. Some companies do not provide emergency medical coverage and care, while others do.
Some airlines do not accept to be held responsible for the acts of God, weather problems, natural disasters, riots and unrests, SARS, bird flu, and similar outbreaks.
The Insurance types you will need on a trip are reviewed below:
Last Minute Cancellation Insurance
With the last minute cancellation and/or interruption insurance you will get coverage on non-refundable deposits you had made when you bought your travel insurance. Read the fine print on the policy carefully when buying this insurance. You should discuss your personal needs with your insurance agent before buying it.
Medical Insurance
This is one of the most important insurance policies you should have. Buying health and medical insurance must be considered as an important part of your travel budget. You can face a health problem or an accident anywhere and anytime during your trip. Be sure your medical and health insurance policy covers illness, accidents, surgeries, hospitalization bills in the countries you will be visiting, emergency medical transportation to your home country. Please remember to have your policies with you when traveling, leaving the copies of your insurance policies with a relative in your home country, in case the policies you have with you are lost.
Comprehensive Insurance Policy
This policy generally covers emergency medical transportation and trip cancellation and interruption, plus other needs you would expect. This insurance costs 5 to 7 percent of the total cost of the trip. You should have it for your safety.
What types of insurance policies do we need for a full protection?
The Essential Insurance Types offered by most providers are Travel, Last Minute, Medical, Health, Life, Hotel, Cruise, Air, Vacations, Luxury, car insurance, sports, and Spa Insurance policies.
Some travel insurance companies also offer affordable coverage for a wide range of winter sports including Ski, Off-Piste and Snowboarding.
We might need not one, but several types of insurance policies according to the general conditions at the destinations we're going to.
If your your kids are going with you, many travel insurance providers let them go free with adults.
Some companies provide policies for students, backpackers, cheap travel, holiday insurance, long stay, international, family travel, single travel, annual travel, annual multi-trips, and more. It's good to know that in this cyber age, you can buy the insurance policies you need online, without even leaving your home.
Most Travel Insurance policies cover Luggage Loss, too.
But you should definitely ask about what's covered and what's not when choosing Travel Insurance Policy to buy. Do ask questions, all questions you might have in mind, until you get all the information you need. It's much better to ask questions when buying insurance than to be sorry later.
How can I find the best insurance type to suit my personal or family needs?
When choosing a travel insurance policy to buy, you should get information on the offers of various insurance providers to compare.
Knowing how time consuming is to search, compare and choose the best travel and medical insurance types and prices to suit your needs and budget, we advice to visit the websites where you can find lists and information about various offers, then compare them, and choose the best ones to suit your needs.
You should keep in mind that buying your travel insurance through travel insurance providers, instead of travel agencies, would save you money in most cases.
In the light of terrorist attacks, unexpected natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, deadly hurricanes, floods, epidemics, accidents, illness, SARS, bird flu, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives at many places around the world, especially in the recent years, every traveler must seriously consider to buy a travel health and a medical insurance, and some other insurance policies if needed, providing a reliable full coverage against both expected and unexpected threats.

Sevim OR: Owner and operator of several websites since 1997, providing clients with ultimate marketing to substantially increase sales, revenues & ROI, offering no cost affiliate program to earn big profits, at: http://www.aall-dreamlands.com [http://www.aaa-advertise.com] [http://www.aaa-newswire.com]

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0 No Medical Insurance

Disaster can strike when you do not have Medical Insurance. Do your medical bills grow before your very eyes? How do you pay these escalating medical bills when you can't afford it?
Disaster can strike when you do not have medical insurance for yourself or your family.
Do you think people do not have medical insurance because they don't want it? Do you think it is frivolous?
-What happens when you:
(1) Lose Your Job
(2) Get Sick
(3) Relocate---.
When you need to make a decision on spending money on medical insurance or food for your family---food wins hands down---. If you are a full time employee and you lose your job---generally you lose your medical coverage also.
This is the time to ask your past employer what is my options for continuing my medical insurance. Cobra can be purchased for a higher premium and for a short time only. It is a stop gap measure only until you next full - time employment.
When people work part time they don't qualify for medical insurance through their employment. Your employer isn't dumb. PART TIME EMPLOYMENT FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES MEANS NO MEDICAL INSURANCE PREMIUMS OF THEIR POCKETS. This means you still do not have medical insurance for yourself and your family.
LOW INCOME INDIVIDUALS:
You might qualify for Medi-cal or County Medical Services (CMS.)
These are the only two government funded agencies that can help you. You are screened by income and the amount of money you have in the bank.--- If you as an adult do not qualify for these agencies,---your children might.
CHILDREN:
Children have an easier time qualifying for government assisted programs. There are several programs available for children depending on their special needs.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY:
If you qualify for one of these agencies do not think that filling out one form is all you do. You have to show up for your scheduled appointment and bring the proper paper work with you. ---Otherwise, your claim will be denied---.
Medical Insurance is obtained by full - employment or by purchasing it yourself through a private insurance company which is fine for the people that can afford the huge premiums.
INSURANCE COMPANIES:
When you apply for Medical Insurance you may be denied because of a pre-existing condition. This simply means, you have medical problems already and the Medical Insurance Company will not cover you for these problems.
ALTERNATIVE: DISCOUNT CARDS
Discount cards are available through private insurance companies. Let me explain. You still pay a monthly fee but not as much as your typical medical insurance monthly premium. When you go to a doctor or pharmacy you get a cash discount. The only catch is,---you have to pay for your doctor's visit at the time of the visit---.
You have to be careful when applying for this discount card, just like everything else it could rip you off. So do your homework. These are becoming very popular.
URGENT CARE:
These are medical facilities that take care of minor problems. Anything serious would be referred to a hospital emergency room.
You will have to pay for your medical visit at the time of service.
211 PHONE NUMBER
There is a new source of vital information at our finger tips, by calling 211. If this new number is established in your area, one phone call can hook you up to massive information. The people that answer this phone number gives out important everyday useful information.
Example: What is the phone number to Med-cal? I do not have any medical insurance and my child is sick, what do I do? Where can I go to get help for my child? Is there any free clinics available?
These people have all that information and more at their fingertips.
HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOMS:
When you need medical care the Emergency Room is where most people head. When you get to the Emergency Room you can wait hours to be examined by a doctor. When you are finally examined, the doctor may request lab tests, x-rays etc. These tests can escalate into hundreds even thousands of dollars. What about emergency surgery? What about being a patient in the hospital a few days or longer? The medical bills will start pouring in!
MEDICATIONS:
Medicine is sky high. When you don't have Medical Insurance you have to pay the full amount or go without your medicine.
This is not a simple problem. We are talking millions of people in this situation. ---There has to be a solution---.
The Medical Insurance Companies do not want to change. The Pharmaceutical Companies do not want to change.
---We the individual's must take the first step to change the way medicine is obtained for everybody in this country not just a few! We as individuals need to write our Congressmen to wake up our local, state representatives and federal representatives.
We Need Change In Our Medical Insurance Program. WE WANT MEDICAL CARE FOR EVERYBODY. NOT JUST A FEW.
If you have medical insurance and still have to pay check out my article listed below:
Horrifying! Medical Bills! When You Have Medical Insurance/Fight Back.
Please feel free to read all my other articles. I love to hear from you. Just leave a comment on this article.
Copyright 2005 Linda E. Meckler

Linda is the author of her first published book, "Ghost Kids Trilogy." Christy, 12 and her brother Brad, 16 move into an old house on top of a mountain and meet 2 Ghost Kids.
Then we meet the magical Blue Vase.
Follow Christy and Brad on a very exciting Pirates' Treasure Hunt. Love and Family Values burst off the pages. http://www.lmeckler.com
Check out my 4 E books - How To Appeal Medical Bills - Appeal and Collection Letters for Medical Providers - Boost Your Self Esteem and Blossom - Computers Cause Pain. http://www.lmeckler.com/store

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0 International Travel Medical Insurance - What Makes a Good Plan

When you travel one of the important things to include is travel medical insurance. It needs to be on everyone's travel checklist. No one plans to be injured or sick while traveling or spending time in another country but it can happen. If you are in another country and are in need of medical attention, typically the doctors and hospitals want to be paid. They know that if they are not paid then, there is almost no chance they will be paid seriously. This means a traveler needs to take this seriously.
Travel medical insurance is not the same as trip insurance. The two are often confused. The plans may have similar and overlapping benefits but the purpose of these plans are not the same. Medical plans are to cover medical expenses with some trip and travel benefits. Trip insurance is to cover the trip cost in full or in part if a person cannot be on the trip. The reason for not being on the trip could be due to a car accident on the way. It could be due to a strike on a cruise ship. Trip insurance is to cover the loss of monies spent for the trip or cruise if certain covered events happen.
Travel agents typically offer trip insurance. Insurance agents that offer international medical insurance may also offer trip coverage plans as well. An insurance license is required to offer International travel health insurance. International health and medical insurance is a specialty in insurance industry. Few agents handle this. As with any specialty finding an agent that is knowledgeable and experienced with international insurance is very important as all plans are not the same. International travel health insurance plans are for traveling outside of a person's home country.
Travel medical insurance plans typically fall into two types. These are indemnity or a scheduled benefit plans which have specified dollar benefits for specified medical services. For example, a scheduled benefit program might pay $50 for a doctor and $1000 a day for hospital expenses. Scheduled benefits plans are used frequently by visitors to the US as this type costs less and with older age visitors, over age 70, actually covers more than more comprehensive plans. Comprehensive plans are the best choice if possible for visitors to the US are under age 70.
There are also plans that are like major medical health insurance plans. These plans offer a wider less restricted coverage. Both types of plan usually exclude pre-existing health conditions or have limitations on pre-existing health condition coverage. It is best to consult an agent that is experienced and handles international insurance plans daily so can give you good advice that fits your situation.
A good travel health and medical insurance plan would include the following policy benefits.
o Policy medical maximum - Plan choices may range from $50,000 to $1 million. The medical maximum available is usually limited to $50,000 or less for persons age 70 or over.
o Deductibles - these are typically per policy period and may be limited to 3 per family. Deductibles can be $0, $100, $250, $500, $1000 or $2500
o Coinsurance - is the amount an insured pays of eligible medical expenses before the insurance coverage pays benefits. Coinsurance might be 0%, 10%, 20%, 30% or 50% of the next $5000 to $10,000 of medical expenses after the deductible has been met. After that is met, the plan then would pay 100% of the eligible medical expenses up to the medical maximum selected.
o Plans include coverage for hospital room and board costs
o Plans include coverage for local ambulance costs
o Plans include coverage for intensive care unit costs
o Plans include coverage for outpatient treatment costs
o Plans include coverage for physical therapy costs
o Plans include coverage for other medical expenses as outlined in the plan. Have a look at these and what is excluded
o Hospital indemnity benefit - this an additional benefit that pays a certain dollar amount for days spent in a hospital.
o Coverage for a dental emergency - If the insured has an accident that injures their teeth or the person has a dental emergency due to pain, the plan has benefits. If this is due to an accident it is typically coverer to the policy limit as any other accident. If the emergency is due to pain then typically the benefit is $100.
o Coverage for complications of pregnancy - some, but not all, plans offer coverage for complications of pregnancy up to the 26th week
o Coverage for the acute onset of a pre-existing condition - an acute onset is a sudden and unexpected onset of a pre-existing condition. Some plans offer this benefit to US citizens under the age of 70. Most plans, but not all, do not offer coverage for pre-existing conditions to non US citizens.
o Emergency medical evacuation coverage - this benefit covers transport to the nearest medical facility qualified to handle your life threatening situation. This does not mean the person is going to be flown all the way back home to the US. There are ways to have that covered but it is a completely different thing. This benefit is often misinterpreted. Best to ask specifically.
o Emergency medical reunion coverage - a benefit to provide transport, lodging and meals for relative or other person to join the insured as well.
o Repatriation coverage - this is the return of mortal remains to a person's home in the event of death. This benefit is often misinterpreted. It applies in the event of a death. It is best if unclear to ask specifically as with emergency medical evacuation.
o Incidental home country coverage - this is the coverage for time you might spend in your home while traveling. For example, a person might travel abroad for six months. He or she might be back at home for a couple of weeks in the middle of the trip. Incidental home country coverage is what would cover those two weeks
o End of trip coverage - is the coverage that you can have after the end of your trip and you are back home. This varies considerably by plan and can be very important in how an accident or an illness while on the trip is covered when you return home
o The benefit period - is the time the plan will cover the insured person or people. In addition to the benefit period plans also should have end of trip coverage.
o Medical expenses from an act of terrorism - This is coverage if an injury is caused by a terrorist attack. Plans that do cover usually exclude events that are nuclear, chemical or biological.
o Accidental death and dismemberment coverage - this pays in the event a person is killed in an accident, loses a limb or loses vision.
o Natural disaster benefit - additional monies to help cover the costs of alternative accommodations in the event a person is caught in a natural disaster
o Hazardous sports rider coverage - many plans exclude sports and activities that they consider hazardous. Some plans have the option of covering these sports and activities. It is a good idea to check the exclusions and what the optional rider will cover.
o Additional travel coverage and assistance - may include trip interruption, lost luggage, lost documents, travel assistance, travel alerts, political evacuation, contact information for doctors, lawyers and replacement of prescriptions and a visa letter of proof of insurance for the countries that require this
o Plan renewability - Some insurance plans are not renewal or extendable once the plan is in force. Some insurance plans can be extended while on your trip. It is important to check this.
International travel health insurance is an important and valuable part of a safe and secure trip. It is best to become familiar with it is when you are calm and do not need it at that moment, maybe before you leave on your trip. Traveling can be disorienting. You might be on a long flight. You may be in a different time zone. You may be in a country where you don't speak the language. Hopefully you will not become sick or injured, but if you do it is important to have the best travel health insurance you can get.

John K Arnold is the president of John K Arnold Insurance, Inc. I am a managing general agent in health insurance with over 28 years of health insurance experience. I work in all areas of health insurance including domestic (US) individual insurance, employer group insurance, employee benefits plans, Medicare supplements, Medicare advantage Plans, Medicare part D prescription plans, international health insurance, international travel insurance, immigration insurance and international group insurance. I also work as an expert witness in health insurance for attorneys. My websites provide a great amount of information on health insurance as well as plans. As a managing general agent I am in a position to offer carrier contracting for domestic and international insurance to qualified agents. Florida Health Insurance Website - Individual, small group, large group health insurance and Medicare advantage, Medicare supplement, Medigap, Medicare part D plans an Medical Air Services http://www.floridahealthinsurance.com. International Health Insurance Website - International permanent, travel, student and immigration health insurance, US traveler insurance http://www.insurance-network.com.

0 Do You Need Low Income Medical Insurance?

What is low income medical insurance?
Medical insurance policy was first introduced in Germany by OTTO Von Bismarck in the Year 1883 - 84. It was later adopted by many leading countries such as Great Britain, Soviet Union and France after the World War 1. In Britain, the new national Medical health insurance policy which was brought into effect in the year 1948, provided the complete rules and regulations about health insurance the main motive behind the who health in-thy always. But many at times, many individuals forms the habit of deliberately harming themselves in order for them to get the insurance amount which happens to be against the rules stated in the act of health insurance 1946.
The low income health insurance works just like any other insurance. Any one wishing to insure his health has to make a contract with insurance. In which he has to agree he would be paying premiums to the insurance company at a particular decided amount (under normal condition the amount is not all that expensive like other insurances).Which the person then falls Ill or have any kind of disability, he then gets his cash value which should be amounted to the agreed.
What are the benefits of medical insurance?
Today's health care costs are high and always getting higher as the days goes by the reason why most people buy other kind of insurance is to protect themselves financially, also having a low income medical insurance protects you yourself and your family in case you need medical care that could any way be very expensive since you can't predict what your medical bills will be like. Sometimes your medical cost may be low. But if you become ill, your bills may become high so if you have an insurance, most of your bills will be covered their own expense. The reason why you need a low income medical insurance is that, the medical usually do pay 80% of their allowed charge, while the patient is responsible for the Remaining 20% balance usually the remaining 20% balance is being picked up by a secondary supplemental insurance coverage consider the cost of not having a medical health insurance for instance, if you contact a serious illness, get involved in an accident on your way to work then you will have to pay the medical bills out of your own pocket.
In some cases your family has no better choice than to settle for public health care facilities, waiting in line among hundreds of other sick patients also you still have to pay for additional expensive operations which are not fully covered under public health care system. Another thing to note is that most medical insurance plans do have polices that states that the hospitals must contact them about covering you for any period in the hospital. And if the hospitals don't agree, then you are liable for the payment of bills. Also the more cost of not having a health cover is usually much higher in terms of your family's health and security than in paying the monthly premiums a large proportion of uninsured people do use the emergency care unit as their only medical facility. This can also lead to an unwanted lifestyle since the large medical bills cannot be paid. Also if proper and timely medical care was given, there shouldn't be any case of hospitalization for conditions that can be easily avoided. In most cases where adequate medical care is needed, many people who lack health insurance can't afford to visit doctors, so they settle for over the counter medicine most times they don't even go for medical check up, this stand the chance of being diagnosed of serious disease and also face a higher risk of mortality as a consequence.
Types of low income medical insurance
The two major types of medical insurance includes: Private and group insurance. Many among the private Health insurance companies don't provide the wide coverage which the group insurance offers. Their individual cover is mostly quite expensive in order for you to select a medical insurance that fits your needs, you should compare all this requirements acquire as many as you can, enough brochures and documentation from every health insurance company as you can study the cover to make sure that the company will fulfill as it states, all the things you regard as important compare the services they offer to know their rates and also what they offer find out what illnesses or services are being excluded from their policy, make sure the policy has a payment starting and also an ending date. Stay away from any health insurance that only covers limited disease and also do not settle for any policy that doesn't offer you a period in which to decide whether you will stay with the cover or not. The group insurance is where employers provide health plans in order to assist their employee in obtaining medical cover at a better and cheaper rate.
The employer may choose to bear all the cost or carry part of it if he wishes but if an employee should leave the enterprise, then He lose his group medical health insurance automatically. He may then decide to keep the cover or pay the full amount that is normally set aside for individuals most small business don't provide medical insurance plans for their Employee, but you could get one through employee unions or through club memberships if you fall in this category.

Kingsley Duru has an BSc (Banking & finance). Insuranceavenue.info offers our visitors the best of Insurance articles, review and offers. To find more about affodable, low income medical and travel insurance

0 Florida Medical Insurance

Florida medical insurance is comprised of two main categories: Florida individual medical insurance and Florida group medical insurance. These two categories have many similarities but yet many important differences as well.
Many Florida residents are quite familiar with large group medical insurance through their employer if they have ever worked for a large corporation (in Florida a large group is considered a company or group that has more than 50 employees). However, when it comes to understanding individual medical insurance in Florida and how it works or even understanding small group medical insurance in Florida and how that works it turns out to be somewhat different than the large group medical insurance plan that most have known so well for so long.
Individual medical insurance in Florida is different from group medical insurance in Florida because of the fact that the underwriting departments at each Florida insurance company will scrutinize very closely any pre-existing conditions that an applicant has in their health history (going back up to 10 years) if they are applying for an individual policy.
This scrutiny is geared towards finding any adverse health conditions or precursors to health conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity, cancer, etc. Conditions such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and severe obesity will cause a Florida health insurance company to automatically decline an application for coverage with an individual medical insurance policy.
Less severe pre-existing health conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, mild obesity, and heartburn/acid reflux will generally result in a rider being placed on the accompanying policy that will exclude coverage for anything related to that specific pre-existing condition. Riders are generally levied on an indefinite basis or a temporary basis (12-24 months in most cases).
There are a few insurance companies in Florida (one of them presently being Aetna) that do not issue riders on the individual medical insurance side as is most common but will instead "rate up" an applicant they deem presents excess risk due to pre-existing conditions. This "rate up" simply means that they will offer to cover the mild pre-existing conditions but they will offer you a rate increased premium amount that can be 10% more than was initially quoted you, 25% more, 50% more; it all depends on the underwriting department at the insurance company as to what premium amount that they will offer you if they decide to accept you.
Florida group medical insurance is much simpler in that generally there is not as much scrutiny towards an applicant's health history and pre-existing conditions. This is good or bad depending on your present health condition. It is good if you are an unhealthy person with some major pre-existing conditions because it allows you to obtain group medical insurance when you would be declined if you tried to obtain individual medical insurance (due to your pre-existing conditions). However, it is bad from a financial sense if you are a generally healthy person because you are paying a higher premium cost for group medical insurance (as opposed to individual medical insurance) - that is unless your employer is paying the cost for all of your group medical insurance: then you are quite happy (unless you have a family and your employer is not so kind as to pay for them to be on the group medical coverage as well!)
Just from what you have learned so far; which do you think would be more expensive - group medical insurance or individual medical insurance? If you said group medical insurance then you are on the right track to understanding the main difference between the two. Think of the cost of group medical insurance versus the cost of individual medical insurance like this: if your new co-worker at the cubicle next to you has cancer then guess what? They will be able to obtain group coverage on your group plan even though they never would be approved for an individual medical insurance policy. You as a healthy person are in a sense subsidizing the cost of your unhealthy co-worker (and all of the other unhealthy people) in paying their premiums. It follows of course that the premiums will be higher for a group medical insurance plan in Florida where the insurance company has to take on both healthy and unhealthy people as opposed to an individual medical insurance plan in Florida where the insurance company can pick and choose who they will accept.
Be sure to research your Florida medical insurance options thoroughly by consulting with an independent agent who can represent multiple health insurance companies and by comparing Florida medical insurance quotes from multiple companies side by side. (Be sure not to believe any Florida insurance agent who tells you that you will be approved for an individual medical insurance policy whether you have pre-existing conditions or not - chances are they are just trying to unload a close to worthless medical discount plan - not medical insurance).

Get free health insurance quotes by comparing all of the top health insurance plans in your zip code - in less time than it takes to brush your teeth!
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0 Investigate Your Medical Insurance Options

One of the most rapidly rising costs today for families, individuals, and companies is the cost of medical insurance. The rate increases are alarming, and many can no longer afford medical insurance. Companies don't automatically offer health insurance for their employees as they did in the past, and are cutting back on the benefits offered. But there are many different medical insurance options available today, and if you take time to learn about them, you may be able to save on insurance, or determine that you can afford it, even if your employer doesn't offer it.
Many people who don't often go to see a doctor ask if they even need medical insurance. However, if you ask those that have been ill, had surgery, or that have been in an accident, medical insurance was vitally important to their financial survival. If there is a way that you can cover yourself, at east or major medical costs - catastrophic events and illnesses - then do it.
Medical insurance typically covers expenses that result from injury, illness, or accidents. Benefits cover surgery, medical, and hospital care, but can also include recovery care such as physical therapy, private home care, psychological services, etc. depending on the policy. Disability insurance is separate from medical insurance, but is very important. This type of insurance provides disability income in case you are injured and no longer able to work. Long term care insurance is a supplemental type of insurance that supplements Medicare and other policies so that long term care costs are covered in case they are needed, especially as you age.
There are several medical insurance options now available that should be compared in terms of coverage versus cost. Indemnity plans reimburse insured people for their medical expenses, and don't limit who can provide the medical service. These plans usually have a deductible amount, and typically have percentages that are reimbursable; for example, the insurer pays 80% and the insured pays 20% of all costs.
Managed health care plans are medical insurance plans where costs are managed by the insurer by negotiating rates with select physicians, hospitals, and care providers. These plans include HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) and PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations). These plans may be less costly than full service plans, but restrict the physicians, service providers, and locations where you can receive tests and care, and can also require that you pay a deductible for each doctor visit or test.
Health care spending accounts allow you to save for future health care expenses. Any medical expenses such as deductibles, vision, and other items that are not covered by your medical insurance plan can be paid from the health care spending account. These accounts are tax free, so you don't pay federal taxes on contributions.
In determining the best medical insurance plan for you, look at the overall health of you and your family, and understand what medical services you will utilize in a given year. Compare your monthly payment versus the cost of services you normally utilize. You may be overpaying on the level of medical insurance you really need.
The key to managing medical insurance costs, whether you are covered through your employer or not, is to weigh the cost options versus your current lifestyle, age, and health status. Shop and compare several insurance providers - rates can differ widely. Make sure you understand the benefits and deductibles offered by each policy, flexibility in the physicians and service providers you can see, and ask if lab tests are included. Read the fine print in any policy you are considering.

0 Student Loans - Realize Your Academic Dreams

Student loans are really a convenient way of fulfilling academic dreams. Student loans are given to college students who have enrolled in a college and have completed at least one semester of the course. Student loans are provided generally to students who are bright in academics. Private lenders provide student loans with or without guarantee from the government.
When government gives the guarantee for student loans, then it could be two types, unsubsidized or subsidized student loans. Let us discuss both these student loans one by one.
Subsidized student loans have a lower yearly limit. The government pays the interest of the student loans when the student is in school.
Unsubsidized student loans usually have a higher yearly limit. The student pays the interest of the student loan. If the student chooses not to pay the interest during the schooldays, the interest amounts are added up and included with the balance amount that needs to be paid. Usually in all student loans, repayment schedule starts after a certain period. The period could be from 2 to 5 years. It does not matter whether during that period you finish your studies or not, the repayment of the student loans starts as scheduled.
Student loans come with a very convenient interest rate as it is meant to help a student, who is about to start his/her career. The interest rate of the student loan depends on the market interest index. With the index the rate floats. If you repay most of the loan amount during low rates, you can save a huge amount of money. This is called student loan consolidation.
The repayment period of the student loans could span up to 25 years. The duration depends on the loan amount. Small student loans have shorter repayment time and a large student loan would have a longer repayment period.
With student loans tuition fees, purchasing of books and stationary, hostel expenses and healthcare expenses can be taken care of. Some student loans also provide for study material like computer and Internet. Some even provide automobile expenses for the convenience of the student.
Every student does not come from a financially well off family. Many students come from a humble background but could do well in academics. In such a scenario student loans are a good option for them. The repayment of the student loans starts way after the time of getting the loan. By that time the student can study and get a job and in many cases can repay the loan on his/her own. The parents don't have to carry the huge burden of expenses related to studies. Definitely taking student loans for studies is good for the child's career and of course for life.
After finishing studies a person who has taken a student loan can repay it when he lands a job. It is up to the person whether he or she wishes to pay a lump sum and finish the loan. All in all student loans are great for a person's career.

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