Regina Said:

Which health insurance company is the best?

We Answered:

Since you're disabled; you can obtain Medicare after 6 months. Part A is for Hospitalizations and it's always free. Part B is for medical coverage or Dr andit's not free.

When I applied SSDI for my disability ; it only took 6 months
WE had a hearing. I didn't get a lawyer.

There are numerous health insurance companies. Aetna, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield; Cigna Humana; Assurant and of course the HMO's.

HMO of which Kaiser is one has a multidisciplinary specialist in their staff. However, kaiser requires inclusion in the Medicare Program before you can enroll in their program.

The other day, I saw on TV; they advertised for only $6.00 a day for health insurance. This even include Dental Care.
You should check into that.

If you're a Vet; you can get medical care from an VA hospital.

Most health insurance companies will not cover gastric bypass surgery unless the procedure is determined to be necessary because of a LIFE-THREATENING WEIGHT problem.

Does your health insurance cover Gastric Bypass Insurance? People considering gastric bypass surgery usually want to know one thing: Will my insurance carrier pay for the procedure? The answer is yes, if you know how to ask.

Primarily, it must be deemed “medically necessary” for you to receive pre-authorization for treatment, if the benefit is offered at all. However. the company will not pay for the skin to be extra loose skin to be removed.

Certain criteria have to be made before health insurance companies will approve Gastric Bypass surgery: Morbid obesity:Duration X5 yrs. A psychological/psychiatric evaluation Body mass index (BMI)* of 40 or greater than 35 .

The following company will cover gastric bypass surgery:
Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna,Great WESt Health Care; One Health Plan; Unicare ; First Health; PPO;
PPO

Duane Said:

where is the cost comparison of the health care reform so I can compare it to private insurance?

We Answered:

Cost what? We Democrats don't compare stuff, it takes too long..

Jacqueline Said:

Hybrid health insurance system for the United States?

We Answered:

I am always amazed how many Americans seem not to be aware about the real healthcare issues relying instead on FOX and other sources to spread lies about the healthcare system of the USA and those abroad. I mean, if healthcare in nations with universal coverage is so bad, why do they keep it?
Obama wants to make insurance more available to all and change the system so that it gives the American people value for money [1]. He also wants change so that the insurance companies find it harder to get out of paying for treatment. The system he is proposing looks similar to that which works in Taiwan where private companies are involved in providing healthcare [2].
Obama campaigned on reforming the healthcare system. He said he wanted to make insurance more available and he was elected by the American people to do this [3].
FACT - the US has higher death rates for kids both for kids aged under one and those under five than western European countries with universal health coverage [4].
FACT – American insurance companies push up prices and work to stop paying out claims on those they cover [5].
FACT - the USA spends more on healthcare PER PERSON than any other nation on the planet [6].
That means that a dead American four year old would have had a better chance of life if they were born in any western nation with universal health coverage.
If you do not like the policies that Obama was elected to bring in, he can always be voted out of office in 2012. But if you disagree with the facts, please let me know. I am always willing to learn, but please provide proof. None of those who disagree with me have been able to do that so far.

Joann Said:

Does anyone know how much the government's health insurance will cost per month for families?

We Answered:

cheaper than before

Eric Said:

What are the pros and cons of private health insurance?

We Answered:

I take it you are in Australia (and this info I present is only relevant for here).

The first thing is the cost:
If you earn over $50,000 (including fringe benefits) as an individual, or $100,000 as a family (with no or 1 child; $101,500 for 2 kids), then if you don't have private health insurance, you are subject to the medicare levy surcharge of 1% of your income. This is addition to the medicare levy which you would have to pay anyway (which is 1.5% of your income). So if you don't have private health insurance, you have to pay more anyhow and you can usually pick up a cheap level of private health insurance which gives you dental, physio, etc for not much more than you would have to pay for the medicare levy surcharge anyway. Aust Unity has gap free dental if you go to their specific clinics (on all levels) and other companies have similar arrangements (usually it is worth to get just for dental alone)

If you don't have private health insurance and wish to purchase, for each year over 30 that you initially join, you are slugged with another 2% of the premium of the private health insurance cover you purchase (as an incentive for younger people to get and maintain insurance). So if you think you may need it in the future, then that is another reason to consider as you will have to pay more.

Coverage and gap:
With lower levels of cover, there is a larger gap $$ for service. You can pay more to get a higher level of cover with less gap (even then, there are often some additional costs) but you have to way up what works best for you - pay less for the premiums and more gap if you actually need to go to a private hospital / need physio etc, or pay more for the premium and pay less if you need to use the service.

For hospital stays, you can elect to be a private patient in a public hospital (where your insurance pays for all your costs) or go to a private hospital where there most likely will be some level of gap (depending on your level of cover).

Private health insurance is excellent if you need elective surgery (ie not needed immediately but still needed). For example, if you need a knee reconstruction, the wait in the public healthcare system may be a year but if you go privately, you can have it done whenever you like (and by whomever you like). There are some procedures which you will not find completed much in the public system that you might only be able to get in the private system (eg some hip operations).

If you need emergency surgery, it will get done immediately whether you are public or private (and even if you have private insurance, you can elect to go public).
Obviously for obstetrics, it is a bit late for this time, but you need to factor that in as well for the future.

As someone who works in the public system, there are some things that are done much better in the public system than in private. If you require rehabilitation or additional assistance at home following an injury or illness after a hospital stay, the aftercare provided through the public hospital system is more expansive and we have access to services that we can put it (at no or little cost to patients) that you would have to pay full price for if you were not seen in the public system.

I have hospital and extras cover at one of the lower levels - I use dental & massage and essentially get more that my money paid out of those things alone than what I pay for the premium (and that's not considering the extra $$ I would have had to pay for the medicare levy surcharge. I have had elective surgery and chose when, who and where my surgery was done and even with my lower premium, I was only out of pocket a few hundred dollars (out of a $5000 procedure)

iselect.com.au gives you comparisons for the cost with the various companies

http://www.privatehealth.com.au/ gives you important info

Wilma Said:

Why is Medicare more efficient than private health insurance (4% overhead vs 12%)?

We Answered:

Despite what the Heritage Foundation alleges, Medicare administrative costs are in fact lower than those of private insurers. One obvious answer is that Medicare does not have profits to account for and multimillion dollar compensation packages for executives.

The Jacob Hacker study cited below uses CBO comparisons of comparable groups, i.e., Medicare and Medicare Advantage, to determine that the Medicare administrative costs are indeed lower.