Beverly Said:

What is a good health insurance plan for a student?

We Answered:

I wouldn't suggest applying online unless you've got time to spend three or four solid days to compare the hundreds of policies that are available. You'll want to visit a local independent agent. This person knows the plans available in your area and can find the best one for your situation in less than an hour. They don't charge you anything for the service.

Be very wary of medical discount cards. They are not regulated by the Department of Insurance nor do the people that sell them need to be licensed. This means you have little recourse when you have problems with the plan. If you are tempted by the low price and claims of “save up to 80%” be aware that very few doctors actually take these cards. It does you little good if you have to drive 4 hours to find a doctor that will accept the card. One state couldn’t find any doctors in that state that took the card and only one dentist who was on probation for unlawful activities so they banned the sale of the card. See this link http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/wes… for more information. Many other states are starting to ban these cards.

Before signing up with any discount plan get a list of doctors. If they won’t give you a list consider it to be a scam. Call the doctors on the list to make sure they’re still taking the card (many don’t even know that they’re listed as a provider) and that they’re accepting new patients.

Philip Said:

How do I get my nieces on my Health insurance plan?

We Answered:

if you gain guardian ship or custody is the only way

Don Said:

What is the point of a health insurance plan if you never met your deductible?

We Answered:

That's a fair question and, to be honest, shows how "differently" people consider health insurance from, say auto or fire insurance. Here's the question for you to consider:

Do you want health "insurance," or "health care financing?"

"Insurance" helps you pay for unforeseen expenses that you can't handle yourself (like, say, that $87,000 hospital/surgical bill after the car wreck, etc.). "Health care financing," like anything else you usually finance, lets you "make payments" to buy things that you don't want to pay for all at once (like, say, that $2300 big screen HDTV).

Here's a few tips:
1. Buy a plan with a big deductible ($2,500 - 5,000) to keep your cost down. REMEMBER: even with a big deductible you can still find plans with the things you like: doctor and drug copays.
2. Stick with the "brand name" companies, like Blue Cross, Humana, Aetna, etc. There are a lot of other plans that "look good" but, if or when you have that big claim, they'll vanish like an honest politician.
3. Talk to a broker who specializes. Visit NAHU.org (see below) to find one near you. NAHU is the professional association of brokers like me who specialize in health insurance.
4. Get you own quotes online. Visit my site (below) or go to Norvax.com to get prices.

Hope this helps a bit!

Martha Said:

How will Obama's voluntary health insurance plan force anyone to do anything?

We Answered:

(1) Like medicare and medicaid only certain doctors will accept it.

(2) He is going to force everyone to have health insurance.

(3) Even the democrats do not believe that private insurance will be able to survive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryKGqF28d…

In Places where they have Universal health care health care is not created. Doctors salaries are pushed down and the number of patients they have to treat go up. This means rationing of health care.

The other thing that happens is that the government makes it so that the pharmaceutical companies and other medical research companies can not be compensated for Research and development killing R&D in new technology and treatments. Why do you think that all of the innovations come from here in the US. One reason that our health care is so expensive is because we have to pay for all of the R&D from countries with Universal Health care. That is why you see no innovations coming from them.

Universal Health care is not free. Basically is will cost all of those that all ready prioritize health care and pay for it now weather they can really afford it or not. The Congressional Budget Office said that Obama's plan will lead to an additional $1.6 TRILLION deficit over the next 10 years and will leave 35Million people without health care.

That means that those that do get health care that do not now will cost on average $60,000+.

Really, and do not let anyone tell you different, anyone in this country can have health insurance if it is their priority. When I graduated from HS I realized that I needed health insurance even though I was completely healthy so i got a job as a bank teller. Anyone can do this and there are plenty of jobs out there. Obviously there were many jobs that I would have rather had, but I prioritized health insurance, and people like me are the ones that will suffer under Obama's plan.

In this country anyone that prioritizes it can have health insurance and get world class care. Obama is going to take it from those of every income class that have it as a priority and give it to those that simply do not.

Edward Said:

What shall become of the health insurance plan structures and pricing under new Congressional law?

We Answered:

Well, the plan structure is going to have to change, to compensate for the inherent adverse selection issue.

And pricing will have to go up, to compensate for the removal of lifetime limits, and the coverage of preexisting conditions.

As no one has quite figured out what exactly the changes are going to BE, all we can do for now, is sit tight.

Me, I'd suggest some kind of pricing tier, where the price remains level when you've had prior coverage, but is drastically higher the first year, going down over the next four years, until you've had coverage in place five years. That way, the "adverse selection" people are actually encouraged to buy AND KEEP insurance in place. And the people who've played by the rules all along, aren't exhorbitantly punished with dramatically increased rates.