Illinois Health Insurance Not Complicated

If you have the ability to be able to compare health insurance plans and premium payments by seeing them online all in one place, it’s not that hard to make a decision on what to buy.

Usually when shopping for health insurance, the people you talk to say the prices are the same. In most instances, this is the case, but with one exception – shopping for Medicare Supplements will save you money, as quotes on supplements are quite variable.

That's good news that you will actually save money on health care insurance, or to be more specific, save money on Medicare supplements. This is just about the only area in the whole Medicare health insurance business where you will save money by calling around for quotes. And not just save nickels and dimes either, but enough to make a difference over the year.

It's possible to save money on Medicare supplements and still be able to get decent health care coverage. Without getting too complicated here, this is doable because in all states Medicare supplements are priced the same; priced the same, however, also means that insurance companies don't have to offer anything more than Part A – period.

The other letters of the alphabet B-L are optional. So, because the B-L parts are optional, insurance companies tend to charge what the market will bear, if they offer them at all. This is why when you compare Illinois health insurance online at a site that offers side-by-side quotes and all the other information you need, you will see right away which carriers offer the better deals. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

Sometimes the market will bear a higher rate and sometimes not. While this may sound a bit capricious, it's actually more of a business decision rather than prompted by competition. So here's the thing. Say for instance you are 70 years old and are asking about Part F or J (which covers all expenses). Call big brand name company number one and the quote is $115.00 a month. Call slightly less well known company two and the quote is $100 a month – and presto there's a savings of $180 a year.

This is just an example of savings that can be had by comparing health insurance rates online at a website that shows all the carriers, their design plans, requirements and pricing. Choosing Illinois Medicare supplements has never been easier. The savings could even be larger and rack up a bigger amount by the end of the year. It's really well worth the time to surf online and get some quotes. Really, saving money in this day and age is a delightful bonus while still getting good health insurance coverage.

To learn more about Illinois health insurance, Illinois health insurance quotes, Illinois group health insurance or to get an Illinois health insurance quotes, visit Focusinsgroup.com

Beware the Instant Quote

While it’s nice to get an instant Illinois health insurance quote online, people need to be wary about where their personal information is going.

There are many options for Illinois health insurance that may be purchased privately or publically, depending on what suits the person shopping for health insurance. There are also equally as many insurance agents and brokerage firms to choose from when searching for Illinois health insurance quotes. In addition, the selection of products available will provide even the most well versed Internet surfer with a gigantic headache when faced with the list of health insurance plans.

In some ways it’s a real boon to have as many choices for insurance as Illinois health insurance brokers offer; such as CHIP health insurance quotes, disability insurance, senior health, small group health, employer-based group health plans, student health, and kid’s Illinois health insurance quotes. Selecting an Illinois insurance quote that suits the individual or the situation is only part of the process. The next step is to determine what websites to visit to get a quote. Those sites could include Short-Term Medical, BCBS of Illinois, Humana One, Unicare, etc.

It’s not so much that people searching for online Illinois health insurance quotes won’t find sites to get quotes. They will find quotes, but if they land on a lead capture page, their names will be sold to other businesses in the health care industry. To be safe and get the best information possible, one needs to go to a website where they can pull up to four quotes at once and do a side-by-side comparison. This will give the person a starting point in their search for health insurance. For further information, it’s the smart choice to speak to the insurance agent running the website.

Online forms usually ask most of the basics like age, height, weight, sex, whether a person is a smoker or not, some details about any current Illinois health insurance plans, medical conditions and other miscellaneous information. In most cases the company chosen uses the information to provide a quote for what may be the best plan in the circumstances. That would include rates from different kinds of plans and also different Illinois health insurance companies.

Keep in mind that there are usually two ways to get a quote: quick or instant quote, and a custom quote. Quickie quotes come back instantly with general details, but do not factor in any medical history or other underwriting requirements. They don’t include benefit options or include maternity benefits. Opting for a custom quote would provide more in-depth information.

While this all sounds on the up and up, remember there are companies on the Internet that only want personal information to collect data to sell as leads to insurance agents or who will turn around and sell the information provided to other companies in the health care market. They provide you with a quote in some cases, but by then personal information has been sent elsewhere.

If a person isn’t totally clear where their personal information is going, they should think twice about hitting that submit button. It makes the most sense in this case to call the phone number listed on the site(s) and speak to an insurance agent to make sure information is going to a legitimate insurance company and not some data collection outfit.

To learn more about Illinois health insurance, Illinois health insurance quotes, Illinois group health insurance or to get an Illinois health insurance quotes, visit Focusinsgroup.com

The Different Parts of Medicare

Medicare parts A and B provide complete protection or comprehensive coverage. Many Americans believe the combination offers complete protection. This isn’t the case.

While many people have both parts A and B of Medicare, they are making a mistake by thinking that they have complete protection. What they have is comprehensive coverage, but this is not the same thing as complete protection.

If you go back a bit in history, Medicare has never covered outpatient prescription costs, with the onetime exception in 1989. Things mostly remained that way until 2003 when a new act was brought into force – the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act. All that whole mouthful means is that it expanded Medicare to include a prescription drug benefit that started in 2006.

You might be wondering why the change wasn’t implemented earlier. This has to do with the fact that Medicare has the right to definitively outline the care it will cover, and that includes part D. This brings up another interesting point, the one that says all medical treatments and procedures must be approved by Medicare. This is the major reason why you need to have a good working knowledge of Medicare to really understand the program.

Not many people seem to realize that every part of Medicare offers benefits for different types of care and that Medicare parts A and B each have different co-payments, out-of-pocket expenses and limits. What this really means is that you almost have two different insurance policies.

What do you need to know to have your medical expenses covered by Medicare? The first thing you need to know is that your treatment is medically required and deemed appropriate for the condition you have. Medicare must approve your treatment and it must have been prescribed by a doctor.

They won’t OK coverage of unique procedures or experimental treatments. If however you feel you have been wrongly denied, you do have the right to appeal the decision. Why is this stuff important for you to know? It is significant for you to know because Medigap and/or Medicare supplement insurance only pays a claim if Medicare accepts the expenses as reasonable.

Keep in mind that no matter where you buy Medicare plans and/or Medicare supplement plans, they are all the same, all standardized. The only differences will be what one company charges versus another. The thing to pay attention to is that since the plans were standardized, plan F has become the most popular because customers value the full coverage. This isn’t to say that there aren’t other viable alternatives such as plan C, D or G because many hospitals and physicians don’t demand the patient pay more than what Medicare approves.

Randy Gillespie is with Illinois health insurance agency, Focus Insurance Group. To learn more about Illinois health insurance, Illinois health insurance quotes, Illinois group health insurance or to get an Illinois health insurance quotes, visit Focusinsgroup.com

Buying Family Health Insurance Coverage in Illinois

Buying family health insurance in Illinois isn’t that difficult if you follow a few guidelines.

One of the first things to consider is having every family member on a separate policy. While that idea might go against the grain, there is a very good reason for it. It’s a proven fact that some insurance carriers have actually cancelled a whole family’s health insurance coverage because of something that might be wrong with just “one” dependent. That’s a pretty scary thought to have everyone in the whole family suddenly without health insurance.

Don’t jump whole hog into buying health insurance from a company no one seems to know very much about. The ideal thing is to thoroughly check out whether the company under consideration has a good track record for paying claims or not. Word of mouth is often helpful here.

If there isn’t much information to be found about the company, take a pass and move on to another choice. The ideal health insurance agent is one who will spend time educating clients about their options and not pressuring them to buy anything, not to mention the agent knows precisely who has a good track record for paying their claims.

When choosing an insurance company before buying health insurance, it’s a good idea to pick a company that does “not” hike rates every six months after the initial first year with them. While this might seem impossible to believe, it does happen and in fact there are examples of insurance companies handing out a 31% rate hike every six months after the first 12 months, this despite assuring the customer would only see (on average) a mere 8% increase in rates. No one needs to be dealing with rate increases like that.

It may be tempting to fudge a person’s health status on an insurance application; after all it just seems like a “little white lie.” Never try and hide any health conditions from the insurer. It is a virtual guarantee that they “will” find out later during the course of medical testing, etc. Finding out later has some serious repercussions that may include policy cancellation.

Don’t go to the doctor’s office that often? If that is the case, consider a different type of health insurance, as there is no sense in paying for the ability to visit the doctor frequently if that never happens. It doesn’t make sense to fork over hard earned money for doctor co-pays if it isn’t necessary.

Seek an expert health insurance agent that isn’t just out to sell something, but takes the time to help figure out which plan would be the very best fit for everyone that needs health insurance.

To learn more about Illinois health insurance, Illinois health insurance quotes, Illinois group health insurance or to get an Illinois health insurance quotes, visit Focusinsgroup.com

Illinois HSAs Rock

The twenty first century calls for innovative changes in health care across the country. Americans are now able to take advantage of a Health Savings Account, something just a little different than traditional health care insurance.

Concerned health care consumers are able to opt for paying current expenses and save for future qualified medical/retiree health expenses on a tax-free basis by buying Illinois HSAs – Health Savings Accounts. These are much better than doctor’s office co-pay plans.

Why are they better? They’re better because the Illinois HSAs cover everything and not “just” the visit to the doctor’s office. In addition, not many people realize that when they go for further diagnostics after they’ve paid their portion of the doctor’s bill, the lab tests and other services have to be paid for out-of-pocket.
To take advantage of Health Savings Accounts an individual needs a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). The HDHP is also referred to as catastrophic health insurance, and usually costs less than traditional health care coverage. The reason it costs less is due to the fact the first several thousand dollars are paid by the client before coverage kicks in.

Money saved on insurance may then accrue in a Health Savings Account. The money in the account belongs to the account owner and decisions made to spend the funds are the sole responsibility of the account holder, not a third party or health insurance carrier.

Other interesting benefits offered by a Health Savings Account include the ability to invest the money however the account holder sees fit to grow money to save for the future. Having control over the disposition and day-to-day account management adds value to this alternative solution to traditional health insurance plans.

People don't buy an Illinois Health Savings Account. It's just that – a savings account that accrues money on a tax-preferred basis. The only thing purchased with an HSA is the HDHP. The idea is the HDHP covers the shortfall if medical bills exceed funds available in the HSA.

To qualify for an Illinois Health Savings Account the minimum deductible for the HDHP is set at a certain amount for individuals and families, as are out-of-pocket expenses. Speak to your expert local insurance broker about the variable deductible amounts, about preventive care and higher out-of-pocket limits.
Banks, credit unions, insurance companies and other approved companies offer Illinois Health Savings Accounts for the general public. Or an employer may offer a plan for workers. If other health care plans do not pay out significant dollar amounts, they may be kept along with the Health Savings Account.

Randy Gillespie is with Illinois health insurance agency, Focus Insurance Group. To learn more about Illinois health insurance, Illinois health insurance quotes, Illinois group health insurance or to get an Illinois health insurance quotes, visit Focusinsgroup.com