Thanks to some last-minute maneuvering by Congress, thousands of jobless workers will continue to receive affordable health insurance in 2010.
28
Dec
Author: chris walker
If you already have affordable health insurance, but have decided that you would like to look for a cheaper insurance policy, it is certainly your right to investigate what else may be available to you. You should feel free to explore whether or not you can obtain a cheap health insurance policy and still maintain many of the benefits you have with your current policy.
It is always a good idea to consult an insurance professional when shopping for a new health insurance policy. Unless you have a true understanding of what the terms in an insurance policy mean, you can well purchase something that will not provide the coverage you wanted. Either an insurance agent or a health insurance broker will be able to answer your questions regarding different policies and provide you with health insurance quotes, so that you can get the medical insurance you need.
Although savings may seem to be your number one consideration, it is the policy itself that should take precedence over premium when making a decision to change. If you find out later that you are responsible for numerous out-of-pocket expenditures that can amount to thousands of dollars, how will you feel about the savings on your premium? This is why you must be certain about what you are purchasing at this new cheaper rate.
Most of us are not so familiar with health insurance policies to be certain that we would recognize all of the loopholes that may exist in a policy. This is where the insurance professional comes in handy. This is the person we must rely upon to furnish us with complete details and information regarding the terms of a policy and exactly what our financial exposure will be if we choose to purchase this policy. It is seldom a good idea to leave ourselves in a very vulnerable position just to save a comparatively small amount of money immediately.
It is possible that the agent or broker with whom we are consulting, can recommend a compromise policy that might save us some money over our current premium but would also provide a reasonable amount of coverage. This is the type of advice that we need at this time so that we make wise decisions regarding both our health insurance policy and our financial situation.
About the Author:
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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Replacing Health Insurance
Author: Yamileth Medina
One of the barriers to affordable health insurance in America is the underlying business model of medicine. Most doctors are paid a fee for each service. That type of compensation schedule encourages physicians to perform as many procedures as possible. Unfortunately, the cost of those procedures is passed onto patients and their insurance companies. It also results in increased competition among departments. Some hospital systems have chosen to use a different system: all of their doctors are on a salary. Proponents of this method claim that it increases the quality of health care while decreasing costs. Incorporating these ideas into healthcare reform could help save the nation money, according to supporters. Not to mention that the Cleveland Clinic is among the hospitals that manages to do just that, while treating some patients with advanced pre-existing conditions that many hospitals would avoid.
An alternative to the predominant fee-for-service model has been offered by Dr. Delos M. Cosgrove, CEO and President of the Cleveland Clinic–one of the nation’s leaders in revolutionizing health care delivery. Departments are based on related organ systems and diseases, as opposed to medical specialties. This way, physicians are better able to work together and deal with the patient as a whole. This is unlike the system used by most other hospitals, which serves to divide health problems into single parts. In addition to making care more effective, this method of organization streamlines administrative costs. Since it facilitates better coordination among doctors, they are less likely to engage in duplicate or competing treatments that waste money. For example, the Cleveland Clinic is able to save money by buying in bulk and stocking only three types of medical supplies like heart valves, instead of 30. Exceptions must be justified as a medical necessity, not solely a doctor’s personal preogative.
That reduced freedom is a drawback to many doctors within the medical establishment. Doctors working at the Cleveland Clinic cannot run up the tab for a patient’s medical coverage with additional tests and procedures of dubious purpose. Their potential income is also reduced. Like employees in any business, the salaried physicians also receive regular evaluations of their work. The care they provide has to meet high standards at a good value. However, doctors are very well compensated at most of these hospitals. World-class systems, such as the Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinics, pay salaries of up to $1.2 million–a healthy sum that exceeds the average income of a traditional practice with fewer business hassles and expenses–which convinces doctors to make the trade-off. While their private-practice or fee-for-service hospital counterparts are on call every day of the week and spending thousands on startup costs for an office, doctors who receive a salary are able to further hone their skills and concentrate primarily on their medical practice. This serves to improve the quality of medical care.
Moving away from the most common form of doctor compensation would involve a change in health insurance reimbursements. The majority of health insurance companies reimburse health care providers on a fee-for-service basis as well. Organizations attempting to bill a flat fee for a specific diagnosis are stymied by complex and vague billing procedures. These procedures vary among health insurance companies and states with Medicaid. It creates the inefficiency of having thousands of billing agents work with all of the insurance companies; a uniform billing system would reduce the need for such a large administrative department. That savings could be passed onto consumers in the form of more affordable health insurance, since insurers will likely pay less in registration. However, the health care industry is often slow and resistant to change.
The experiment in salaried doctors appears to be working so far. Since Cleveland Clinic overhauled its organizational structure in 2006, it has been hailed as offering the most cost-effective care in the nation, while simultaneously retaining its status as one of America’s best hospitals. That goes part of the way towards reducing the $210 billion spent on unnecessary medical tests that are ordered each year. Granted, it has a far higher proportion of wealthy patients than most hospitals–many of whom are from foreign countries and therefore don’t present health insurance burdens at all. Still, the hospital system has some insight into what it may take to provide affordable health insurance to our population. Dr. Cosgrove recently spoke to Congress during its healthcare reform debates about his organization’s innovations in cost control and quality medical care, both of which are essential.
About the Author:
Yamileth Medina is an up and coming expert on Health Insurance and Healthcare Reform. She aims to help people realize that they can find affordable health insurance right now while waiting for a public option, if it ever gets passed. Yamileth lives in Miami, FL.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Salaried Doctors May Lead To Affordable Health Insurance
Happy asked:
I’m in the process of buying a foreclosure home (Saratoga,CA, can’t transfer the insurance since it has already lapsed) that has a detached unpermitted cottage (2 bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom and living room total of 900 sq ft), the main home also has a unpermitted converted garage that is used as a in law quarter (separate entrance and full bathroom), it also has a unpermitted sun room too. I really love the home and tried looking for home insurance but it looks like no one will insure me. Is there anyway I can get insured for this property without having to lie about these unpermitted additions to the insurance company? Any advice would be appreciated and any suggestions which insurance company would insure me for a reasonable price. Thank you in advance.
sun4ever asked:
She works full time but her employer charges an outrageous amount of money for health insurance. I know there are many many young people who don’t have health insurance, mostly because of the cost of high insurance premiums. But my daughter really needs it cause she has some health issues that will stay with her for a lifetime.
thanks everyone!
