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Georgia Health Insurance

Georgia health insurance offers medical benefits that cover the cost of treatment incurred in a hospital. The coverage provided is comprehensive which includes doctor visits, hospital stays, emergency, prescription, dental care, and mental health care. It serves families, students, kids, employees, workers, self employed, small and large businesses, and retirees.

For the citizens of Georgia, a wide variety of health insurance plans are available to choose from. Each one varies significantly based on the size of deductible and the benefits covered. Individual health insurance, family health insurance, group health insurance, student health insurance, affordable health insurance, health insurance for children only, and temporary health insurance are some of the insurance plans available in Georgia.

In Georgia, health insurance laws and regulations regarding individual health insurance is different from other US states. The law allows insurers to deny the request for individual health insurance based on pre-existing medical condition and current health conditions.

The state of Georgia has moderate insurance regulation which protects both insurance consumers as well as the insurance company. According to “guaranteed renewability provision”, a health insurance policy regulation, an insurance owner is allowed to renew a policy without considering his/her health status.

In Georgia there is no limit on the premiums that the companies can charge for a health plan. Also, the law restricts that an insurer cannot cancel one?s insurance policy based on their health condition or age. In certain states, children of unemployed parents are denied from getting health insurance policy. Through a plan called Peach Care, Georgia State provides opportunity for such children to be insured.

Before purchasing health insurance, it is necessary to compare the different health insurance quotes. An insurance agent or an insurance broker is the right person to help you in finding a health insurance policy that best suits your requirement. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, Kaiser Permanente, Assurant Health, Celtic Insurance Company, Time Insurance Company, and United Healthcare of Georgia are some of the leading companies that provide excellent health insurance coverage for the citizens of Georgia.

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Affordable Health Insurance Options in Ohio: An Interview With Ohio Department of Insurance Director

According to the United States Census Bureau, 87.7 percent of Ohioans had some form of health insurance coverage during 2005, while 12.3 percent were not insured at any time during the year. Additionally, 14 percent of Ohio residents under the age of sixty-five did not have health insurance during 2005.

AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE OPTIONS IN OHIO

Most Ohioans who have health insurance are covered by either employer based plans or government programs. What options are available for individuals who do not have access to such coverage? Ohio Department of Insurance Director, Ann Womer Benjamin, references the “increasing number of options with Health Savings Accounts. There may be a person, or a family, generally comfortable paying for health care costs, but wants a high deductible policy. Also, for fairly young, fairly healthy individuals, an HSA coupled with a High Deductible Health Plan could really work.”

Health Savings Accounts are not feasible for everyone. Ohio residents who are not interested in HSAs should try to take advantage of alternative plans and programs. “Ohio has an Open Enrollment Program that takes (uninsured individuals) regardless of pre-existing conditions, but is likely costly”, Womer Benjamin explains.

HEALTH CARE COVERAGE LEGISLATION

There are currently two bills in the Ohio Legislature, Senate Bill 272 and House Bill 5 / Senate Bill 5 that are generally supported by the Ohio Department of Insurance as methods of expanding access to health insurance coverage.

Senate Bill 272 would repeal the Open Enrollment Program, as well as the Open Enrollment Reinsurance Program. In its place, the Ohio Health Insurance Risk Pool would be created to provide health care coverage to individuals who are unable to obtain affordable health care coverage in any other manner. This would eliminate the annual periods of open enrollment that sickness and accident insurers, health insurance corporations, and multiple employer welfare arrangements (MEWAs) are currently required to hold. “The Ohio Health Insurance Risk Pool would provide a state fund for those without health insurance coverage. We would support this concept and have various suggestions for funding. We would theoretically be able to reach ten times more individuals than the Open Enrollment Program does currently”, says Womer Benjamin.

House Bill 5 / Senate Bill 5 would permit small employers to offer health care plans that do not provide benefits otherwise required by law. The bill provides for the operation of health savings accounts that are consistent with federal law, and places a limit on an insured’s liability for co-payments and deductibles under a health benefit plan. ODI Director Womer Benjamin asserts that the bill “would provide more options for small businesses, and we are hopeful that that will pass”.

THE MASSACHUSETTS EXAMPLE

On April 4, 2006, Massachusetts House Bill 4850 was overwhelmingly passed by the state legislature. All Massachusetts residents will be required to obtain health insurance coverage by July 1, 2007. The state’s plan dictates that businesses with more than ten employees that do not provide health insurance coverage will be charged a fee of as much as $295 a year for each employee. Government subsidies to private insurance plans will provide affordable health insurance to a greater number of the working poor, and individuals who can afford private health plans will be penalized on their state income taxes if they do not have coverage. Should Ohio consider a similar plan in order to achieve nearly universal health insurance coverage? Ohio Department of Insurance Director Ann Womer Benjamin says that we need to “watch Massachusetts and evaluate the plan’s success and funding”. “Ohio has a larger number of uninsured individuals and is different than Massachusetts, politically.”

Ohioans have a large selection of health insurance carriers and government programs to choose from. Regardless of the provider, it is extremely important for individuals to obtain a health insurance plan. Director Womer Benjamin emphasizes that she is “concerned with people who don’t think they need health insurance coverage”.

About The Ohio Department of Insurance

The Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) is an informative resource for those seeking information regarding health insurance options in the state. ODI asserts that its mission is to be “responsive to and safeguard consumer interests through education and vigilance while promoting a stable and competitive marketplace among insurance providers”. The Ohio Department of Insurance can help uninsured persons sort through their options, depending on their individual circumstances. For more information, call the ODI Consumer Hotline at 1-800-686-1526.

The Department is headed by Director Ann Womer Benjamin, who was appointed in January of 2003, and is the first woman to hold this position. Prior to this appointment, Womer Benjamin served in the Ohio House of Representatives for eight years.

Tags: health insurance options open enrollment program

Temporary Health Insurance

Temporary health insurance, also known as short-term health insurance plans or short-term medical insurance, is an insurance policy valid only for a limited period of time. Health insurance is defined as a type of insurance plan whereby the insurer covers the medical expenses of the insured when he/she becomes sick due to covered causes, or due to accidents.

Temporary health insurance provides ideal protection for persons who are in-between jobs, employed part-time, waiting for permanent health insurance to commence, attending school or recently graduated, and temporarily without health insurance for any reason.

Temporary plans provide a person the freedom of selecting any doctor or hospital. They also have a deductible scheme for the individual as well as the family. A person under 65 years of age and children under 19 or 25 (if a full-time student) are eligible to apply for temporary health insurance. The insurer may be a government organization or a private agency. Normally, the temporary health insurance can be purchased for periods as short as 30 days or up to 360 days.

The important point to remember when considering this type of insurance plan is that the insurance should not be seen as an alternative for standard, long-term health insurance. The plan is only intended to provide treatment for unforeseen illness or injury. Temporary health insurance is also exempt from Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which means that the plan does not have any guarantees. Once the limited time frame of the insurance ends, the insured may or may not be able to purchase extra health insurance, depending on his health at that occasion.

Temporary health insurance plan is a good option for those to whom a full insurance plan is not available. There are also low-cost health insurance plans, which are affordable plans designed for healthy people who are temporarily without health insurance.

Tags: permanent health insurance temporary health insurance

Health Insurance Fraud: What You Should Know

Health insurance fraud represents one of America’s largest taxpayer rip-offs ever, costing Americans literally billions of dollars every year.

Due to rampant deception, scams and abuse in the health care system, consumers are forced to pay the price–literally–through escalating medical costs and rising health insurance premiums.

And government programs like Medicare and Medicaid, designed to help the low-income and elderly, represent two of the biggest losers of all.

Health Insurance Scams

According to the Insurance Information Institute, health providers and facilities such as doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic labs and attorneys routinely attempt to defraud the health insurance system…with devastating results.

How do they do it? In a number of ways, including:

  1. Billing health insurance companies for expensive treatments, tests or equipment patients never had or never received
  2. Double- or triple-billing health insurers for the same treatments
  3. Giving health care recipients unnecessary, dangerous, or life-threatening treatments
  4. Selling low-cost health insurance coverage from fake insurance companies
  5. Stealing medical information and using it to bill health insurance companies for phantom treatments

If health insurance fraud knocks on your door, these types of scams may leave you with medical debts, damaged credit ratings, falsified health records, a high level of stress and overpriced health insurance premiums…or the inability to get any health insurance at all.

So what can you do about it?

Report it; then fight back!

What to Watch For

The first step to fighting health insurance fraud is keeping your eyes and ears open for abuse.

Be especially watchful for providers who:

  • Charge your health insurance company for services you never received or medical procedures you don’t need
  • Give you prescriptions for controlled substances for no justified medical reason
  • Bill your health insurance company for brand-name drugs when you actually get generics
  • Misrepresent cosmetic or other health care procedures not usually covered by health insurance plans as covered

If you notice a health care provider doing any of these things, keep all supporting paperwork handy for reference, and then contact your health insurance company to let them know.

Then, if you’re a Medicare or Medicaid recipient, call the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services and report the abuse.

Finally, contact your state department of insurance or the local police.

Fighting Health Insurance Fraud

To keep yourself from falling victim to health insurance fraud, take the following steps to fight back:

* Check with your state insurance department to make sure your health insurance company is licensed in your state.

* Check out your health insurance company for consumer complaints, fraud convictions and bankruptcies through your state department of insurance.

* Keep detailed medical records.

* Carefully review your billing statements.

* Never sign blank insurance claim forms.

* Avoid salespeople offering free health services or advice.

* Protect your medical records and information.

* Make sure you know what your health insurance policy covers–and what it doesn’t.

* Never pay your health insurance premiums in cash.

* Be wary if you’re asked to pay a full year’s premium up front.

* Be on guard against medical providers claiming to be connected with federal programs or the government.

* Beware of health insurance companies offering you coverage at an unreasonably low price.

* Ask your health insurance provider about anything you don’t understand regarding your bills.

Making a Difference

Protect your right to health insurance, lower your premiums and keep your medical information safe. All it takes is a little education, a watchful eye, and the willingness to make a difference!

Tags: health insurance fraud health insurance premiums

Florida Health Insurance Company

Shopping for an appropriate Florida health insurance can sometimes be overwhelming. If your employer does not sponsor any health insurance policy, then it is better to find out an ideal policy that suits you the best.

A Florida health insurance company offers health insurance protection for the residents of Florida. These insurance companies agree to pay health insurance coverage for the insured if the insured becomes sick due to covered causes, or due to accidents. Most Florida health insurance companies offer various health insurance packages including individual health insurance, group health insurance, large group health insurance, custom designed large group employee benefits plans, health savings accounts for individuals, life insurance, small group health insurance (including HSA, health savings accounts and HRA, health reimbursement accounts), Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans, Medicare supplement plans, annuities, long term care, international health, major medical, and life insurance.

Even though most of the health insurance providers offer the same insurance schemes, before selecting any Florida health insurance company you need to be well aware of the various health plans available in the market. Indemnity Plans and Managed Care Plans are the two popular heath insurance plans offered by these companies. It is advisable to do a comparative study before zeroing in any of these plans.

Nowadays most Florida health insurance companies offer their services online. This helps the customers to check a Florida health insurance company’s website to know their plans and services. Also, all these health insurance providers offer free online quotes which help the customers to compare the rates of various insurance packages. The premium amount of these packages varies with the Florida health insurance company you selected. Study the pros and cons of all the insurance plans and understand them before deciding on any insurance policy. Also, you need to be familiar with the insurance terms such as co-payments, premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance.

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