Health Insurance: How to Apply

If you're wondering how to apply for health insurance, be aware that application is the second step of the process -- after you've researched different policies and compared prices and benefits. Whether you apply online or off will depend on your comfort level with the computer, and also whether you're applying via a group plan.

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Before you sit down to fill out an application, you should gather information you will likely need when filling out an application. The names and addresses of doctors for yourself and your family members, the dates of the most recent visits, and information about your most recent insurance policy,

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Through Your Employer

If you're enrolling in a health insurance plan through your employer, you probably won't need a medical examination, but you may have to wait for the company's next enrollment period before you can apply. However, if you're a new hire, you likely can apply immediately. The application process for enrolling in a group plan is quite simple, because most plans will enroll everybody, regardless of pre-existing conditions and current state of health.

Just fill out an enrollment form, which includes personal information like: name, address, social security number, designation of the primary insured and all dependents (including the names, ages, dates of birth and social security numbers for all dependents), employment information including date of hire, and the type of health insurance coverage you select. You'll probably have to provide information about your prior health insurance coverage, including the insurance company name and policy number.

The completed application goes back to the benefits coordinator, who will process your form, and you're finished.

On Your Own

If you're not applying for group coverage, the steps are similar, except you'll be handling all the paper work yourself. Some insurance companies will send an insurance agent to discuss the application process with you. In these cases, the agent will often work with you to gather the necessary documentation, coordinate an in-home medical examination, and collect your pre-payment check.

The whole process is so simple that some people decide to apply for health insurance online. To do so, just visit the health insurance company's web site where you'll find an online application form. You'll have to provide the same type of personal and employment information as above, and you'll just enter it onto an online application form. When you're finished, click the submit button and the system takes over.

Applying for health insurance online really is painless, reliable and fast. However, if you are not comfortable providing that amount of personal information over the internet, it's probably a good idea to apply for health insurance offline.

Either way, don't wait until you need it. Because then it might be too late.

Health Insurance: How to Apply

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Health Insurance; COBRA; OBRA; HIPAA; Medicare; Definitions, Relationships

Health Insurance; COBRA; OBRA; HIPAA; Medicare. If asked, could you state that you knew that all 5 of these topics had the same thing in common: medical insurance coverage for you and, perhaps, your family? Would you know the qualifications for each? Well, in this article, we will discuss them. For a timeline that depicts, graphically, the time relationship between them, please see the timeline in http://www.disabilitykey.com.

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HEALTH INSURANCE Coverage from Work

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If we are lucky, we, and/or our spouse, work for a company that provides, as a benefit, health insurance coverage for us and our family. If so, we are very lucky. Even if that is true, there are some key things that you might want to look at to see if you have ENOUGH coverage.

1) From your Human Resources Department (or wherever else you would go to get information about your health insurance) get what is called a "Summary Plan Description" (SPD). This document should be kept where you can always find it, as it contains all the information you will need about what your insurance covers and what it doesn't.

2) Look up "Coverage" and "non-coverage" in your SPD.

These will tell you what your plan covers and doesn't cover. You need to see if, perhaps, you or one of the covered members of your family has a condition or circumstance that might not be covered, where you need additional coverage. For example, let's say that your family has a history of cancer; perhaps your plan restricts the number of hospitalization days for care; or, restricts the days per condition. In this case, (like my children) you might want to get additional "cancer insurance" (I think that AFLAC might provide this type of coverage).

It would be a good idea to contact a Health Insurance benefit Broker and ask him/her to read your SPD and see if you have any gaps in coverage. They then can help you supplement coverage BEFORE YOU NEED IT!

NO HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE

You might be one of the growing members of our society that, through one circumstance or another, does NOT have health insurance coverage for your family. In this case, I strongly encourage you to contact a Health Insurance Broker and get immediate coverage of what is called "catestrophic" (not sure if I spelled this correctly) coverage. In this type of coverage, you will generally have large deductibles, but will have coverage if, say, one of you has to go into the hospital.

CONTACTING A BENEFITS INSURANCE BROKER

Whenever you call or email a Health Insurance Broker, it is very important to prepare ahead of time. WHAT, specifically are you looking for; how much can you afford to pay every month; what circumstances do you want to make sure that your family is covered for. In this way, you can make sure to focus on your critical needs.

COBRA

COBRA is an acronym ( how can I spell acronym correctly, yet not be sure that I spelled catestrophic correctly?) that stands for: Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. Basically, it is a federal law that allows you to pay for your Company-paid health insurance, as an active member, if you no longer work for that company for, generally 18 additional months.

1) COBRA is "triggered" (that is, you, or a covered member of your family, become eligible for COBRA) by events such as the following: resignation from the company; termination (FOR ANY REASON) from the company; divorce of a spouse; a covered chile's birthday makes them ineligible for coverage. These are the main "triggering" events for COBRA.

2) Now, when eligible for COBRA, you will be asked to pay for 100% to 105% of the company's employee/employee and family coverage amount. You should get a letter from your company explaining what that amount will be. BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO TAKE COBRA, there are some important things for you to consider.

What will be your cost, and what will be the coverage for that cost?

Sometimes the cost is too much for the coverage. In these cases, you might want to select HIPAA coverage, instead (see HIPAA below).

Or, you might just want to get catestrophic coverage as was mentioned earlier, and wait for full coverage under your next job.

Part of this decision should be whether or not you or a member of your family has what is called a "pre-exisitng coverage" condition.

Here again, before automatically taking COBRA, it would be wise to contact a Benefits Insurance Broker and give him/her all of your options, and get their input. I have worked extensively with a Benefits Insurance Broker, and he is absolutely fantastic!

OBRA

What, you ask, is OBRA? I've never heard of it, you say, and no one I know has heard of it either! Well, that's because, 99% of Human Resource or Benefit folks that I know have never heard of it! OBRA is a federal law that was passed that extends COBRA for an additional 11 months FOR DISABILITY PURPOSES ONLY!! Why, you ask, is this important? Thanks for asking, let's see if I can explain.

If you are as nieve (did I spell this wrong too? sorry!) as I was when I first started looking to bridge my health insurance from working to Medicare, I assumed that when I got through all of the hoops to qualify for SSDI (Social Security Disabililty Insurance) I'd IMMEDIATELY be eligible for Medicare, RIGHT??? WRONG!!!!

When you FINALLY qualify for SSDI, you have to wait for 5 months before you get your first check. AND, the rules state that, you are eligible for Medicare 2 years (24 months) FROM THE DATE OF YOUR FIRST SSDI PAYMENT. Well, if you add 24 + 5 you get, 29 months between qualifying for SSDI, and Medicare coverage.

OK, I said earlier that COBRA is for 18 months of coverage. Well guess what 18 months of COBRA + 11 months of OBRA equal - 29 months!

BUT, there are two catches to OBRA; first of all, you have a small window of 30 - 60 days to apply ( this window opens the date of your SSDI approval); and, it can cost up to 150% of your plan coverage amount. BUT, if you have a "previously existing condition" this might be the best way for you to proceed.

Again, it is important to contact a Health Insurance Broker to help you with the risk/cost ratio of all of these situations.

It is also improtant to know all of these deadlines as you plan to ensure that you and your family have important health insurance coverage.

HIPAA

HIPAA is a federal law that is called, briefly, the "portability" law for health insurance. What that means is that when you leave a group (read company-paid plan), the carrier that provided that plan, must offer to you, another plan, different from COBRA, when you leave the group coverage. Generally this will be what is called a "bare bones" plan. Again, the best thing for you to do is to call/email a Health Insurance/Benefits Broker with all of your information: SPD, COBRA info, HIPAA info, needs, cost limits, and let him/her help you find the optimum plan coverage for you.

MEDICARE

OK, now, finally, we've reached Medicare! BUT (you really didn't think it would be that easy, did you?) if you have qualified for Medicare because of disability, there are RESTRICTIONS (of COURSE there are!).

First of all, if you are qualifying for Medicare because of disability, you are probably under the age of 65 - normal retirement age.

Medicare coverage does NOT cover prescription drugs, which, those of us with disabilities probably need, and which cost lots.

But, Congress prescribed that states (all but 11) offer what is called "Medicare supplement" plans, some of which do offer prescription coverages.

BUT, these plans ARE NOT REQUIRED TO, and do not, offer these medicare supplement plans that offer prescription coverages to folks who qualify under age 65! So, if you are qualifying because of disability, your medical insurance plan doesn't cover one of your primary cost expenditures!

Here again is where you need to contact a health insurance/benefit broker. Again, he/she can work with you, and your specific circumstances, to get you the coverage you need.

Hope that this information was helpful to you. If you have any questions, please feel to ask them by commenting on this blog, and I'll be happy to get you an answer.

Health Insurance; COBRA; OBRA; HIPAA; Medicare; Definitions, Relationships

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Components - Health

The three basic tools for completing a physical examination are medical history, hands-on examination, and diagnostic/laboratory tests.

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A medical history is the most important part of the physical examination, especially during the first visit with your physician. It includes a history of habits, lifestyle, family history, and symptoms. Many physicians use health-risk appraisals, detailed questionnaires that provide information about health habits.

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This is one area of the physical examination for which a patient can prepare. By following the guidelines for communicating with your physician presented earlier in this chapter, you can help your physician obtain an accurate health profile. This is important because a diagnosis can usually be made with only a thorough history and hands-on examination.

The hands-on examination is the second part of the physical examination. It consists of an examination by touching, looking, and listening.

Physicians can feel or palpate for enlarged glands, growths, and tumors with procedures, such as the breast examination, pelvic examination, rectal examination, and hernia examination. Thumping the back and chest lets the physician know whether any fluid has built up in or around the lungs. Tapping a knee for reflexes may reveal nervous system damage. A stethoscope is the physician's basic listening device and is used to listen to the heart, lungs, abdomen, and glands located near the surface of the skin. Possible problems that can be detected with the stethoscope range from a heart murmur to such conditions as poor circulation, lung infection, intestinal blockage, and an overactive thyroid gland.

Physicians have access to a number of instruments to visually inspect for problems. An ophthalmoscope is used to view the brain by looking into the eye. The first sign of some brain diseases is an unhealthy looking optic nerve. Leakage in the blood vessels of the eye may be a sign of diabetes or hypertension. An otoscope is used to inspect the ear, particularly the tympanic membrane. The proctoscope and sigmoidoscope are used to examine the rectum and colon. The laryngoscope and bronchoscope provide a look at the larynx and bronchial tubes.

The last part of the physical examination includes diagnostic laboratory tests, which may vary from a simple urinalysis to invasive dye tests. The effectiveness of these tests receives mixed reviews. Tests conducted for specific symptoms may be invaluable in pinpointing disabling conditions. They may be just as valuable for what they do not reveal as they are for what they do reveal. This can be reassuring to the patient and physician.

On the negative side, many physicians rely too heavily on laboratory tests. Patients often demand or acquiesce to more tests than necessary, sometimes more than is good for them. Ten years ago, one fourth of all medical tests contributed little to health. For example, when researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, studied 2000 patients hospitalized for surgery, they found that 60% of the blood tests routinely ordered were unnecessary. Only 1 in about 450 revealed abnormalities, and they were ignored because they were either not noticed or dismissed as not significant. The researchers concluded that if a thorough history turns up no hint of a medical problem, routine testing is a waste.

Many times tests are recommended more for the purpose of protecting the doctor against medical malpractice suits, rather than for their diagnostic value. This practice, which is called defensive medicine, paints a sobering picture of the difficulty in making medical decisions for doctors and patients alike. A doctor may know with 99% certainty a particular diagnosis but order a test or procedure any way as protection against liability should he or she be sued later. Malpractice suits are a reality; they have increased 300% in the past 30 years. Almost two thirds of physicians say that the threat of liability influences them to order extra tests. 28 Of course, patients always have the right to decline a prescribed test. It should be a two-way decision between patient and doctor that is based on its potential for an effective medical intervention.

Components - Health

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Should Everyone Have Health Care?

Some historians claim disease has wiped out more people than all wars combined. Yet, in spite of the known historical record, Americans continue to ignore the inevitable consequences of contagious disease; consequences including significant preventable illness even for those with health coverage, large productivity losses and national leading to global plague.

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Some plead we should care about the less fortunate, while others pretend private care is preferable, in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Today, U.S. citizens pay much more for coverage than citizens of any other nation, yet we are ranked 37th in health care quality and even lower in availability. Some former Soviet block and Southeast Asian nations offer better coverage; even Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate.

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Over 45 million U.S. residents have zero health care; at least 80 million more have highly inadequate coverage. More and more citizens with expensive plans are being refused coverage for expensive problems. Every week, more citizens lose employer-paid care and retirement benefits, including long-term coverage for less healthy retirement years.

Depending on provider, 10-30% of every dollar spent on private coverage goes to overhead not related to care, while less than 5% for government-sponsored Medicare does, even though Medicare helps the oldest and sickest among us. Very plainly, private health care as we currently have, is not the solution.

Politicians on both sides of the political charade continue to pretend they care about America's security, while continuing to ignore our immediate health care reality. Whether or not we care about our neighbor is only part of a larger equation, because disease knows no boundaries. Children of the poor can, have and will, infect children of the wealthy. Medical facts clearly demonstrate that private coverage is no guarantee against contagious diseases.

In reality, less than 1% of U.S citizens can afford to pay for their own catastrophic needs. All forms of private health insurance are "shared responsibility" programs, dependent on the majority of those covered to remain healthy, while majority pay-outs go to the sickest minority.

Yet, right-wing media pretends coverage is not a "shared responsibility", that we should all take care of our own selves. People who claim this have never faced 0,000 per year cancer treatments on a working class income. And they clearly don't understand their own immediate financial jeopardy if they were to lose coverage. Or, what can and will happen to their own children, if their neighbor's children remain uncovered.

Scientists claim our planet is overdue for a major disease epidemic, while history clearly dictates that all of our politics, education, science and weapons won't protect us against the onslaught of disease. And the media is clearly failing American citizens by not instructing us accordingly.

Is it fair to say that citizens who do not push for immediate affordable and adequate health coverage for all persons residing permanently or temporarily within our borders, are decidedly unpatriotic? Is it fair to say they don't even care about their own children? You decide.

Should Everyone Have Health Care?

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A Review of The Doctors 5-Minute Health Fixes: The Prescription for a Lifetime of Great Health

Many people know Dr. Travis Stork from The Bachelor: Paris, but his regular gig is hosting 'The Doctors' television program.

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'The Doctors' was launched in September 2008, and won an Emmy award in 2010. The daytime show features discussion of wide-ranging health topics by four real doctors -- Lisa Masterson, Andrew Ordon, Jim Sears, and Travis Stork.

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'5 Minute Health Fixes' was published by Rodale in 2010. According to Rodale, the launching of the book is timely based on a report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claiming that nine out of 10 adults have difficulty following routine medical advice because they could not understand it.

The premise of the book is that a person's health can be greatly improved by making small lifestyle changes that take less than five minutes to do. Many people find time to be their stumbling block in regards to their health. The list of things you need to do regarding diet, exercise, and doctor's visits can seem overwhelming.

Rather than get caught up in the overwhelm, why not pick out a few things you can do in 5 minutes that will actually make a difference? Start small and work your way towards the bigger things. Trying to change your entire lifestyle at one time is a recipe for disaster. Most people aren't up for that sort of change.

Of course, there are many health books out there, but I like this one because of the variety of health problems addressed in the book. It seems to have something for everyone at every stage of life.

Why I Liked 5 Minute Health Fixes

I liked the book for several reasons --

First of all, it has an index and a table of contents. Yes, these are simple things, but it's amazing how many 'reference' books don't have them.
The advice is from experts. All the 'the doctors' are actually practicing MDs. There's little to no pseudoscience. The show didn't win an Emmy for nothing.
Bite sized bits of information. Who has time or inclination to wade through reams of content when you're having a health problem? The advice is simple enough to be implemented quickly. No overwhelm here.

You may or may not agree with everything in the book, but we all have our biases. Bottom line, if you enjoy 'The Doctors' on television, you'll find their book equally satisfying. It's definitely worth adding as a resource to your personal health library.

A Review of The Doctors 5-Minute Health Fixes: The Prescription for a Lifetime of Great Health

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Health, Dental and Vision Insurance - How To Find An Affordable Solution

Are you in need of health insurance coverage? Are you in need of health dental vision insurance for yourself alone or do you need a plan for your entire family? The reason I'm asking this is because there are affordable insurance plans available to you that you may not be aware of. Most of the time you'll just need to do an in depth search. You may also want to consider cutting your coverage back in order to make your policy more affordable. What this means is to reduce the amount of coverage on individual types of protection down to state minimum. You could reduce your ambulance coverage from ,000 down to ,000.

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Another thing that you should consider is buying a discount dental plan instead of a traditional for your health dental vision insurance. Discount dental plans are not health insurance plans. They offer generous discounts on routine dental care for visiting dentists within their network. These dentists are no different than any other professional that you may have seen in the past. These dentists have agreed to accept less for their work in order to be paid in full for their services at the time of their appointment. It really is a winning scenario for both the dentist and the patient.

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There are discount plan options that may also include big discounts on vision, pharmacy, chiropractic services and more. You can use your discount card at major pharmacies and other major professionals.

Discount health plans are similar to discount dental where you visit a select doctor and receive a discount for paying cash in full. The main drawback with this type of plan for some people is that you must have decent credit because most companies will run a credit check on you. Discount dental, vision, etc does NOT require a credit check.

If you're in need of health dental vision insurance protection you should start off by getting a very affordable discount dental plan. This will take care of many of your immediate needs and save you a lot of money over time. After doing this then you can find an affordable health plan.

Health, Dental and Vision Insurance - How To Find An Affordable Solution

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Health Benefits of Vitamin B Complex

There are eight B vitamins in vitamin B complex as well as several related substances. The eight vitamins are thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pyridoxine (B6), cobalamine (B12), folic acid, pantothenic acid and biotin. The other related substances include choline, inositol and para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA).

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Although each individual vitamin or related substance performs a different function in the body, they all work together to maintain good health and vitality. A well balanced diet should provide us with all the B vitamins we require, but because they are water soluble and therefore not retained by the body, we need a daily dietary source.

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The majority of multivitamin and mineral supplements contain B-complex vitamins as well as other essential vitamins and minerals. Since multivitamin/mineral supplements are more complete than B-complex vitamins by themselves, multivitamin-mineral supplements are usually recommended to prevent deficiencies over individual vitamin supplements.

The Vitamin B Complex is essential for correct RNA and DNA synthesis and cell reproduction. As our Skin, Hair and Nails are constantly growing and renewing themselves we need the following B vitamins to ensure the good health of these structures - Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B9, Vitamin B12, Biotin and Choline. Deficiencies of any of these B Vitamins can lead to dry, grey skin, dermatitis, wrinkles, acne, rashes, falling hair and weak, splitting nails.

B1, known as thiamine, serves as a catalyst in carbohydrate metabolism and helps synthesize nerve-regulating substances. Deficiency can cause heart swelling, leg cramps, and muscular weakness. Rich food sources high in thiamine include liver, heart, and kidney meats, eggs, leafy green vegetables, nuts, legumes, berries, wheat germs, and enriched cereals. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is 1.5 mg. Some believe thiamine helps protect against alcoholism and that it is good for depression, stress, and anxiety. It is also said to improve mental ability and to help indigestion.

Most B-complex vitamins work together in synergy to provide a number of health benefits for the body. In general, they have been shown to enhance the nervous system and immune function, bolster metabolism, promote cell growth and division-including red blood cells which prevent anemia, and maintain healthy skin and muscle tone. They also work together to help combat stress, fatigue, depression, and cardiovascular disease.

The B-12 vitamin is of note because it is not available from plant products, making B-12 deficiency a concern for vegans. Manufacturers of plant-based foods will sometimes report B-12 content, leading to confusion about what sources yield B-12. The confusion arises because the standard US Pharmacopeia (USP) method for measuring the B-12 content does not measure the B-12 directly. Instead, it measures a bacterial response to the food.

Chemical variants of the B-12 vitamin found in plant sources are active for bacteria, but cannot be used by the human body. This same phenomenon can cause significant over-reporting of B-12 content in other types of foods as well.

The age of an individual will determine how much vitamin B complex they will take. There are several good benefits you can receive by taking vitamin B complex. Nervousness and pressure can be lessened if you take vitamin B complex. If you suffer from tiredness this can be reduced by taking vitamin B complex. In addition, a regular intake of vitamin B complex can help individuals recover sooner from sickness.

Health Benefits of Vitamin B Complex

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