Archive for September, 2009
Individual Health Insurance Illinois – Planning for the Long
Contrary to popular belief, individual health insurance Illinois does not have to be costly. Insurance reform or not, Illinois has a very good system in place to provide insurance for its citizens. From state run institutions to private companies, there is really no reason to be without insurance in the Illinois area. The first things to be discussed are the benefits of using short term health insurance. Short term health insurance is designed for the individual who needs some kind of coverage and who, most likely, recently lost a job with an employer offered insurance plan. These plans can last anywhere from six months to a full year and, while not as versatile as other plans, can be a quick alternative to having no coverage while you are looking for a new job with new insurance. Next is long term insurance.
Long term insurance is the individual health insurance Illinois plan that people are most familiar with. These types of insurances last as long as you keep paying and stay within the pre-set limits imposed by the company. Depending on the plan, they can cover everything from prescription drugs and hospitalization to pregnancy and prenatal care. Like short-term insurance, there are limits to how much medical coverage you can receive in a lifetime and not every plan will cover the things that you need resulting in “gaps” which require additional protection, usually in the form of Medicare Insurance Supplements.
Medicare Insurance Supplements are forms of individual health insurance Illinois citizens can use to complement their existing benefits. While not complete plans on their own, these plans work very well to balance some of the missing pieces in Medicare coverage, such prescription medications and certain types of at-home care. Then there are the state sponsored programs like Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan or CHIP, for people whose medical conditions are keeping them from finding insurance, and the Kidcare program, which provides low-cost coverage for children.
Individual health insurance Illinois plans are quite numerous and you should not try to figure them out all on your own. To do so puts both your money and your coverage in jeopardy. That is why you should speak to an expert at some point in your search. Also, scan the internet for websites that let you compare quotes from different companies without having to deal with rhetoric and insurance plan advertisements.
Randy Gillespie is the owner of Focus Insurance Group, specializing in Individual Health Insurance Illinois. To learn more visit his site at www.FocusInsGroup.com
Individual Health Insurance Illinois – Sometimes You Have To Look Out for Yourself
No matter what state you live in, you will need to find a reliable health insurance company. Your specific needs may be different from everyone else’s but you still need coverage. The difference between other states and individual health insurance Illinois comes from the overall level of coverage and complete range of services specific to Illinois. That, in and of itself, makes the health insurance industry in Illinois perhaps the best in the country. One of the main reasons for this comes from the coverage that the Illinois state government provides for its citizens. Among these is the KidCare program, which gives insurance coverage to all low-income children that qualify. However, this is just one of the options in Illinois.
The Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan is another option for individual health insurance Illinois. The program is divided into three plans, 2, 3 and 5, and if you qualify, then the program covers almost every form of medical expense, including counseling and diagnostic work. The major difference between the plans is Medicare. Only with Plan 2 can you be eligible for Medicare and still qualify. This plan transitions directly into Medicare Insurance Supplement plans.
For senior citizens that use Medicare for their individual health insurance Illinois needs, many companies offer supplemental insurance plans. The sad truth is that Medicare is not a perfect system. Anyone who watches the news knows that. Even when people have it, they may still not have the protection that they need. Supplemental insurance works with Medicare to extend your coverage and may even cover some of the high deductibles that you are subject to. Although, the program has two separate out-of-pocket maximum fees, one for prescription drugs and one for everything else, the maximum copayment you can make on any medication is $100, regardless of the 20% copayment restriction.
For the “ordinary” insurance consumer, there are long-term and short-term plans as well as catastrophic plans, for people who don’t need lots of coverage but want to have a safety net in case of injury or sudden illness. Even then there are a number of insurance policies that are available. Individual health insurance Illinois is a big market and you will probably need assistance at times. So, you will need to check quotes at a variety of companies before you make your final decision.
Randy Gillespie is the owner of Focus Insurance Group, specializing in Individual Health Insurance Illinois. To learn more visit his site at www.FocusInsGroup.com
Health Insurance in Illinois – Coverage Even Without a Blanket
Health insurance in Illinois is a very large topic and with good reason. The fact is Illinois, with its twelve million residents, is probably one of the best states to live in when you need health insurance, especially if you qualify for low income status. There are all sorts of insurance options for you to choose from, including long-term and short-term, as well catastrophic health insurance for the “healthy” individual. You can even find great deals on group health insurance plans for you and your employees, assuming that you are a small business owner. Basically, any type of insurance program you can think of exists here. For people who are overwhelmed by that prospect, there are professional insurance agents that can help you along.
Many people feel that they can find health insurance in Illinois all on their own. They are right. They can find any number of companies that are more than happy to have their business, not the least of which are MedPlan Access and BCBS Illinois. However, finding “a” plan is not the same as finding “the” plan that you need. Imagine the scenario of a single, childless man paying additional fees for prenatal coverage. An agent looks at you, just you, and helps you to tailor a plan to fit your specific needs.
Everyone who has ever searched for health insurance in Illinois has heard of Medicare and knows that it can be a big help for senior citizens and people with disabilities. However, people also know about some of the problems that are associated with Medicare, including a lack of coverage for certain people and conditions and a good prescription plan. In either case, you will need a supplemental insurance plan to fill in the holes that Medicare leaves behind. A good agent will sit down with you, go over your information and help you find the plan, A through L, which will complement the coverage that you already have, saving you money on “protection” that you don’t need.
The state of health insurance in Illinois is probably better than it is anywhere else in the country. The wide selection of plans is both a positive and a negative. Whereas it is wonderful to have so many options in health insurance, it can be mind boggling to find the one that is right for you. Not only that, you could also miss out on a very good plan because you were unaware that it fit your particular scenario. In a nutshell, that is why you need a qualified insurance agent.
Randy Gillespie is the owner of Focus Insurance Group, specializing in Health Insurance In Illinois. To learn more visit his site at www.FocusInsGroup.com
Health Insurance in Illinois – Covered in All Climates
Individuals looking for health insurance in Illinois have a variety of options. Illinois is served by some of the biggest insurance companies in the country, and most of these companies deal with both long-term and short-term plans. As a result, individuals are covered even if they are merely trying to transition from one major plan to another. Nevertheless, in the event that you are a business owner, you can also apply for group insurance for yourself and your employees. The benefit with a group plan is that, because so many people are paying into it, resulting in reduced premiums. Needless to say, because of the wide range of options, people in Illinois have a lot of financial freedom when it comes to health insurance.
Of course, in any state, Medicare and Medicaid are going to be major sources of medical coverage for people who are elderly, disabled or both. However, these programs have many flaws. Be it a lack of prescription coverage or a high deductible, for many people these are simply not enough. People in need of additional health insurance in Illinois have the option of turning to supplemental insurance. Because it “fixes” the problems associated with Medicare, this new kind of insurance has been dubbed “Medigap” by its customers. Of course, this service caters mostly to senior citizens. Families and children have plans like Kidcare and Familycare, which are government programs that offer low-cost alternatives to families in need of health insurance in Illinois.
The problem with many insurance companies is that they do not wish to cover high risk individuals. So, for people who are unable to find health insurance in Illinois, there is something called the CHIP program. The CHIP, or comprehensive health insurance plan, program was made for people who either cannot afford healthcare through private companies or who have been rejected based on preexisting medical conditions. However, the CHIP program may not be right for your situation.
Finding health insurance in Illinois can be difficult. With so many options, it’s easy to become confused or to miss out on a plan because you didn’t know that you qualified for it. The best thing to do to avoid trouble is to search around. Talk to representatives and contact websites that let you compare quotes from different companies so that you can find the best deal.
Randy Gillespie is the owner of Focus Insurance Group, specializing in Health Insurance In Illinois. To learn more visit his site at www.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
How to Get Competitive Health Insurance in Illinois
Getting competitive health insurance in Illinois is a whole lot easier that you might think.
How easy is easy? Really, it is a lot easier to get competitive health insurance quotes in Illinois by doing smart surfing online and finding a site that offers side-by-side competitive quotes. Not just a few things side-by-side, but a site that offers customers the best bang for their buck.
Keep in mind that not all the things one sees on an online insurance website are always applicable to your particular situation. For instance, you may find a totally outstanding quote and note that it is the “preferred” rate. That means you have to meet certain criteria in order to be eligible for that particular Illinois health insurance policy. This is one of the major reasons you will want to talk to the agent who owns and runs the website you are surfing, to clarify any questions you might have about the quotes you will receive.
Sometimes just reading quotes side-by-side online, or side-by-side comparisons made by an expert health insurance broker after you have provided your information makes sense and sometimes there are unanswered questions that can be cleared up by an insurance expert. Always take the time to carefully compare the health insurance plans you see online, paying particular attention to two things – what is included in the plan and what the price happens to be.
There are various choices of health insurance plans that may be tailor-made to suit your circumstances with some tweaking. You will definitely have a wide variety of carriers to choose from when you find an Illinois health insurance website with up-to-date information.
You might be wondering why you have a good chance of finding a “deal” on Medicare supplements. This happens because each private insurance carrier has the option to offer Medicare (if they do offer Medicare, as not all insurers do) at a rate they choose. So it makes a lot of sense to have a health insurance expert provide you with side-by-side comparisons after providing your information. Of course you will want to make sure that the Medicare supplements you want will dovetail with the Medicare plan you ultimately choose.
If at any time you have questions while getting your competitive Illinois health insurance quotes, reach for the phone and make that personal call to the expert. It goes without saying that you only want the best in Illinois health insurance for you and your family.
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
The Pre-Existing Conditions Conundrum
There are times that finding an Illinois health insurance plan suitable for a pre-existing health condition is difficult, if not next to impossible. What do people do about that?
The first thing to understand when dealing with Illinois health insurance is what the definition of a pre-existing health condition happens to be. To simplify a sometimes long and drawn out description, a pre-existing condition is one where a person has seen a doctor and has been diagnosed with a “condition or illness,” and has been treated prior to applying for Illinois health insurance.
The tricky situation then becomes the fact that many Illinois health insurance companies use the application questionnaires to implement an exclusion period to defend themselves against people with pre-existing health conditions. It is often used as a loophole to deny insurance, rider it or accept it, but with a higher premium.
The conundrum in Illinois is that if a person is looking for individual Illinois health insurance and they have a pre-existing condition, the insurance company can turn them down unless the person happens to be eligible for an Illinois Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, HIPAA. Without getting too technical, HIPAA protects Illinois health coverage for workers and their families if they change or lose their jobs and provides protection for those with pre-existing medical conditions by limiting their exclusion period.
While it’s a good thing to have that law in place to protect people who need Illinois health insurance, the unfortunate thing is that the law hasn’t gotten rid of the ability of insurance companies to deny health insurance to those with pre-existing health conditions or even excluding medical conditions. What this boils down to is that there’s only guarantee issue in State sponsored plans and in insurance company funded plans. If an applicant for Illinois health insurance meets six HIPAA criteria, they are eligible for guaranteed issue HIPAA. In a pinch, this may be the only route those with major pre-existing health conditions are able to take.
Illinois health insurance companies all tend to handle pre-existing health conditions differently, so it’s best to do some serious research online and in person to find out what company and policy will be applicable. It’s a given that individual plans have more exclusions and are more expensive than group plans. When in doubt, ask a local insurance agent what is available and what the requirements are to apply.
Some of the most important insurance companies in the state of Illinois handle pre-existing conditions a little bit differently, because of this it is important to do some research and actually shop around for a policy before deciding to apply. Individual plans have more exclusions than group plans and that is why they are quite a bit less expensive, because they are more restrictive.
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
Keeping Networks Is a Good Thing
Sometimes, the more things change, the more they remain the same. This seems especially true when talking about Illinois health insurance.
It wasn’t too long ago that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois told their members that one of their hospitals, St. John’s, was making the decision to discontinue its status as a Medicare Select contracting network hospital. That decision, which caused a lot of pandemonium, was supposed to kick-in on the 17th of June, 2009.
Of course the implications for a decision like this that affected Illinois health insurance echoed far and wide, with the major complaint, aside from what people would do to replace the service they were getting, was having to change to another type of plan that was more expensive. An agreement was ironed out where Blue Cross Blue Shield helped people who’d lost their original Illinois health insurance plans to get reinstated and credited for premium increases that arose due to changing plans.
This kind of thing raises the very specter of changes coming to the health care system over the next few years. And along with the changes come the questions of whether or not the changes will be beneficial. This is one of the toughest questions to answer with any degree of certainty.
It would involve having a crystal ball and a system that would address everyone’s medical needs; a system that would be affordable and accessible to all. Comprehensive health care reform is supposedly coming, and likely won’t come any too soon given the current state of the health system. In the meantime we muddle along with what works the best at any given time, and that includes Medicare Select.
Medicare Select is basically an Illinois health insurance Medicare supplemental insurance plan that provides you with choices. They also have the advantage of being priced at an even more reasonable level than the usual versions of Medigap insurance policies. The one major difference that you might want to be aware of is that Medicare Select acts like a managed care plan. That simply means that you’d have to use doctors and hospitals that are in an Illinois health insurance network. In addition, your insurance company will only pay full benefits if you got your medical care from a preferred health provider who is, once again, a part of the insurance company’s designated network.
Let’s take a quick look at an example. If you go to see a preferred provider physician, Medicare pays the approved charges. Your supplemental insurer pays the full benefits under your policy. However, if you choose to use services outside the plan network, the plan may deny the claim entirely or only pick up a very limited portion.
So really, there are three things you need to know and remember about a Medicare Select plan. The first thing is that it is considered to be an Illinois health insurance supplemental product, just about the same as Medigap insurance. In other words, when you buy a Medicare Select policy, you’re getting a standard Medigap plan. And, as we already pointed out (but it’s worth mentioning again) pretty much the only difference between a standard Medigap policy and a Medicare Select policy is that the Select policies are managed care plans. To get full benefits from the Select plans, you will need to use designated hospitals, clinics and even certain doctors. This will explain why these plans are priced lower than similar Medigap policies.
Something else you also need to know about Medicare Select plans is that they are typically only offered in larger cities in Illinois. If you live outside a large city, you may have other options. To find out what those options are, contact an expert Illinois insurance agent in your area.
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
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