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East Coast Health Insurance is the premier health insurance brokerage. Due to our success in the Florida health insurance market we have been able to add nearly the entire country to our website. We apologize ahead of time for the navigation as we are improving the website everyday. In the meantime this is the location for our all of national health insurance information including the national pages for some of the largest and respected health insurance companies that we offer. If you would like to see more about the health insurance plans available in your state then you can click on our free health insurance quote button above for instant health insurance quotes from all major health insurance companies as well as the individual health insurance companies in your state such as Unicare in Texas, or PacifiCare in California.
How Our Health Insurance Website is Set Up
Or if you are shopping around and want to read up more on the plans and programs available in your state you can click on your specific state in our sidebar to visit any of our individual health insurance states that we have put up. On the sub-domain of each state we have put up pages on not only the health insurance carriers, but on the government resource plans available to you if you need assistance.
Our health insurance website can be used to compare your current health insurance plan to the other medical insurance companies that we represent. Across the country this includes Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield (in nearly every state!), Cigna, Coventry, Humana, and United Health Care. Of course we have many other health insurance plans that are available in your state. For instance in Texas we have recently added health insurance plans from Unicare and other great companies.
So please visit your state’s health insurance page now for specific questions!
If you don’t currently have a health insurance policy, then we can get you quotes with every reputable company in the United States, and with every type of individual, family, and group health insurance plan from the new HSA plans to the more traditional HMO, PPO’s, POS plans and even the newest individual health insurance companies to release plans to the individual health insurance market including the new individual health plans released this year from Cigna, which are among the most affordable plans in many demographics nationwide.
We are also at the forefront of the Miami health insurance market offering revolutionary Florida health insurance plans including the new Miami Dade Blue plan from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida. Check your state for some new ideas in health insurance from many carriers as they react to the coming health care legislation.
To see which health insurance plans are available in your part of the country and what news plans are in your price range (such as the very interesting Tonik plans also from Blue Cross) just click any our health insurance quote buttons and you will see all of the major health insurance companies in your state instantly.
East Coast Health Insurance Will Get You Coverage!
East Coast Health Insurance is based in South Florida so obviously we have paid special attention to our Florida health insurance section. So I am quite certain we will answer your question about Florida health insurance if you have the time to go through our site.
We also offer Florida health insurance quotes from Avmed, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Coventry, Humana, United, and Vista, so if you just want to compare your health insurance plan to what is currently available you will find a great choice of plans to review.
Affordable Georgia Health Insurance Quote Now Online
Due to our success in Florida and popular demand we have been very busy working on our Georgia health insurance section. The health insurance companies in Georgia that are available are nearly identical to the Florida health insurance companies so the move was very organic.
Specifically, the health insurance companies in Georgia include the Aetna, Cigna, Coventry, Humana, and United as well, but also have a different Blue Cross Blue Shield company as every state has a unique company that handles Blue Cross Blue Shield. In some states like Pennsylvania or California there are sometimes even two. In Georgia, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia is the most respected name and has a diverse selection of plans including the new Tonik plans which are, like the Miami Dade Blue plan, cutting edge.
Additionally Georgia health insurance specifically Atlanta (much like South Florida) has its own version of Vista health plan called Kaiser Permanente which I find to be one of the most honest and comprehensive health insurance companies available. In fact on first glance I would probably narrow the choice down to either this or Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia.
Texas Health Insurance Plans
With the news that that Unicare is leaving the Texas health insurance market and the fact that our own Texas health insurance page is now complete I want to discuss the various health insurance plans in Texas that still exist at all!
It seems that Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Humana, United, and Cigna are the five main choices in Texas (as well as most other states) and that depending on your particular location in Texas any of those five health insurance companies might come out the cheapest. So it is best to mosey on down to our Texas health insurance quotes section to see which plan is most affordable for you and your family in the Texas health insurance market.
California Health Insurance Plans
Boy is California a crazy state. There are close to eight decent or respected health insurance companies and some of them have over 100 plans each. Additionally there is two Blue Cross Blue Shield’s of California. One is called Blue Cross and the one was left with Blue Shield.
To see our analysis of the California health insurance market please visit our California health insurance section.
Health Insurance Resources and Government Health Programs
We will also help you qualify for public assistance if you can’t afford health insurance or are no longer able to afford it We have documented every Florida public assistance plan in our Florida Health Resource section and additionally you just call us at 888 803 5917 for free advice. We have already added Government Health Programs Pages to Georgia and Texas and we are slowly adding to these programs to our other pages on your particular state’s government health programs.
The Miami Dade Blue Plan a Model For the Nation
We believe the future of Florida Health Insurance has arrived and if you live in Miami please visit our new Miami Dade Blue page. This is the new Miami Health Insurance plan that is 1/3 less then everyone else in the Miami health insurance market, and many times with better benefits depending on your perspective. As Miami’s leading affordable health insurance broker, we are trying to offer only the most affordable health plans.
Many companies are now offering new health insurance plans along these same lines in your state so please run a comparison health insurance quote to see what is available in your state now.
How To Buy Health Insurance
On this website we offer articles on nearly every aspect of health insurance and the bulk of our articles will either fall into the health insurance education section or in the health insurance law section. This includes a useful health insurance glossary, a frequently asked question section, and even sections on smoking and its effect on health insurance premiums so make sure to visit our entire website for great, free health insurance information for shopping for medical coverage in your state.
Each state offers interesting articles about your states health insurance plans and the health insurance laws so if you are interested in a specific topic for your state just click the link on the side for your state’s health insurance subsite.
We also have just completed our 2009 Health Insurance Review where we give reviews, grades, and pricing analysis for all the major health insurance companies and we pull no punches and tell it straight.
Which Health Insurance Plans Should You Not Buy in The Us?
Many plans like the PPO’s that you have not heard of for instance don’t have their own networks and must charge additional health insurance premiums which is reflected in both their coverage and broker health commissions. Beware of the coinsurance and always make sure to ask for your “moop”. “Moop” is maximum out of pocket and is your annual health insurance deductible which is calendar year not based your effective date plus any coinsurance maximum and/or co-pay maximums. For instance if your deductible on the hospital is $2500 and your coinsurance maximum is 2000 (after your deductible the health insurance company pays 80% and you pay 20% until a defined maximum as an example) for a total of $4500.
So which companies play the Coinsurance game? Any company from the Health Markets group of health insurance companies including Mega, Midwest, and United American is a good start. Also due the favorable health insurance laws in the US many other health insurance companies can’t compete and are forced to hide their coinsurance maximums so always of course ask, “What is my maximum out of pocket,” when buying any health insurance plan.
This will usually pull the veil off of the plan and you will then be able to make an accurate comparison. These companies include Assurant Health, Time, and Freedom in the United States though seemingly each state seems to have their own problem companies from our research. If you want to ask us a question about your health insurance plan we are happy to help with free advice.
Is there Copays after You Satisfy Your Deductible and Coinsurance?
A question I see asked over and over though is after the deductible am I responsible for the office visit copays? The answer is depending on the health insurance plan and company of course but with every health insurance company we work with you are responsible for the copays at the doctor and the pharmacy even after you meet your annual out of pocket maximum. So if your deductible is met and you reach the maximum coinsurance for that calendar year and you visit a doctor you would still have to pay that physician the copay.
If you had an HSA plan however, after you met the deductible and (usually there is no coinsurance on most HSA’s) your coinsurance if applicable you would have NO copay at the doctor and your medical bills would be 100% covered for the rest of the year. Many companies such as United Health One will even cover your prescriptions 100% after the deductible.
In the final example using the Humana Autograph plan as a model, this particular plan (and there are many others like it) have a maximum number of office visits per year. But, after you meet your annual deductible and satisfy your coinsurance your health insurance plan would cover 100% of your medical bills (not your prescriptions however) and you would not need to pay the copay at the doctor.
Always Check Your Out of Pocket Maximum or Coinsurance Limits when Comparing Affordable Health Insurance Quotes
In the last category is the abysmal companies that keep the attorney generals very busy, and that I and any honest agent think should have their licenses pulled. If anyone should every try to sell you this, ask them if, “they would buy it?” They include first and foremost Health Markets dba United American, Mega Life and Health, and Midwest National of Tennessee if you have one of these health insurance companies please call us immediately as you have been wasting your money and are just being ripped off.
This company and their little affiliates sell coupon books as health insurance. Also on this list is some of the smaller HMO’s like Preferred Medical Plan, and assorted other small ones that have 25% coinsurance with no limits. This means that you are paying 25% of your medical bills. Never buy any health insurance plan in the United States that doesn’t have a defined maximum out of pocket for you not them.
What does this mean? If your so called health insurance broker can’t tell you the most out of pocket expense that you would face for a calendar year then he is most likely ripping you off. Remember in any legitimate health insurance plan maximum-out-of-pocket=deductible + coinsurance and the average amount is no more than $5500.
Group Health Insurance Basics
If we are to fully grasp the individual health insurance policy in the United States then we must briefly cover group health insurance.
Group medical insurance is easier to comprehend because it doesn’t matter what your health conditions are as the group is looked at as a whole instead of by individual or family. This is great if you have conditions that require chronic attention as an individual carrier would most likely not take you.
But if you are young and healthy and your group is the opposite then you end up subsidizing the group by paying higher premiums then if you would have taken out an individual plan. Also an individual plan is portable so you could take the plan to your next job should you have to leave. The next big reform in health care should be to give some portability to these plans so that the insurance companies would have some interest in covering more people. On the other hand group coverage is usually better because you pay at most 50% of the premium and will thus usually have more benefits then the same individual plan for the same money. Also maternity issues are almost 100% of the time better covered in a group.
Maternity is a complex thing and in many cases I recommend not taking individual policies for this as they are never comprehensive. individual medical insurance) – that is unless your employer is paying the cost for all of your group medical insurance: then you are quite happy (unless you have a family and your employer is not so kind as to pay for them to be on the group medical coverage as well.
Pre-Existing Conditions and Health Insurance
Individual medical insurance in the United States is different from group medical insurance because of the fact that the underwriting departments at each health insurance company will scrutinize very closely any pre-existing conditions that an applicant has in their health history (going back up to 10 years) if they are applying for an individual policy.
Individual health insurance companies will usually go through your medical records, your prescription history, and even (though they tend not to do it anymore) send a nurse to your house to do a para-medical exam. And once they collect this information they will use it to either charge you a higher premium or decline you entirely.
Some of them will also make your condition be excluded for a year if it is on their listed of pre-existing health conditions. These can include high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or can be the even more severe diabetes which at this time is nearly impossible to cover with an individual policy, although Aetna and a smaller, newer company Avalon are looking at each on a case by case basis. Sometimes an insurer will charge you the higher rated up premium and also rider it out. This means that you could be paying for coverage for an excluded condition. We find this unfair at East Coast Health Insurance and will usually reapply you until we can get a cleaner policy issue. What about if you get declined altogether and you find yourself getting older?
Choosing The Most Affordable Health Insurance
Clicking our health insurance quote button (there are many of them, we are in the health insurance business after all), will help you compare the same plan from multiple carriers and be careful to make sure you keep in mind coinsurance maximums and out of pockets (see our glossary)when comparing health insurance plans as what looks like a good deal with one company can often be beaten by a seemingly more expensive competitor. To further complicate this situation, there is no concrete example of this as based on your zip code, age, and family size it can change from one county in Florida to the next.
Why Purchase a Health Insurance Plan at All?
Quite simply health insurance will protects you from the rising and uncontrollable high costs of health care. It is not as many people mistakenly believe to help you afford a chiropracter or a simple blood work-up. Indeed it is nice if these things are covered, but by the definition of health insurance, it is to providing coverage for specific CATASTROPHIC health care costs.
Insurance costs but having none costs more. The only way to lose what you don’t have yet is to go without health insurance coverage in the United States. Indeed there is absolutely nothing more dangerous.
What is a health insurance premium in the United States?
Why the United States? Because no other country needs this phrase as they offer health insurance as part of their government services.
A premium is the fee that either you and/or your employer would pay to the insurance provider to get coverage for you health or medical care. Commonly, in Florida at least, these premiums go up each year as you get older, and adjust upwards for both inflation and health care costs. You can choose to pay your health insurance premiums either monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually. East Coast Health Insurance usually advises monthly bank draft, as there is usually no reason to prepay any expense unless there is consideration offered in exchange.
A good health insurance motto might be that the lowest premium isn’t always the cheapest plan. When shopping for a health insurance plan, don’t just add up your premium over a year, but also add in your deductible and out of pocket maximums (coinsurance) as a way of anticipating your costs. Health care expense is your health insurance premium PLUS your medical expenses.
How does a health insurance deductible work? Just like car insurance, you must meet your annual deductible before any medical service is covered under the basic assumptions of any health insurance plan. Of course many health insurance plans offer co-pays for office visits and prescriptions before your deductible, but this is a bonus and not necessarily crucial to your health insurance plan needs.
When Does A Deductible Begin?
A calendar year deductible is just that January through December. Thus if you buy a health insurance policy on December 20th and it begins on December 21st your deductible would reset on January 1st regardless of how many medical expenses you incurred during the 11 days before the new year. Some companies will use a calendar year based on your effective date, and of course this should be heavily considered before purchasing a new or replacing an existing Florida health insurance policy.
What is a co-payment? A co-payment is actually a shared cost between your health insurance company and you. So if you have a $20 office visit co-pay, you would pay this each office visit and the insurance company would cover the difference. It can also be applied to hospital visits by day. For example in Florida, Vista Health Plan offers their IFD 20 1000 plan which has a co-pay of $200 per day up to 5 days during a hospital stay. This is their version of coinsurance. I personally find this option to be more suitable than actual coinsurance.
What is co-insurance? Co-insurance is the percentage that you must pay of your medical expenses annually after your deductible. In most cases it is 80/20 and exhausts at about $2000. Thus if you have a $2500 deductible and coinsurance maximum of $2000 (Humana One Portrait Plan for example) your out of pocket will equal…
What are out-of-pocket costs?
$4500 in out-of-pocket costs and exposures. Many companies have another deductible for out of network expenses. Out-of-pocket include all your expenses from coinsurance, co-pays, and anything else after your deductible. Usually this is separated and after your deductible. These are very important when considering any health insurance plan in Florida as this is the way many crack pot health insurance companies try to trick you.
How do I pick a health insurance plan?
If you have a choice of plans through your employer or you are purchasing your own coverage, it’s important to understand your choices and pick the plan that is right for you and your family. There are several questions to ask yourself when reviewing health insurance plan options:
- How affordable is the cost of care?
- How much are monthly premiums?
- How much are the deductibles?
- Are the co-payments or co-insurance flat fees or percentages of service fees?
- What out-of-pocket expenses have to be paid before the plan begins reimbursement?
- How does the reimbursement process work?
- What is the cost of out-of-network care?
Does the plan cover the services that I may use? For example:
- Doctors, hospitals, laboratories and other health care professionals in the network
- Out-of-network care
- Treatments for pre-existing medical conditions or chronic conditions
- Prescription drugs
What is the quality of the health insurance plan? Research factors of the plan such as:
- Ratings of the plan by independent government and non-government organizations
- Accreditation from groups like the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) (NCQA) or the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
- Patient complaints
- Member drop-out rates for the plan
- Other patient experiences with the plan
- Doctor experiences with the plan
So…how do I pick a health insurance plan or company?
Firstly if your employer doesn’t offer health insurance or if you are an employer you should call East Coast Health Insurance for all your health insurance needs. We can help you pick from any of our eight health insurance providers based on your specific demographic and budget. In most cases, the correct policy for you will be different than any of your neighbors.
If you aren’t self-employed usually your employer will offer a health insurance policy as part of your benefit package. Of course this very notion is being debated in Congress right now as many people feel this is an unfair burden upon small business. Determine what’s best for your medical needs and your wallet. If your employer doesn’t offer health insurance, you should consider purchasing an individual plan.
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