Navigating Health Plans After College
It’s graduation time. Do you know where your health insurance is? Depending on your health plan, it might be gone. For many American students still covered under a parent’s insurance, health coverage ends upon graduation; they will be left to navigate the increasingly expensive and complicated world of health insurance as they struggle to find jobs.
Luckily for some, since 1994, 30 states have passed laws extending the age at which young adults are allowed to be dropped from their parent’s plan. In Massachusetts, insurance companies must cover children for two years after they lose dependent status or until age 26, whichever comes first. In New Jersey, a dependent may stay on his parent’s plan until 31 as long as he is unmarried. Connecticut, New York and Maryland, among others, all have similar laws that extend coverage, while California and Washington, D.C. have no such laws. Obama’s health care plan would guarantee that children remain eligible for their parent’s plan until age 26.
Despite these laws, young adults aged 18 to 25 are the most likely age group to be uninsured. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2008, 28 percent of Americans aged 18 to 24 lacked health insurance. Given that only 11 percent of children under 18 lacked health coverage in 2004, this is a precipitous decline for those children who now fall into the 18 to 24 age group. The likelihood of being uninsured decreases with age over 25, and in total, 15 percent of Americans were uninsured in 2008.
The Independent talked to a number of seniors and recent graduates about their attitudes toward their health insurance decisions. On the whole, most seemed more interested in finding a job than in finding health coverage.
What You Should Know About Health Plans
In general, large monthly premiums mean small deductibles and small monthly premiums mean large deductibles.
A monthly premium is the amount of money you pay per month for your coverage. A deductible is the amount of money that you must pay out of your own pocket before the health insurance company will begin to pay for any health care costs. For example, if you have a the BlueChoice HSA plan from Blue Cross Blue Shield, your deductible is $2700 per year. In a given year, you will have to pay $2700 of your own money on medical expenses before Blue Cross will start to help you out. So, logically, if you are responsible for paying a large deductible, then you won’t be responsible for a high monthly fee, and vice-versa.
Your out-of-pocket expenses in one year will not exceed a set amount.
One of the most important aspects of health insurance is that even if you have a catastrophic year of medical problems, you will hopefully not go bankrupt. Let’s say you have been hospitalized and have already paid enough to cover your deductible. The BlueChoice plan says that once you have paid the deductible, hospitalization will only cost you $600 per day while Blue Cross pays the rest. However, you will not have to pay more than $5,250.
Some plans require that you pay coinsurance once you have reached your deductible.
Health insurance companies can specify a percentage of health expenses that you must pay until you have reached your out-of-pocket maximum.
When you visit the doctor or get a prescription, you usually only have to pay a co-pay and the insurance company will pick up the rest.
A co-pay is the fixed amount of money that your health insurance company charges for doctors’ visits or prescription medication. Co-pays for visits to specialists cost more than those to a primary care doctor, and co-pays for generic drugs are lower than for brand-name ones. If you have the BlueChoice plan, preventative care, like annual check-ups to your primary care doctor or OB/GYN are totally free, but if you choose to see a doctor for any other reason, you must pay the full cost of the visit until you have paid your deductible. After that, you only pay your co-pay.
You can save money, tax-free, for health care.
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), created in 2003, operate just like savings accounts for health care expenses. If you have a plan with a large deductible, it will most likely offer you an HSA. You can deposit money into the account, before taxes, and it will accrue tax-free interest. You can withdraw the money to pay for a long and comprehensive list of “qualified” health care expenses. If you withdraw the money for any unqualified expenses you are subject to a ten percent fee.
The type of plan you have will determine your doctor “network.” Visits to doctors outside of your network may not be covered by your plan.
A Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plan has the most restrictive rules but it is usually are the cheapest option. You are required to have a primary care physician who will see you for most of your appointments and refer you to specialists if need be. Your plan will only cover visits with doctors who have specifically made an agreement with your HMO-your network. Another choice is a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan, which does not require that you have a primary care doctor and offers a much larger network of approved doctors. You can also choose to see a doctor outside of the network, but this will cost you more.
Watch the video related to health
In desperate times. women do desperate things.
Help answer the question about health
What health care coverage does a congressman have? What happens to it when they leave office?America faces a health care crisis. How can Congress or the Senate much care if they have top notch health care coverage and the taxpayers pay for it?
# 37!
Yes hypertension may lead to strokes.Jogging is one of the good cardiovascular exercise.
http://www.everyonebenefits.com/12851363 this is a great ste for someone looking for low cost health programs.
@birinbirinbirin lulz
@Xaymot i start with the top slice, i make my way to the horse-meat and or goat cheese, i finish it off in grand fashion with nothing other but the bottom slice.
Yes. If you have unlimited resources as an American you have the best health care in the world. If you are an ordinary citizen you simply don't. Even the average health care plan generally does not cover the basics like European systems do. All too often Americans find out just how under insured they are when sickness strikes.
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/In-the-Literature/2008/Jun/How-Many-Are-Underinsured–Trends-Among-U-S–Adults–2003-and-2007.aspx
That's important because when those people are lucky enough to stay healthy they will never see a problem whatsoever just as their fellow countrymen were just fine with their coverage before tradgedy happened.
http://www.click2houston.com/investigates/12538706/detail.html
http://www.guaranteedhealthcare.org/your_story/my-insurance-company-denied-my-doctors-prescription
http://www.rhonawaxman.com/blog/insurance-company-medical-exam-denied-me-surgery.html
This is the same thing as with the standard of living. Americans have a higher income on average than Americans but more detailed data shows it's the top 1 percent income earners that's responsible for the whole difference. Middle clas an poor Americans are much worse of than their European counterparts
That's ultimately what it is about
haha rocket man!
A. Public health looks at everyone from all over. We (I'm an epidemiologist) are concerned with things that may be coming down the pike and hit all of us (like bird flu, etc.). Community health mostly involves doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals that tailor interventions to a particular community's needs, and they generally don't plan out for "the bigger picture", although they do a heck a job in their locales, since they know it better.
The Robert Woods Johnson Foundation is a research think tank. They have all kinds of references to interesting research around health care and health reform. With a little digging, you may be able to contact some of the researchers.
WebMD is another useful source for anything and everything health care.
Centers for disease control and prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/
National Vital statistics system: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss
@Jazza12319 beats repeat brethren, thats what makes it a beat.. would you prefer some random hits here and there? HEALTH is also one of those bands (not one guy) that you should see live and their electrical prowess (although I bet the guitarist from the Mae Shi built their vocal thingy) with their homemade instruments.. Very progressive. What would you consider progressive? I am very curious..
@birinbirinbirin lulz
@Jazza12319 beats repeat brethren, thats what makes it a beat.. would you prefer some random hits here and there? HEALTH is also one of those bands (not one guy) that you should see live and their electrical prowess (although I bet the guitarist from the Mae Shi built their vocal thingy) with their homemade instruments.. Very progressive. What would you consider progressive? I am very curious..
yes………………………..!
i htought the main reason of living in a society was to help each other out, am i wrong?
Well, if she's 40 and perfectly healthy, it's going to cost her about $500 a month to have a low/no deductible plan that covers checkups.
You BUY it on a month to month basis. If you want low monthly payments, you have to cut the coverage – like take a $10,000 deductible. Or higher. That would cut payments down to maybe $200 a month or less.
The older she is, the less healthy she is, the more it costs.
Your best bet, is to find a local, independent agent, who can help you balance cost with coverage.
Health insurance is the one that pays for your medical expenses should you incur one. While health care program is designed for the continuity better living despite health disability.. Long Term Health Care Program is best be planned ahead.
If you find it suitable for you, then it's fine. Otherwise, seek for a medical/legal health expert for a better advise.
@Jazza12319
Yeah person who says repeating beats isn’t progressive… thats called a beat. if it doesn’t repeat, you don’t move or rather it doesn’t move you. HEALTH is the new Can