When it comes to their health, each person and each family is current, so it is not surprising that choosing an individual health insurance plan is a complex process. Cost, convenience, and your unique health issues all come into play. Somehow, out of the myriad of choices, you are supposed to find the right combination for you. Here is a roadmap to simplify the process:

1. Start at affordability. It is easy to reflect insurance should screen every need and contingency. Remember, it is there to keep you from going into debt, not to put you in debt. Set a budget that makes sense and do the best you can within that framework.

2. Proceed to your existing physician. If you have a good relationship with your current doctor and want to continue seeing him or her, your choices may be limited for individual health insurance. Rep out if your doctor is affiliated with an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization), PPO (Preferred Provider Organization), POS (Point of Service), or IPA (Individual Practice Association). If your doctor is in one network, then your decision is simple. If he or she is in more than one, you can weight other plan features. If your doctor is not in any network, you will need a “fee-for-service” or indemnity plan. Under this plan, you go to any doctor or hospital you wish. An indemnity plan normally will camouflage only a percentage of the changes-usually 80 percent. You are responsible for the other 20 percent. The insurance company also sets its enjoy “usual and customary” rates for services. If your doctor charges more than the usual and weak rate, you will have to make up the difference.

3. Signal your health issues. You will need to inform the insurer of any medical conditions for which you have been diagnosed or treated. The insurer will reflect these “pre-existing” conditions. If you were joining a group policy, the insurance company would be required by law to veil the pre-existing condition without a waiting period, assuming you had insurance coverage in the previous twelve months. When you are buying individual health insurance coverage, however, the insurance company has the honest to inform a waiting period for payments related to the pre-existing condition or to decline to cover you at all. Five states have made denial of coverage illegal. Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Vermont all have adopted “guarantee converse” laws that earn insurance companies offer health insurance to everyone regardless of their medical conditions. Other states have created insurance “pools” that provide coverage to high-risk individuals.

4. Slow down for prescription drugs. If you have found two or more plans that are comparable, take a moment to review their prescription drug benefits. Some plans cover medications immediately, requiring nothing more than a co-payment. Other plans do not pay for prescription drugs until the annual deductible has been met. Be sure to compare the co-payment amounts to see what the inequity would be, especially over time. Most insurance companies cover medications on a non-preferred for name brand drugs, but others cover only generic brands (when available). If name brands are notable to you, make definite you choose the plan that offers them.

5. Behold for falling taxes. If someone wanted to hand you a check for $2,539, would you take it? That is what the Uncle Sam is doing with Health Savings Accounts. You can deposit up to $5,650 into a Health Savings Account (HSA), sheltering it from as much as 9.3% in set income tax, 28% in federal income tax, and 7.65% in Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax. That is a total tax savings of 44.95%, or $2,539 out of a $5,650 contribution. The HSA contribution rolls over from year to year, and remains tax-free, provided you withdraw the funds after age 65 or consume them for medical expenses. In addition, the earnings on HSA funds are tax-deferred. To open an HSA, you must enroll in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), with minimum deductibles of $1,100 for an individual or $2,200 for a family. The deductibles are paid with untaxed dollars from the HSA account, increasing your buying power. Because of the high deductible amount, the monthly premium is low, making an HDHP plan an attractive option for many people.

By following this roadmap, you should arrive at a choice that is relatively simple to make.

Related Blogs

Now, it’s time to look at McCain’s ideas. Remember, I am a conservative, so I’ll probably agree with more of McCain’s ideas.

For John McCain, I deleted his explanation and just save in my comments. View the entire paragraphs at his website. Again the quotes are from the website and everything else is my comment.

“Making Health Insurance Innovative, Portable and Affordable

John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Pick Up Insurance.”

McCain wants to consume competition and eliminate situation lines for health coverage. This is going to tick (I changed to tick at the last minute) off some state insurance commissioners. Insurance is governed by the state. They do need to create universal policies, as they did with Medicare supplements. This is a lot of work and I’m not sure it can be done.

“John McCain Will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage.”

Here, you decide your conception and the government pays the premium to the company. This makes sense, because if they sent the money to all individuals to pay their plan, you all know someone’s not going to do it. This section is what the commercial Obama runs that says, “and the money goes to the insurance companies.” (This is said in an ominous hiss.) Of course it does, it pays the premiums. You can also choose your employers plan. It also allows for those that are frugal and don’t utilize all the money, to have it put in a Health Savings Account.

“John McCain Proposes Making Insurance More Portable.”

This is not just Cobra or coverage for preexisting conditions, but the ability to hold the insurance even if you retire early or become a stay at home parent.

“John McCain Will Encourage And Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts (HSA) For Families.”

A Health Savings Account is like an IRA for medical costs. The money is yours and it goes to your children. It combines with a high deductible and if the money isn’t needed, you can get a higher deductible the next year. The cost of the catastrophic view (the high deductible insurance) is low and much of the premium goes into the Health Savings Account. This plan has been around a while be he’s expanding it and I’VE ALWAYS Adore THE Belief! It’s super neat and puts the consumer in charge of his medical expenses.

“Health Care Costs.”

This part is rhetoric and of no value.

“CHEAPER DRUGS: Lowering Drug Prices.”

I hadn’t read the entire thought prior but am doing it as I write the article. I’m glad to see that this is also in McCain’s plan, just as it was in Obama’s.

“CHRONIC DISEASE: Providing Quality, Cheaper Care For Chronic Disease.”

Okay, I made fun of something like this on Obama’s plan but McCain went on to explain that emphasis would be placed on early prevention, and building up the health care industry by focusing on preventive medicine. John isn’t planning on sitting by anyone’s bedside either.

“COORDINATED CARE: Promoting Coordinated Care.”

I had to use McCain’s bear words for this. For anyone that has ever had any treatment of any kind from a hospital, this is heaven sent. I drove myself in to the emergency room when my heart raced over 250 bpm. The doctor slapped an ice pack on my neck and it cost me $3000, I think. I kept getting so many bills and there really weren’t that many people that saw me. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what the heck you’re paying for, this should be your highlight. Here’s the direct quote.

“We should pay a single bill for high-quality disease care which will make every single provider accountable and responsive to the patients’ needs. “

ONE bill!!! It’s about time.

“GREATER ACCESS AND CONVENIENCE”

Government promoted walk-in clinics in retail outlets.

“INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY”

Use more Internet services, which allow doctors to cross state lines to practice.

“MEDICAID AND MEDICARE”

McCain’s own words

“We must reform the payment systems in Medicaid and Medicare to compensate providers for diagnosis, prevention and care coordination. Medicaid and Medicare should not pay for preventable medical errors or mismanagement.”

“SMOKING”

Offer free smoking end programs. (Yeah, like I’m going to lift him up on it)

“Residence FLEXIBILITY: Encouraging States To Lower Costs”

This gives the states the right to net alternative ways to insure members under Medicaid.

“TORT REFORM”

Again, I’ll use McCain’s words.

“Passing Medical Liability Reform. We must pass medical liability reform that eliminates lawsuits directed at doctors who follow clinical guidelines and adhere to safety protocols. Every patient should have access to legal remedies in cases of bad medical practice but that should not be an invitation to endless, frivolous lawsuits.”

“TRANSPARENCY”

Give the patient more information. If you go to a good doctor, you already should have this. If you don’t, find another doctor.

“Confronting the Long-Term Challenge

John McCain Will Develop A Strategy For Meeting The Challenge Of A Population Needing Greater Long-Term Care.”

McCain opened the subject but had nothing definitive. He wants to find alternatives to the system before its too late. Babes and younguns’ we baby boomers are soon to be a huge group of senile citizens. Daily, I demand whether I’ve crossed the line yet. I’m disappointed there was no firm idea, but glad at least it was mentioned.

Halt at the candidate’s websites and see what the platforms are yourself. This is my interpretation. You need to read and decide it for yourself.

Barack Obama on Health Care:

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/#make_health_insurance_work

John McCain on Health Care: http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/19ba2f1c-c03f-4ac2-8cd5-5cf2edb527cf.htm