CT Individual Health & Dental Insurance Companies for 2012

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There are several benefits that are included in most health insurance policies that many people are not aware of. These benefits can help you save money. They can even save a life.

Free Medical Exams

One of the more underused benefits of a standard health insurance policy is the free exam that comes with most contracts. Most contracts sold after September 2010 will include a free physical for all insured parties and an OB/GYN exam for mature female insureds.

This benefit can save a life. It can mean that you find an otherwise life threatening condition before it becomes a bigger and is beyond the reach of medical science.

It is important to note, that if there are findings during the exam, it will not be considered a preventive care exam. It may therefore be subject to a copayment or other cost shares.

Newborn Coverage

Most policies allow a father or mother to add their newborn to their policy without any medical questions being asked so long as the request is made within thirty days of the child’s birth. This can make a world of difference for those children who need significant medical intervention as children.

Discounted Medical Care

Your benefits start before your deductible is met. Even if the cost of a prescription or doctor visit is not reimbursed by your insurer, you may still get a benefit from your policy.

If you are insured, you will generally pay a discounted rate, known as the “negotiated rate,” when accessing medical care. You will generally need to use a provider that is in the insurer’s network to get this benefit. This reduces your costs even if the insurance company does not pay any of the cost of the care.

Many insurance policies come with other benefits as well. You may get a discount on your gym membership or be able to get discounts on other health related expenses.

Now that you know more about the benefits of health insurance, be sure to take advantage of them. Get your annual physical. Be sure to contact your insurer within the first few days of a newborn’s life to add him or her to your policy. Be sure to take advantage of the negotiated rates when seeking medical care. Check to see if your policy comes with other benefits that you might want to take advantage of.

Please give us a call or request quotes from this website when you want more information. We can be reached at 203-374-3645 or 1-800 INS-URANce.

We can help you find both low and high deductible health insurance plans. We are appointed with Anthem Blue Cross, Connecticare Solo, Aetna, Cigna and all other private carriers insuring individuals and families.

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The HUSKY health insurance program is designed for children only. However many people refer to the Charter Oak Program as the Adult HUSKY program.

The two programs are similar. They are both sponsored by the State of Connecticut. Neither is medically underwritten. This means that a medical condition will not keep you from qualifying.

Although there are many people who are well-served by a state- or government-sponsored insurance policy these programs have their limitations. The list of doctors who will accept payment through these programs is a fraction of the size of the list of doctors who are willing to accept payment from private insurance plans.

Also, the lifetime limits may be less than what a private insurance policy would pay.

You may also find that particularly at younger ages, a private Aetna, Blue Cross or Connecticare health insurance policy may be less expensive than a Charter Oak Health Plan.

To learn more about individual or family private health insurance plans available in Connecticut, you can request quotes from this website or call us at 203-374-3645 or (Connecticut only) 1-800-INSURANce.

To learn more about HUSKY you can visit the HUSKY website.

To learn more about the Charter Oak plan, please visit the Charter Oak Health Plan website.

Neither HUSKY nor the Charter Oak Plan is exclusively low income medical insurance. The HUSKY plan is less expensive for families with lower incomes, but those with higher incomes can apply. Income affects the deductible, but not the price of the Charter Oak Health plan.

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Can you pay another person’s health insurance premiums? We get this question a lot.

Typically a parent will want to pay for their son’s or daughter’s insurance policy. Of course if the child is a minor and the parent has custody, there is no problem at all. If the child is an adult, the adult son or daughter needs to sign the application to indicate that they know that a policy is being applied for and that they agree to the application’s submission.

Insurance companies rarely have any problem with a third party paying premiums for a policy especially if that third party is a family member. Husbands’ policies are often paid from wives’ accounts. Parents pay for children. Sometimes brothers pay for sisters.

Please give us a call at 203-374-3645 if you have questions about health insurance. We are here until 9:00 pm most days of the week.

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Intelligently Raising Your Medical Insurance Deductible – Strategy 2

Raising your insurance deductible increases your exposure. It means that you will need to pay more for health care expenses in certain situations.

It also means that your cost for medical insurance will be lower. This may make raising your medical insurance deductible an attractive proposition.

Why? Even though the quality of your coverage will decrease as you decrease your monthly insurance premiums, they will not decrease equally.

For each extra dollar you spend because you have lowered your deductible, you may save two, three or ten dollars in premium.

When working out the arithmetic to see if you should raise the deductible on your insurance policy, be sure to compare annual premiums with annual deductibles. Otherwise you will be comparing apples to oranges.

Your health insurance deductible is almost certainly an annual deductible. The year may start on January first of each year or on your policy’s anniversary date, but it probably covers a twelve month period.

Also take into consideration the chance of your meeting your deductible each and every year. If you base your calculations on your meeting your deductible only once every two or three years you are likely to see that there is a huge potential for saving by lowering your deductible and thereby the cost of your health insurance policy.

Raising your deductible is a tried and true method for reducing your expenses. While you’ve got your calculator out, see if you should raise your car insurance and homeowners insurance deductibles as well.

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Qualifying for a Better Underwriting Class – Strategy 1

There are only a few ways to lower your health insurance premiums. One way involves making yourself more attractive to the insurance companies and therefore getting a lower rate.

You should explore the possibility of lowering your chances of having large medical expenses before looking at other options. Other strategies involve shifting health care costs rather than reducing them. In addition becoming healthier can do a lot more for you than simply lowering your costs for insurance.

Lowering your costs this way may mean following your doctor’s advice and lowering certain risk factors. A small change in your weight, blood pressure or cholesterol readings can mean a big change in premium.

Knowing how close you are to getting a lower rate is important. You may be a few pounds or a few blood pressure reading points away from a 20% reduction in your rate.

If your policy’s rate was increased because of a risk factor that is within your control, you have an opportunity to not only lower your insurance premiums but also to improve your life. Find out how much that factor needs to be reduced in order for your premiums to be lowered.

Some risk factors go away just through the passage of time. However your medical insurance company may not automatically lower your rate. You may need to specifically request the rate reduction or apply for a new policy.

One example has to do with quitting smoking. Most insurance companies will consider you to be a smoker if you have smoked in the last 12 months. If you quit smoking a month before you applied for your last policy and more than 11 months have transpired, you may be eligible for a substantial reduction in your monthly premium. This is because your chances of a relapse decrease the longer you stay smoke free.

If you have had a major medical event such as cancer a similar situation may exist. If you do not have a re occurrence of the cancer or other medical issue, your risk to the insurance company may reduce over time. You may be denied insurance if you apply within a year of the event. You may be charged a higher rate if you apply one year after but less than 5 years after. You may qualify for standard rates after 5 years has elapsed. Your insurance company isn’t likely to give you the discount automatically. You need to know the time periods involved and you need to request the rate reduction.

For more help lowering your health insurance premiums, you can request instant health insurance premium quotes online or call us at 203-374-3645 or 1-800-insurance.

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There are individual health plans that are sponsored by the State of Connecticut that do not deny based on pre existing conditions and that for many are more affordable than a private health insurance policy. Two of these programs are the Charter Oak Health Plan and the Husky program.

There are other options such as Medicaid. However, Medicaid will be the subject of a future blog post.

These health care insurance policies can sometimes cost more than certain private health insurance policies from private companies that we offer.  However,  they are usually less expensive for those with lower incomes. This is especially true for older applicants and those who have significant medical conditions.

These two low income health insurance plans are not exclusively for those with low incomes.  Others may apply, but those with higher incomes may have to pay a higher premium  or a higher deductible.

The Husky program is for children. The premiums for the Husky plan can be lower if the family’s income is lower. A child’s medical history will not keep him or her from being approved by this state-sponsored health care policy.

(Since the premiums for the Husky program are based on income, your family may find that a “regular” health insurance policy is actually cheaper.)

The Charter Oak Plan provides health care insurance for adults. The current (2011) monthly premium for the Charter Oak Plan is $307. Those who are approved for the Charter Oak Plan may have a lower deductible if their income is lower.

(Many people will qualify for “regular” or individual health insurance policies will cost less than $307 per month. You may want to request health insurance quotes from us before deciding to apply for the Charter Oak Health Plan.)

One’s pre-existing medical conditions will not keep them from qualifying, but there are other criteria that might keep one from being approved.

One drawback that both of these state-sponsored programs have is that their policy holders will have access to fewer medical providers. Some people will have a hard time finding a local doctor who participates.

For more information:

• From us: Quotes from Connecticut’s Private health Insurance companies 1-203-374-3645
  • Aetna
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • Celtic
  • Cigna
  • Connecticare
  • Golden Rule

State-Sponsored programs

• For Children: Husky Health Insurance 1-877-284-8759
• For Adults: Charter Oak Health Plan 1-877-772-8625