Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Health Insurance - Congressional Women Praise Free Preventive Health Care Coverage

Washington, DC -Congresswomen Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20), Donna F. Edwards (MD-4), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), and Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-3) held a press conference today to discuss the free preventive health care coverage that will be made available through the Affordable Care Act.

An essential component of the Affordable Care Act, preventive care will help Americans stay healthy, live more active lives, and result in lower health care costs. health insurance companies are now required to provide preventive care with no out-of-pocket costs, enabling many Americans to be able to afford essential tests such as mammograms and colonoscopies. An estimated 88 million Americans will benefit from these free life-saving preventive measures over the next three years. Chronic and often preventable diseases such as heart disease and diabetes are responsible for 7 out of 10 deaths in our country, and they account for 75 percent of our health spending. Preventive care can help Americans avoid these life-threatening ailments, or catch them before it is too late.

Women will benefit greatly from these new requirements, as they will from the Affordable Care Act in general: the law is profoundly transforming women’s lives for the better, and includes a comprehensive approach to women’s health that covers everything from maternity care to mammograms. No longer can having a child or having had a c-section, or being a victim of domestic violence be treated as “pre-existing conditions” by an insurance industry eager to cut corners for profit.

“Today, we celebrate an important milestone in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Preventive and wellness care must be covered by all insurance policies in America, period. That means that in the next year alone, 41 million Americans have better access to potentially life-saving preventive treatments and tests such as mammograms, colonoscopies, flu shots, and immunizations – treatments that save lives. And this for the first time, without co-pay,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “Today fulfills many of the goals this Congress had in mind when we first set out to draft a much-needed and comprehensive health reform law in 2009. This is a great day for Americans and for our health care system.”

“Under the Affordable Care Act, Americans can have cancer diagnosed earlier, safer pregnancies, and children immunized against deadly diseases,” said Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz. “Simply put, the Republican strategy of repeal is a death sentence for countless numbers of Americans.”

“The preventive care provisions are a prime example of how the Affordable Care Act is making quality, accessible health care coverage available to all Americans,” said Congresswoman Edwards. “By 2013, 88 million Americans will see preventive coverage for mammograms, colonoscopies and other services improve due to this new policy, and at no added cost, no co-pays, and no deductibles. In 2009, we made a promise to provide working families with the coverage they deserve and here we are keeping that promise — delivering prevention to improve health, save lives, and save money.”

“The new rules going into effect today will save thousands of lives every year and bring down costs because it is far more cost effective to treat diseases like cancer when they are detected early,” said Congresswoman Pingree. “Having to pay sometimes-unaffordable out-of-pocket expenses to get basic checkups and preventative care discourages the kind of treatment that saves lives and saves money.”

Health care reform is not just about lowering costs and expanding access to care–it’s about helping Americans stay healthy,” said. Congresswoman Dahlkemper. “Free preventative care–no copayments for things like regular check ups and cancer screenings–will help Americans maintain their health and prevent the chronic diseases and other illnesses that add the most significant costs to our medical system and prevent people from leading productive, active lives.”

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Insurance for Pregnant Women

While health insurance coverage is vital for everyone, it becomes especially important for women who are expecting. During pregnancy, there are many issues that could potentially go wrong, or even prevented if the mother has access to pertinent information.

Acquiring insurance during pregnancy has become more and more difficult as health insurance costs increase in the United Status. The American Health Association estimates that nearly 41 million Americans lack basic health coverage, and approximately 13% of pregnant women have no health insurance at all. This is needlessly placing both the mother and their child at risk.

Prenatal care is often extremely expensive. Furthermore, hospital care and maternity care can cost in excess of $10,000. The costs may dramatically increase if complications ensue, like cesarean sections or premature birth. Considering these facts, it is emphatically recommended that all expecting mothers obtain some form of health insurance.

One major issue is that many insurance companies refuse to accept new policies from expectant mothers as their pregnancy is often considered a pre-existing condition. If you wish to become or expect to become pregnant in the near future, it would be in your best interest to attempt to obtain health insurance coverage prior to becoming pregnant. However, if you find that you are pregnant and lack insurance, the following tips may be helpful in obtaining health insurance:

First, try to shop around. Search via the internet for insurance companies who will provide coverage for pregnancy and discounted insurance coverage. Obtaining quotes from multiple providers is easy, fast, and free. You may find that some insurance quotes may be less expensive than others.

Second, some federally funded programs offer health care insurance for lower income individuals. For example, Medicaid allows enrollment into an insurance plan despite existing pregnancy. CHIP is another federal program that you may wish to consider. Specific states offer specialized programs addressing this issues. Be sure to research whether or not your state may offer such a program.

Third, research other agencies and possible supplementary benefits these companies may provide. WIC is one such federal agency; this group offers health care benefits to women and their children under the age of 5. Additionally, they provide food supplementation. However, this program is only for low income families.

Lastly, be certain to weigh your options and choose the plan that best fits your needs. Consider the fact that a hospital-only insurance plan will likely refuse to cover any appointments at a physician's clinic.

How to Get Health Insurance When Pregnant

The cost of health insurance in the U.S. is soaring yet many people, pregnant women especially, need adequate health insurance coverage. A research study conducted by the American Health Association has revealed that more then 13% of pregnant women in the U.S. do not have health insurance. Prenatal visits can be very expensive and the cost of delivery alone may range from $6,000 to $13,000. For this reason, getting health insurance is important. Many insurance companies refrain from providing an insurance policy when pregnancy is assessed as a pre-existing condition. Here are some steps to secure insurance when pregnant.

  1. Step 1

    Go online and visit the American Pregnancy Association website. It provides several answers to this problem. Search for websites with appropriate key words that inform you about getting health insurance when pregnant.

  2. Step 2

    Inquire about the Medicaid program. This is a federally funded program for low income people. Check if you qualify for this program. With Medicaid, you can receive an insurance policy even when you are pregnant. Locate the nearest office and apply.

  3. Step 3

    Get more information about other state programs from the health department office. Depending on your state of residence, you may have several optional programs. For example, Medical is a state program introduced by state of California.

  4. Step 4

    Check out peripheral benefits provided by other agencies. For example, WIC is a federal agency offering health services to low income women, infants and children below the age of 5. It provides food supplements and diet information.

  5. Step 5

    Get information about discount health care programs. Calculate your monthly fees, deductibles and premium on a particular account and ask for discounts if you pay with cash.



Source: eHow.com

Friday, July 9, 2010

A Woman's Touch on Health Insurance

As a woman, I feel one of the most important expenses in life is health insurance coverage. A good health insurance can mean either life or death. Here are two examples:

It is crucial that women, especially over the age of 18, get a gynecological exam every year. This is important for the prevention and or early detection of several different forms of cancers that women are at risk for. If you have the right coverage you will be more likely to go for all of your exams without worrying if the exam will be covered or not.

Another important test is the mammography. This must be done yearly after the age of 30. Many insurance companies do not offer a yearly mammography until after the age of 40. That is not good, because the risks for breast cancer can start as early as 20. A good health insurance will see that and allow for earlier breast cancer prevention exams.

These are two important reasons why health insurance for women is very important.

A Guide to Health Insurance for Women

When looking for insurance policies try to get as many quotes as possible. Rates vary pretty widely from company to company, as well as the types of services they cover. You need to be as informed as possible before making your final decision. In the next few paragraphs, we will discuss different factors you need to consider while researching your options.

Before getting quotes on health insurance know what type of services you need and what services you do not. If you are in your childbearing years you want to make sure that you have maternity coverage should you get pregnant. If you decline this and get pregnant in the future, it could cost you a very large amount of money. As a woman, you also need to make sure that your gynecologist visits will be covered along with basic tests for breast cancer and such.

Another important factor to keep in mind is your deductible. The deductible is the amount of money you pay out of pocket before your insurance company steps in and starts paying. You do not want to choose a deductible that you cannot afford. Doing so could cause medical collection agencies to come after you. So choose according to what you can pay at any given time should an emergency arise.

Your copay is also key in choosing what policy to go with. Your copay is the amount you pay just to see a doctor or specialist. This fee ranges depending on each service. You also need to make sure this affordable for you to pay. A college student will most likely not be able to afford a fifty-dollar copay, which is what she would pay just to see the doctor.

I hope you now feel more confident talking to health insurance companies. Ask as many questions as you may need to that is what they are there for. Do not purchase a policy until you fully understand all that it covers and all that it does not.

Free Health Insurance For Women - Get Competitive Quotes Within Minutes

Are you looking for Free Health insurance For Women? There are various websites that allow you to request health insurance quotes instantly. Get the best health insurance rates available now by going here.

It's not very bright to not have health care coverage these days. You never know when injuries or illnesses will strike as they are unpredictable. Because health care is not cheap by any means, expenses can really add up fast.

In the event that an injury or ailment should come up and there is no health insurance, the finances needed to cover such misfortunes could be too overwhelming for many people. Medical support is so overpriced that people really need to come by an inexpensive health care policy to cover the expenses.

There are many organizations that provide health care insurance. Getting matched with the right health insurance policy is important and these companies carry several packages to ensure a proper match.

It can take a lot of time and energy to find a suitable insurance policy. It's important to obtain an optimal insurance policy for an amount that you can affordable cover. As a result, it's a great plan to compare health insurance quotes online to figure out who will give you the most coverage for the least amount of money.

(ArticlesBase SC #2021133)

Why Women'S Rates Are Higher Than Men'S

In most other cases of Insurance, women get the better deal. But Health insurance decides otherwise. Why Women get higher rates than Men when it comes to health insurance is exactly what I would Examine here.

Lets look at some of these issues.

There is a general consensus that Women tend to require more health attention than men. Why? Lets try to find out.

Every normal female experiences menstrual cycle. We all know that blood flows during this period and there are psychological issues. From a particular age to menopause, this cycle continues apart from during pregnancy. So how many years of blood flow are we talking about? Does this have any implication on the health needs of women generally? This is one issue.

As if this is not enough, women also bare children. The period of gestation has its health needs but more than this, the after effect of the different pregnancies must have some kind of effect on their bodies resulting in a higher need for health care.

Reminding ourselves that insurance companies are not government aid agencies but businesses out to make profit, we would see why they need to take these factors into consideration.

The major factor they take into consideration is what percentage of any group of insureds would likely make claims, the amount claimed and the consequences to their business.

Lets try to make it clearer. If a certain percentage of a group of insureds make a claim, their overall rate must be such that the insurance company would still make profit. For example, 1 out of 100 insureds make a claim of $1000 and the the insureds pay a rate of $100, the company would still make profit and can even afford to lower the rates.

Following the above, we would see that since women are known to generally claim on their health insurance more than men, they would necessarily be required to pay more rates than men.

Am I saying women can\'t get affordable health insurance coverage? No!

With the suggestions enumerated below, you would be sure to get a more affordable health insurance coverage.

Stop smoking.

Dangerous games and sports should be avoided.

Any jobs that are hazardous should be avoided.

Lower your rates and increase your attraction by staying in shape.

Improve your health by doing regular exercises.

Engage in things that make you happy as happy people are less likely to fall ill.

Very importantly, get and compare quotes extensively before taking up a policy. You would be able to get very affordable health insurance coverage.

With over 2,000 companies providing health insurance, you would surely have varying rates. So take your time and get the most affordable health insurance coverage.

Whether you pay more or less could be determined by the number of quotes you get. The more quotes you get, the more options you have.