If you are pregnant, or if you would like to have a baby, you are may be very concerned about the cost. This is particularly true if your pregnancy is not already covered by your major medical insurance plan. Most group health policies from work will have maternity benefits. If a pregnant woman, or spouse, is covered by group benefits you probably do not have that much to worry about. But millions of people in the US lack medical insurance, and so the cost of good pre-natal care and delivery are big concerns.

Group Health - Again, one of the most common plans that cover all the aspects of having a healthy baby are group major medical plans. If you are planning for maternity, and this is availabe, you certainly want to opt in to your own, or your spouse’s,  employer’s plan.

Individual Health Insurance – The market of private insurers who offer normal maternity benefits is a little sparser. While complications of pregnancy should be covered under the regular health benefits, normal office visits, blood tests, and delivery probably are not included. 

Assurant Health (Time) is one of the only major individual and family health insurance companies that commonly offers a maternity rider (option). This rider does have a waiting period, and it does cost more than a basic plan. If you think you may get pregnant, you would certainly want to consider this. Keep in mind, that it does have a waiting period for maternity benefits, and it will certainly not accept somebody who is already pregnant!

In some states, the maternity coverage has a high deductible, like $5,000 – $10,000. An HSA (health savings account) which allows you to save money and deduct savings may be a good option to help you pay our portion. If you would like to become pregnant, saving for your part of the expenses, may be an option.

One good thing about having insurance, in general, is that you will usually pay the insurance company negotiated cost for medical services. This is usually a fraction of the normal charges. It is good to have an insurer on your side!

Find Individual Health Insurance Quotes – The online form can help you compare plans in your own area. If you are concerned about pregnancy, make sure that is an option before you sign up for coverage. In some states it is actually mandatory, but it usually is not.

Public Plans – Chips (Children’s Health Insurance) or Medicaid do cover pregnant women with low to moderate incomes and assets.  You could check their websites to see if you qualify, or you could talk to somebody at your local Department of Health and Human Serices.

Payment Plans – These days, many doctors and hospitals offer payment plans. This may be a good option if your income is too high to qualify for public benefits.  You could check with OB-Gyns and hospitals in your area. You could also look into private financing, like a loan, to help you manage the costs of maternity.

How Much Does It Cost to Have A Baby?

Costs vary across the US.  Many estimates tell us to expect to spend $5,000 – $10,000 for a normal delivery. You will have to pay for office visits, tests, and a hospital stay. If you suffer any complications, this cost can skyrocket. It is much better to plan ahead to be sure you have maternity coverage. But since we are all humans who live in an imperfect world, this is not always possible. Either way, it is good to explore your options so you do.  everything you can to prepare for a healthy baby

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Being a public internet website, we do get asked about affording medical services like doctors, hospitals, tests, and prescriptions from time to time. This is a big issue in the US. Almost 50 million Americans lack coverage, and probably many more do not really have great coverage. Their are many reasons for this. Some are unemployment, employment without group health, self employment, etc. Some people cannot afford to buy individual health insurance. Others could afford it, but cannot qualify. Some others just do not understand the need for health insurance, or they do not understad it until it is too late.

However, you do have some alternatives. The article we printed below should get you started to find help affording health care! It covers all sorts of medical care from affording prescriptions to finding a low cost clinic in your area.

What to Do If You Can’t Afford Health Insurance

By Insurance Articles

Do You Lack Health Insurance?

If you are an American, and you lack health insurance, you are not alone. In late 2009, it was estimated that almost 46 million people in the US do not have a health plan. Recent high unemployment figures have not made this figure any lower.

Some of these people lost their group health plans when they lost their job. Others are self employed or work for a company that does not offer group health. There are alternative private health plans on the market, but many people just cannot afford them, or they cannot get accepted by one. While politicians haggle over the issues, sick people are having trouble getting treatment.

Are You Sick or Healthy?

If you are very healthy, or if you already have a health issue, you should seek coverage. It will be, of course, a lot easier to find affordable private health insurance if you are healthy. This way you can be prepared in case you do get sick or get hurt in an accident. Even a simple trip to an emergency room for a broken bone can cost thousands of dollars.

If you have already are hurt or ill, it will be tough to get it covered by private plans now. But even people who are already sick should be able to find some help. I hope to present some options for you.

COBRA

Under federal law, some companies must extend their group medical plan to terminated employees. This can be a good option for those who are between jobs. The only issue with it is the cost. Instead of just paying your employee contribution, now you will probably also have to pay the whole premium amount. Many ex-employees are very surprised when they learn how much this is.

Individual Health Insurance

If you lack major medical, and you are fairly healthy, you may find that a private medical plan is pretty affordable. It is actually a misconception that group benefits are always cheaper than individual plans. Because insurers can underwrite each applicant, they may actually be able to offer lower rates for healthier people.

If you have an option to extend your group benefits (i.e. COBRA) or buy private coverage, just make sure the new plan will accept you, and that it will cover services you need. It is tough, for instance, to get individual plans that cover normal maternity. But if you are accepted, which most people in reasonably good health should be, and the plan satisfies your needs, you may be vary happy with carrying your own health plan.

State Risk Pools

Every US state has some sort of health plan for people who have a pre-existing health problem that gets them declined for other coverage. In some states, these plans can be very expensive though. This is a good option if you do have income or savings, but just do not have health insurance.

Paying For Prescriptions

If you cannot afford your prescription medicine, consult the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPARX). Their website is PPARX.org. This organization offers a point of access to hundreds of private and public assistance programs. Their website says they have helped millions of Americans get help, and they may be able to help you.

Low Cost Health Clinics

You can find some lower cost health clinics. Many offer health services on a sliding scale. The PPARX website we mentioned about also has a handy search feature. You can enter your zip code and see if you can find a nearby locations. I entered my own zip code for a test, and I was surprised to see that there were several of these clinics within a short drive of my house. I had not been aware that there were any before.

Financial Aid For Health Problems

If you have a serious illness, you may be able to get support from a financial assistance program. These are usually non-profits, and sometimes they are called co-pay programs. Again, PPARX has information on many of these organizations.

County Health Systems

Try searching for a county or public health system in your own area. They should provide reduced fee services for patients. You will probably be locked into using their hospitals, doctors, etc., but you should have access to care.

Public Health Insurance Programs

If you have a very low income, and few assets, you may qualify for Medicaid. This is the federal and state program to insure the poor. Moderate income families should look at the Childrens Health Insurance (CHIPS) plan for their state. Income guidelines to cover kids are higher than those for adults, and these plans may also cover pregnant women.

What To Do If You Have No Health Insurance

I would tell anybody to figure out how they can obtain health insurance as quickly as possible. For instance, you should try to apply for a private policy when you are healthy! You are probably not going to find coverage from a private company after you are already sick or hurt. If you do find a plan that accepts you, it will probably be much more expensive That is how insurance works.

It is always better to plan ahead. Of course, this is not always possible.. If you have a current health issue, and no health plan, you should look at some of the alternatives we listed.

Do you need health insurance?

We would like to help. Here are some options if you have no health insurance

You can also find some alternatives to COBRA health here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marilyn_Katz
http://EzineArticles.com/?What-to-Do-If-You-Cant-Afford-Health-Insurance&id=3876848

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Long term care insurance (LTCI) policies are a little different than other types of health insurance. Health insurance usually covers medical services in case a covered person is sick or injured. LTCI, on the other hand, helps provide nursing care in case a person cannot perform the “activities of daily living” or other qualifications, as specified in a particular policy.

LTCI is meant to provide nursing care. That could be in a nursing home, assisted living facility, or home health care. Some even help with the costs of care that are provided by a family member.  You need to look at the specific policy that you are considering to see what it covers. Some may only cover nursing homes, for example, while others allow more flexibility in determining how that care will be taken.  You could learn more about the need for long term care insurance.

Tax Qualified vs Non-Tax Qualifed LTCI

If you are shopping for LTCI, you probably want to be aware that some long term care insurance policies are tax qualified. That means that the premiums could be deducted from your federal (and possibly state) income reporting when you prepare tax returns.  Non-tax qualifed policies cannot be used as deductions.  In addition, there is some question about benefits being taxible. Tax qualifed plans have tax free benefits.

So why would anybody choose a non-tax qualified (NTQ) plan?

Well, the government requires these to trigger benefits if a person cannot perform the activities of daily living for a specified waiting period. Non-tax qualified policies could have a less strict requirement to trigger benefits. They may just need a doctor to confirm that there is a medical necessity. In addition, a NTQ policy may not have as long of a qualified period.

There is no question that tax qualified long term care insurance policies have become much more popular because the provide the immediate benefit of a tax deduction.

Find Long Term Care Insurance Policies

You can find out how much long term care insurance policies cost with our safe, fast, and free online quote forms.  You simply need to enter your basic information, like your zip code and age, one time. In return, LTCI companies wil compete for your business.

Before you sign off on anything, make sure you you understand the advantages and disadvantages of the particular plan you choose.

Benefits of LTCI

People have different reasons for buying a policy, but many just want to plan for the possibility of needing expensive nursing care at some point. They do want their family to have this burden, or they want to make sure that their assets are protected.  Since nursing care could cost thousands of dollars a month, it is easy to see how this cost could run through a lifetime of savings very quickly.

Keep in mind, that policiesa differ. Some may pay the whole amount, some may pay a portion, or others may specifiy a daily rate they will cover – and it is up to the covered person to either shop around or paythe difference.

There are also alternatives to long term care insurance.

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Are you planning for a secure retirement and eventual transfer of your estate to beneficiaries? You do not have to be very wealthy to plan for this. Let us look at one product that is becoming more noticed these days with advisors and people who are doing estate planning. It can help turn one amount of money into a larger estate to leave behind. This product  is called single premium whole life (SPLI).

Why Is SPLI Different?

The most obvious difference is that you make one large cash payment when your coverage begins. You are probably used to having a monthly bill! That one lump sum funds your coverage, and so you do not have any more payments to make.

So you see that you have given the insurer a certain amount of money. In return, they issue you a policy for a sum that is probably a few multiples of the original amount. Many people are using this product to fund their estate.

An Example To Explain Single Premium Life

Look at the example of a healthy 70 year old who retired from the public school system. Her savings and teachers pension enable her to live well. But she also has another $50,000 she inherited from her own parents. She could take this cash and fund an SPLI for, let us say, $200,000. This way she sets up a nice estate to pass on to her kids and grand kids.

The paragraph above is only meant to illustrate how this works. The amount of cash you would have, and the death benefit you could buy, depend upon different things. As with any other life insurance, your premium and coverage amount will depend upon age, health, etc.

Who Benefits from Single Premium Whole Life?

Would SPLI be something for you to think abuot? If you have some money, and would like to be sure you can leave more money to survivors, it may be something to think about. It works best if you are sure that you do not need that money to live on, especially in the next few years.

If you do have to cash out your policy early, you could lose some of the value to surrender charges and fees. There is usually some sort of term for these, and policies are different.

One other single premium life insurance advantage is the fact that this large payment will allow your policy to grow value fast. Have you seen normal policies where it may take 5 – 10 years to have a cash value? Once your policy has a cash value, you can use it to borrow against. You can also cash it out. So in addition to having coverage, you also have set up an emergecy fund for future use.

Another feature is the fact that many policies allow you to accelerate the death benefit in case of a terminal illness. This way, a person could use the money if they need it. Some also have provisions for withdrawing part of the cash value in case of nursing home confinement.

These policies are not for everybody. If you do not have a lump sum of money, you may be better off with a regular life insurance policy and monthly payments. You should also understand that SPLI may be treated differently by the IRS. And finally, if you think you may need to withdraw your money in a short time, it will probably not benefit you. Fees or surrender charges could reduce your actual cash quite a bit in the short term.

Are you interested? Look here to get Single Premium Life Insurance Explained.

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