Title: Buying Low Cost Health Insurance. Word Count: 358

Transcription

1 抰 抰 抰 Buying Low Cost Health Insurance Title: Word Count: 358 Summary: There are many ways you can save on the cost of your health insurance but first you have to take into account the cover you want and if you are going to be taking individual cover or whether you are taking cover for the whole family. The cost of health insurance can vary greatly depending on the amount of coverage you need, if you were take all the options available in private health insurance then the premium would be astronomical and something which very few people can... Keywords: health insurance, PMI, private medical cover, health cover Article Body: There are many ways you can save on the cost of your health insurance but first you have to take into account the cover you want and if you are going to be taking individual cover or whether you are taking cover for the whole family. The cost of health insurance can vary greatly depending on the amount of coverage you need, if you were take all the options available in private health insurance then the premium would be astronomical and something which very few people can afford to do. Fortunately however, you can get good coverage for a decent premium by shopping around and following these tips. Always check the policy because it might include things which you don need, for instance if you are a single man and a policy includes costs for pregnancy then this obviously won be needed. While this might seem like common sense, it is surprising how many people don

2 look into what is in the policy they are buying. So always look into the different packages that are available. If you are considering the lowest cost health insurance then look into purchasing a policy that only covers major illnesses. Limited cover is one of the cheapest ways to buy private cover but take into account that minor illnesses and accidents will not be covered. You can keep the cost of the premium down if you offer to pay a higher excess. All policies will require that you pay something towards the cost of treatment before the insurance will kick in, this can start from something as low as?00. You could offer to share a percentage of the cost which will also bring the premium down that you will have to pay. While most people take out private insurance to beat the waiting lists that the NHS are noted for, it can help to bring your premium down if you choose to have a waiting period. For instance, you could choose a waiting period of 6 weeks and if during this time you can be seen on the NHS then all well and good, if not then you go privately. Title: Health Insurance?It's Important To Know What's Not Insured! Word Count: 1206 Summary: Around 7 million people in the UK are covered by health insurance, the majority being covered through their employers. The problem is that few have really studied their policy documents and many misunderstand what is covered. And perhaps just as important, what isn't. If you expect health insurance to pay all your health costs, you're mistaken. Health insurance is designed to provide protection for curable, short-term health problems and allow policyholders to jump the NH... Keywords: medical, insurance, what, is, covered Article Body: Around 7 million people in the UK are covered by health insurance, the majority being covered through their employers. The problem is that few have really studied their policy documents and many misunderstand what is covered. And perhaps just as important, what isn't. If you expect health insurance to pay all your health costs, you're mistaken. Health insurance is designed to provide protection for curable, short-term health problems and allow policyholders to jump the NHS queues to see consultants, be diagnosed, receive surgery or be treated. That sounds fine, but before you buy you need to appreciate the treatments and situations that fall outside the scope of the cover.

3 But first a word of warning. This article does not relate to any specific policy and the terms and conditions issued by individual insurers do vary. So please ensure you also check your policy documents. After reading this article, you'll know what to look out for! Sorry?it's a chronic condition If a condition can be cured and is not a long-term problem, your insurance company will classify it as acute and should meet the cost. If your problem is incurable or it's a problem that, despite appropriate treatment, will be with you for a long time, then your insurance company will classify it as chronic - and no, you won't be covered. But drawing a firm line between what is acute and what is chronic is fraught with problems, and leads to the biggest area of conflict between insurer and policyholder. Everyone agrees that diabetes and asthma are chronic conditions as you're likely to suffer from them for the rest of your life. So those sorts of condition are not covered. Problems arise when the medical team initially considers a patients' illness to be curable, but the condition subsequently deteriorates and the doctors change their mind, it's now become incurable. This can happen especially in the treatment of some types of cancer. 搇 In these circumstances, the condition is initially defined as acute and is therefore insured, but deteriorates and becomes chronic - and outside the terms of cover. This is possible as insurers retain the right to reclassify a condition from acute to chronic during treatment. Sorry - it's too long term The insurance company will not pay out for long term treatment. But you need to check your policy documents to see how they define ong-term? You can find the situation where a course of drugs extends for say 12 months, but the insurer will only pay for ten months. Sorry?it's preventative Your insurance is designed to pay for the treatment and cure of conditions when they arise. It is not designed to pay for treatments that are used to prevent an illness. Again, the problem of definition arises. Sometimes it is arguable whether a treatment is preventative or a cure. Take the drug Herceptin for example. This drug can be used in the early stages of breast cancer. Research shows that Herceptin can halve the incidence of cancer returning for women who have a particularly virulent form of the cancer known as HER2. In this situation, is Herceptin offering a cure or is it a preventative? Insurance companies are split on the debate. Norwich Union, WPA, BUPA and Standard Life Healthcare will pay for Herceptin for HER2 patients whereas Legal and General and Axa PPP will not. Sorry?the drug is not approved Two of the main attractions for taking out health insurance are: to jump the queues at the NHS, and to get the latest treatments and drugs. But there's a rider. Unless the drug has been approved for use by the NHS in England and Wales, by the Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, your insurer is unlikely to approve its use. The problem is that the Institute's brief is not simply to decide whether a drug works, but to carry out a

4 cost/benefit analysis to ensure that the benefits to the nation outweigh the financial costs of using it in the NHS. Not an easy brief - and one that has placed the Institute under scrutiny for the extended delays in drug approval. The compromise hit on by the Financial Ombudsman is that if a health policy won't pay for the use of experimental 損 treatments, then it should meet the cost of an approved conventional treatment with the policyholder footing the bill for the balance if the experimental treatment is more expensive. Sorry?it's a pre-existing condition The basic principle is that if you are already suffering from a condition when you start a policy, then that condition re-exists?the policy and any claims for its treatment are invalid. For this reason, insurance companies insist you complete an exhaustive questionnaire before they agree to insure you. After all they need a clear picture of your medical condition before they quote. For many applications, the insurer will, with your approval, also write to your GP for specific details of your medical history. They like to have a complete picture. So lets say some years ago you injured your knee playing football. It appeared to recover but now it turns out that you have a torn cartilage and need an operation. The insurer could argue that this is a pre-existing condition and you have to pay for its' treatment. Some insurers try to accommodate these grey areas with a moratorium provision within your policy. These provisions typically say that so long as you have been symptom free for two years relating to any condition you've suffered from within the last 5 years, then they will pay for subsequent treatment. Not all policies have these moratorium provisions and the time periods do vary between insurers. You should carefully read your policy. Sorry?its not covered Health Insurance is an annual contract?just like your car insurance. So when it comes to renewal, your insurer is at liberty to review not only your premium but also change the conditions on which your cover is provided. Therefore, if your policy comes up for renewal mid way through a course of treatment, it's possible to find that your new policy no longer covers that particular treatment. This means that you will have to foot the bill for the balance of the treatment. Furthermore, with ongoing advances in medical research, more and more conditions are becoming treatable. This progress has the effect of shifting back the dividing line between chronic and acute conditions. This hits the insurers' pocket in two ways. With more conditions being reclassified as acute, the number of claims is increasing. And there's also a trend for new treatments to cost more?herceptin being a good example. The net result is that the insurers are finding themselves having to pay out far more. This is inevitably passed back to you through increased renewal premiums. And in an attempt to reduce their risk exposure, insurers have a tendency to adjust their definitions and exclusions. This means that you must read your renewal notice closely before you decide to renew.

5 抯 抯 So when you are considering Health Insurance, be aware that everything is not always black and white. And if you've got insurance and need treatment, always contact your insurer without delay and get them to confirm that your treatment is indeed covered Title: Small Business and the Health and Safety Plan Word Count: 628 Summary: Thousands of dollars can be saved by implementing a health and safety program for small businesses. Keywords: small business insurance,insurance discounts,insurance claims,small business forums,small business insurance,business liability Article Body: Small Business and the Health and Safety Plan Small businesses that have a voluntary health and safety program in place have fifty percent less accidents and reported insurance claims than that of their counterparts according to OHSA stats. Most small businesses fall below the legal requirements for having a formal health and safety program in place due to number of employees on staff. Sixty eight percent of reported accidents are in the service industry which shows even businesses such as retail establishments are not free of accidents. Setting a health and safety program in place will reduce costs. Having a program will reduce accidents and will lead to lower company worker comp premiums; further business insurance companies prefer their customers to have health and safety programs. These insurance companies might even discount the premium if a program can be proved to exist. The average cost of an accident is $68,000. Direct costs in accidents such as worker comp and fines levied can close a business. Indirect costs such as low morale of employees, legal fees, and retraining can be as costly if not more. A working program will: 1) Improve employee morale?shows care in their well being 2) Reduce revenue loses?fewer accidents keeps all employees at work 3) Give a boost to the customer?makes sure business is operating optimally A health and safety program can be started by writing a health and safety policy; this is simply values that a company wishes to convey in its work processes. Secondly, is how communication between all employees and owners will function. And lastly, put procedures in place to ensure safe practices.

6 抰 To find unseen hazards and unsafe practices, an audit needs to take place. Take a hard look at the workplace and record all factors that may lead to injury. These hazards might be dangerous chemicals or as simple as a letter opener. Identifying these hazards will lead to procedures to controlling them. Controls such as on run with scissors in your hands?are effective. Write all procedures in a manual. Implementing these health and safety procedures will be done with behavioral change. Some programs become weak and non effective because of: 1)No definition of safety practices?no written processes 2)No teamwork?safety is communication from the top to bottom and vice versa. A well written plan will describe what roles everyone plays in safety policies. 3)No effective goals?the ccident free days?poster will come as a result of sound safety processes. 4)Wrong incentives?money as a reward does not work well. Health and safety should be fun and worth employees effort. The right incentive plan can be cost effective and have obtainable goals. Incentive plans can include movie passes or simply ree coffee on the boss.?the insurance industry reports for a dollar spent on health and safety yields four to six dollars in savings. 揇 揳 Once all of the hard work of developing and implementing the health and safety program is done, set aside some time each month to review the workplace. Record what is found; this is a good practice to see dangerous trends that might occur such as a fire exit constantly being blocked. On the quarters of the year post a meeting with employees. These meetings are a great way to get vital feed-back from employees and keep them involved. At least once a year, do an audit to make sure your health and safety program is current with present business operations. A health and safety program is about as exciting as putting on a new roof and it is as important for your business. Knowledge of hazards in the workplace and how to control them will keep everyone safe. For help in getting started, drop us an at [email protected]. 揻