Handle With Care

Are you living without health insurance? Do you think it’s too expensive or too much of a hassle? Is it something you’ve been meaning to get, but you just haven’t gotten around to acquiring it yet? It’s all too easy to forget about health care, until your health takes a turn for the worse.

Given the sky-high cost of medical care, insurance coverage could be your saving grace should you incur some costly medical bills. Here are the three essential tips to consider when getting health insurance.

1. Look at your doctor’s accepted insurance companies. If you absolutely love your physician, you’ll want to choose from his or her accepted insurance companies to avoid having to switch doctors.
2. Your insurance plan doesn’t have to cover everything. In a perfect world, people would have fantastic insurance plans that cover 100 percent of every single medical bill. In the real world, you often have to choose between your dream insurance plan and the one you can readily afford. Remember, if a large medical expense comes up, you can utilize other services (such as personal installment loans) to help pay higher bills.
3. Stop focusing on the co-pay. If you’re paying huge premiums just to get a tiny co-pay, you aren’t saving money in the long run. Sure, your day-to-day expenses may be lower, but your annual spending will be much higher when you pay costly premiums.

Having adequate coverage doesn’t mean you have to deplete your savings account. There are plenty of ways to save money on health insurance. Stop putting off getting health insurance and start researching potential plans today.

Preventative care is vital in maintaining your health and having a long life, but costs associated with medical care can be excessive, especially if an emergency arises.

Never assume that you can’t afford insurance. Contact insurance companies if your workplace doesn’t offer a plan, but don’t take their rates at face value. You may be able to negotiate lower monthly premiums and they may throw in extras like free preventive services. It never hurts to ask!

COBRA rates have also been slashed. If you previously thought it was too expensive, think again. You should also contact any insurance programs your state may offer.

The uninsured can take advantage of community clinics to get adequate preventative and sick care. The emergency room is the most expensive places to go, so find another resource if one is available to you.

When it’s too late for any of the above and you already have a major medical bill that you worry about paying, consider your options. You can try to settle or negotiate a payment plan with the hospital, apply for hospital charity assistance programs or ask for help from your family and community.

When nothing else works, turn to your credit card or take out a short-term loan to pay off the balance. You can apply for a pay day cash advance, which will have the funds in your account the next business day, or opt for a personal loan. The latter, of course, takes longer to approve and will require good credit. Only go into debt to pay off medical bills if you have exhausted all other options, but maintaining your health should remain priority number one.