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Whether you need health insurance for yourself, your business, or your family, TRUMPCAREFORALL has a wide range of options. Let our experts help you find the health insurance you need.
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Short term Health insurance also known as temporary health insurance or short-term medical, is easier to enroll in than other insurance options. As long as your application and payment are accepted, you can be insured as quickly as the next day. You can also choose a start date within the next 30 days.
When it comes to medical insurance, having something is better than nothing. As a type of health insurance, short-term medical policies are designed to protect you from financial disaster. Since medical bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States, short-term coverage is a smart way to keep your savings safe.
Temporary insurance can reduce the cost you pay for unexpected serious illness or traumatic injury. While short-term health insurance can have deductibles (such as $1,000 $12,500), that cost is merely a fraction of actual charges for a major emergency – which could easily reach $100,000 or more.
While a higher deductible will lower the monthly premium, select a deductible that you can afford to pay. Some bankruptcies involve people who had insurance but couldn’t cover the deductible.
Three little letters, which indicate what type of health insurance plan you have, make all the difference in your coverage. Once you understand the differences between the four types of insurance networks, you’ll understand how your medical care, costs, and plan type fit together.
The two main health insurance network types are:
- Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) and
- Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs).
An HMO is generally cheaper than a PPO, but HMOs have fewer doctors available to you.
There are two other common network types:
- Point of Service (POS) and
- Exclusive Provider Organizations (EPO).
These combine features from HMO and PPO networks. Overall, if you are generally healthy and looking for the lowest premiums, an HMO may be your best choice. If you want access to more providers, including specialists, turn your attention to PPOs. These various types of health insurance are available through different markets. For example, you can find HMO or PPO versions in ACA (OBAMACARE) plans, employer insurance plans, and short term plans.
- PPOs rarely require you to get a referral to see medical providers.
- If you have a PPO plan, you can visit any provider in your plan’s network at a discounted (“preferred”) rate.
- PPO networks include independent medical providers and hospitals.
- PPOs also allow you to visit doctors that aren’t in your PPO network, but you’ll be responsible for more of the cost. For instance, your PPO may have an entirely separate deductible and out-of-pocket maximum for out-of-network medical professionals.
- PPOs are generally the most flexible network type.
- PPOs are generally also the most expensive network type.
- In an HMO, your care is coordinated through a primary care physician (PCP) that you choose.
- You usually need a Referral from your PCP to visit a specialist.
- HMOs limit you to a relatively small number of in-network doctors and hospitals.
- However, during emergencies, your HMO will cover out-of-network care.
- In-network doctors may be directly employed by your insurance company.
- Some HMO networks put more limits on the number of tests or treatments than PPO networks do.
- HMOs are generally less expensive than other networks.
- However, it can be burdensome to get referrals from a PCP before seeing any specialists.
- For example, if you had an itchy skin issue, you might have to wait days to see your PCP to get referred to the dermatologist you need.
- POS networks are like HMOs, but without strict network limits. This means POS networks pay at least part of the bills for non-emergency care from doctors who aren’t in your plan.
- Like an HMO, POS networks ask you to get referrals from your primary care physician (PCP) before seeking care from specialists.
- Depending upon the plan, preventive care and other services provided by your PCP may be heavily discounted.
- POS networks are generally less expensive than PPOs but more expensive than HMOs.
- EPO networks are like HMOs, but they do not require referrals from a primary care physician.
- You have to get your non-emergency care only from specific doctors who accept your EPO.
- EPOs are generally less expensive than PPOs but more expensive than HMOs.
What You will Need Before Buying Individual Health Insurance
Before you can enroll, you will need to have:
- Birthdate
- Home address
- Social Security number
- Household income for this year (a best estimate will do)
- Information on how you file your taxes
- Income and employer information
- Proper documents if you are a legal immigrant
Assess Your Needs
Before settling on a health plan, you should carefully consider your healthcare needs. How much care do you typically need? How often have you been sick in the last two years or so?
Also, is there a particular doctor you’d like to continue seeing? If you love your internist, OB/GYN, or other healthcare provider, make sure that doctor, hospital or urgent care center is in the provider network for the plan you’re considering. It’s always best to check directly with your doctor to be sure he or she accepts a particular health insurance plan going forward, even if you see the name in writing from the insurer. Insurance documents, especially printed network lists, can be six months out of date. Fact is, providers move in and out of networks constantly.
Depending on your health needs, you might consider a plan that includes a large network of doctors to give you more choices. Choosing a plan with an ample network is especially critical if you live in a rural community, where finding the right doctor nearby is often challenging.
Important Details to Consider:
- See which plans allow you to keep your current doctor(s) or provider(s);
- Double-check whether your current prescriptions and specific dosages are on the plan’s approved list;
- Make sure you have affordable access to providers who can address any of your ongoing and foreseeable medical needs.
Check Whether You Qualify for a Subsidy
In 2020, if you make less than $49,960 per year individually or $103,000 as a family of four and don’t have health insurance at work or on your own, you may qualify for ACA government premium tax credits or perhaps even generous cost-sharing subsidies.
People who qualify can be separated into two age groups:
65 Years and Older
This is the main group for which Medicare was set up. In order to qualify, though, you’ll need to fulfill two requirements:
- You must have been a U.S. citizen or permanent resident for more than 5 years, and
- You must have paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years to get premium-free Part A. But even without having paid taxes for the requisite amount of time, you can qualify for Medicare, but will have to pay more.
Under 65 Years of Age
In limited cases, some groups under the age of 65 are eligible to get Medicare benefits. In order to qualify, you’ll need to fall under one of these three groups:
- You’re permanently disabled and you’ve received Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for at least the last two years; or
- You’re suffering from end-stage renal disease (ESRD)/end-stage kidney disease and need to undergo continuous dialysis or need a kidney transplant; or
- You receive Social Security disability benefits for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Medicare Part A: Hospital Insurance
Medicare Part A Covers:
- Inpatient hospital care;
- Stays in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities (SNF) (there are limits on time);
- Home healthcare services (like home health visits);
- Hospice care; and
- Any necessary medical supplies and drugs administered during your stay at a facility (There may be charges for such items when administered at home or hospice.)
Medicare Part B: Medical Insurance
Medicare Part B Covers:
- Outpatient medical services;
- Coverage for physician services and routine doctor visits;
- Preventive care and services (like flu shots and mammograms);
- Equipment or tests administered during outpatient services; and
- Medication administered during outpatient visits.