Talking about health insurance may not be everyone’s idea of a fun time. It’s a serious subject, but one that must be addressed, especially if you have a family. Health insurance and healthcare have become polarizing topics in America, but it doesn’t have to be scary, especially when you are well informed.
When you are self employed, employed, or unemployed, health insurance matters, it can be really confusing. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) have several tips to help you with your health insurance decisions.
For the employed:
· Review options for changes: Don’t automatically renew what you have had before because employers are making changes due to rising costs.
· Do the math: To pick the best plan, calculate healthcare costs from recent years and try to estimate costs for the coming year; don’t assume you know what plan will be the most affordable.
· Check out tax-free savings: Open a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) plan or a health savings account if that is available to you. And, don’t forget about dependent care savings accounts.
· Look for wellness incentives: Find out if your employer is offering a wellness program or incentives for healthy behaviors such as exercising regularly or not smoking.
For the self employed:
· Spouse plan: First, check about being added to your spouse’s or domestic partner’s employer plan.
· Individual insurance: Consider shopping for private insurance. This option allows you to customize care to your lifestyle, health and budget. New Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans could help if you have had trouble qualifying for coverage in the past.
For the unemployed:
· Now is a good time to review your decision and determine if your choice is still appropriate and if you or your family members might be eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program
· Some professional or philanthropic associations offer state regulated health plans. For a fee, you can join these organizations and have the ability to participate in their plan.
No matter your circumstances, knowing more about what your options are can make it less difficult.
And to help you be the healthiest you can be, the NAIC is giving me the opportunity to give away one (1) heart monitor to help you stay on top of your heart health.
To enter to win the heart rate monitor, you must:
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook
Subscribe to my blog
Leave a comment below let me know that you did as instructed.
That’s it!
One (1) winner will be selected at random on/after November 10th, 2011 and will be announced on Twitter. The winner will have 24 hrs to claim prize or an alternate winner will be selected. Contest open to U.S. residents only.
I hope that these health insurance tips come in handy for you and good luck on winning the heart monitor!
I, The Cubicle Chick, was given this opportunity to giveaway a heart rate monitor and share these health tips to my readers from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and its PR firm. The tips listed here are directly from the NAIC, and the opinions in this post are mine and written from my point of view.
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