senule blog

Cheap health insurance has become the issue of the moment in South Carolina and across the country. More small businesses are increasingly unable to provide cheap health insurance plans to their employees because of the rising cost and the lack of federal and state legislation that would allow small businesses to purchase cheap medical insurance in pools. In the meantime South Carolina and other states are looking to cut the costs of the Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs for the elderly and the poor. However, more affordable forms of health insurance plans are available as some private companies are experimenting with a new variation of cheap health insurance known as health discount plans. In the article that follows we’ll explain the various aspects of cheap health insurance in South Carolina and how to find a plan that works for you.

Health Care Costs due to Managed Health Care

The current health care system in America is inaccessible to approximately 47 million poor and lower middle class people. In order to address the growing health care insurance crisis in the U.S. that resulted in health care cost growth in the 1970s and 1980s, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) sprung up. These were initially as non-profit groups designed to separate unnecessary tests and treatments from those that the patient required in an effort to keep costs down. Managed care organizations began screening requested procedures by physicians to pre-authorize what the HMO would or would not cover. However, the number of people who are the riskiest to insure-diabetics, cancer, etc.-continues to rise. Many South Carolina managed care industry experts say the cost of cheap health insurance is still high because of the existing pool of insured people who use the health care system more than an average amount.

The other battle that is ongoing in South Carolina involves the health insurance companies and hospitals, the latter which cannot turn anyone away from care by law. However, as the number of South Carolinians who cannot afford cheap health insurance increases, hospital emergency rooms are handling the majority of the load. More people have to turn to hospitals as their primary health care givers given a lack of adequate or non-existant health insurance coverage.

Cheap Health Insurance Plans Through the Workplace

Most cheap medical insurance policies in South Carolina are usually written through group coverage offered at work by your employer through a private South Carolina cheap health insurance company. This is usually the more cost effective way to purchase cheap health insurance now available since a large number of employees allows South Carolina companies to reduce their insurance premiums. Similar to buying in bulk, the more health insurance plans a business can purchase for its employees the less expensive the insurance is per employee. In South Carolina, like the rest of the nation, the number of companies that can provide cheap health insurance for their employees is declining.

Personal Health Insurance Plans

Health insurance plans can be purchased by individuals and families from virtually every insurance provider in South Carolina. Trying to purchase health insurance on an individual basis can be more expensive if the person already has a health problem, known as a pre-existing condition. Many companies will not cover people with pre-existing conditions if they have no continuation of coverage-renewing health insurance coverage after only a prescribed short period of time-picked up from an earlier cheap health insurance policy.

South Carolina Health Insurance Pool

The South Carolina Health Insurance Pool is a state health insurance plan designed to provide coverage for those that either do not have or have lost medical coverage at no fault of their own and are uninsurable. The pool was created by the General Assembly to help people who couldn’t get health insurance coverage from any other source, including people with certain disabilities. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina currently administers the pool.

Coverage is available to a person who has been a state resident for at least 30 days and meets the following criteria:



They were turned down for private health insurance coverage for health reasons;

They were accepted for private health insurance, but have pre-existing illnesses or conditions excluded from coverage, for a period exceeding 12 months;

They are paying health insurance premiums for comparable coverage which are more than 150 percent of the premium levels charged by the pool;

In certain situations, other individuals whose last health insurance coverage was an employer based group health plan may be eligible for coverage.



No matter what your age, there are also several federally sponsored programs to help you if can’t afford the premiums for individual health insurance, providing you meet their eligibility guidelines.



Medicare, a health insurance program for people age 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with end-stage renal disease.

Medicaid, a program for the poorest individuals and low-income families with children.

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a plan that provides health care to children whose parents make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but earn too little to afford individual health insurance.



Types of Cheap Health Insurance Coverage

Cheap health insurance plans generally fall into one of two categories: indemnity plans and managed care plans (HMOs, PPOs or POS plans). An indemnity plan allows you to choose your own doctors and pays for your medical expenses totally, in part, or up to a specified amount. Managed care plans generally provide broader coverage within a specified network of health-care providers.

Although you can purchase cheap health insurance plans that cover specific areas of health care (surgical, hospital, physician expense plans) most plans cover varying degrees of health care in a number of different areas. This health insurance coverage, known as major medical insurance, offers extremely broad coverage with a very high maximum benefit that’s designed to protect you against losses from catastrophic illness or injury.

When comparing cheap medical insurance plans, check to see if they provide additional benefits that you may need, including prescription drugs, preventive care, mental health benefits, maternity care, and vision care. A comparison of various health insurance policies and rates through many South Carolina health insurance companies can be obtained at www.insurances.sc.

Cheap Health Insurance Recipient Costs

With most cheap health insurance policies available in South Carolina, the way to control cost is to cut down on the out-of-pocket expenses. Since most health care insurance policies require you to make a co-payment (the amount you pay a health care provider with every visit), anything involving a lot of time spent in the doctor or dentist’s office can become expensive. Most also require a deductible (costs you must cover out of your pocket for any major expense before your cheap health insurance policy picks up the remaining costs). You may also have coinsurance, the percentage of cheap medical insurance cost you will still have to pay after you reach your deductibles.

Another thing to consider is COBRA health insurance. This law allows employees who leave a job the ability to stay on that South Carolina company’s employee health insurance for up to 18 months although they have to pay the full amount of the coverage. Check the COBRA benefits to see if purchasing a less expensive individual health insurance plan may be in your best interest.

How to Buy Cheap Health Insurance

If you need to purchase individual health insurance, it can be expensive. Unlike group plans, in which the costs and risks associated with health care are spread among many people; individual health policies are “medically underwritten” to take into account your personal health history. Any “pre-existing” condition such as heart disease, diabetes, and even pregnancy, can nix your chances of acceptance or boost your premiums.

To determine the acceptability of a particular applicant, a health insurance underwriter can require information regarding the following:



The individual’s age: Age determines rates and whether coverage will be issued at all.

The individual’s gender: at younger ages, males have a lower rate of illness and injury than females. That changes by age sixty.

The individual’s health history and physical condition: Someone who has had a previous condition that can contribute to a future illness/injury is not considered an ideal risk. In response to a less than ideal medical history, modified coverage may be offered depending on the individual’s health, higher than normal premiums may be issued, or the person may be denied coverage altogether.

The individual’s occupation and hobbies: Some occupations such as construction workers have higher insurance rates, along with people who enjoy dangerous activities such as skydiving or bungee jumping. At times certain occupations are considered so hazardous that insurance companies will not cover them at all.



Your first step in getting cheap health insurance coverage is to understand exactly what you need. Think carefully about what coverage you must have. Do you need health insurance for your whole family, or just yourself? Do you want to choose your providers? If you’re over 65, do you need insurance to fill the gaps in Medicare? Do you need – and can you afford – long-term disability and/or long term care coverage? Even if you begin by soliciting cheap health insurance quotes you must still know exactly what you want in terms of health insurance coverage so you will be comparing apples to apples when weighing any cheap health insurance premium quote.

After that, contact a South Carolina insurance agent in your area. Ideally, you can start with an independent South Carolina insurance agent who is familiar with the insurance companies that do business in your area. This agent is also not bound to write coverage for any particular health insurance company so he or she can give you an honest appraisal of various health insurance policies.

When you’ve found the right coverage, you’ll give information to your agent to complete the necessary forms. Be honest. It’s important to disclose your medical history thoroughly and accurately. Report all of your health problems to your agent. If any of your health information is misstated or incomplete, the company might refuse to pay your claims and could cancel your policy.

If you are considering buying a health insurance plan the details of your plan are critical and there a variety of questions which you have to ask. Simply looking at the premium that you are being asked to pay is not enough and you need to look at various different things including any limitations, exclusions, restrictions on where treatment can be undertaken, additional payments and fee requirements and several other things.

Below are a few very important questions that you must always ask whenever you are buying a health insurance plan:

1. What deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses am I going to have to pay? The premiums are merely the beginning and most plans will require you to cover the cost of your bills up to a specified figure before your insurance kicks in. After that, you will usually also have to make a contribution towards the cost of each medical bill.

2. Are health screenings and medical exams included in the plan? Look carefully to find out whether your plan includes cover for routine medical exams including things like breast exams, mammograms and pap smears for women.

3. How are specialist care treatments and referrals dealt with? Look at the procedures you have to follow if you have to be referred for specialist treatment and whether there are any special provisions for meeting the cost of specialist treatment.

4. What cover is given for hospitalization or emergency care? {Take a good look to see if you will have to have pre-approval for hospital or emergency treatment. It might seem ridiculous but some policies will not let you seek emergency treatment without the pre-approval of a designated physician.

5. Is cover given for prescription medicines? Many plans will limit the drugs which can be prescribed frequently stating that listed generic drugs rather than brand name drugs have to be prescribed. You also need to look very carefully at the proportion of any cost you will have to meet for medicines.

6. Is cover for vision and dental care provided? A lot of plans do not cover dental and vision care at all while some limit treatment to only routine annual dental and eye checkups.

7. Is psychiatry, psychotherapy and other mental health care cover provided? Not all insurance plans will provide cover for mental health care and where cover is given you need to look very carefully at just what cover is being offered.

8. Is hospital, nursing home and home care covered? It is very important to examine the extent to which cover is given for care in hospital, in a nursing home or at home and whether there is a ceiling on your cover.

9. Is physical therapy and rehabilitation covered? Accident or illness frequently results in a need for physical therapy or rehabilitation and so it is important to look at the extent to which these are covered.

10. Is alternative treatment covered? As an increasing number of us are turning to alternative treatments such as the use of holistic treatments or acupuncture you should check to see if these are covered if this is an area which you wish to make use of.

The premium you will be paying for your health insurance plan is of course very important but you have to bear in mind that it is only one small element of the total package you are buying.

Mental health insurance is a fairly new type of insurance. As recently as ten years ago, most insurers offered little if any coverage for mental health problems. Now, many states require that insurance companies include some form of mental health insurance coverage as part of their health insurance policies. Here’s how to get affordable mental health insurance.

What Does Mental Health Insurance Cover?

Mental health insurance coverages vary widely among insurance companies. Most insurance companies cover problems such as

* Anxiety

* Depression

* Relationship difficulties

* Social phobias

They typically do not cover alternative therapies such as aromatherapy, nor do they cover therapy related to gender change.

Insurance companies typically allow around 20 to 30 sessions with a mental health professional per year, paying anywhere from 50-80 percent of the bill.

Selecting a Mental Health Insurance Policy

Whether you’re looking for an insurance policy that just covers mental health or a policy that includes both physical and mental health coverage, your best option for finding an affordable policy is to shop around. Go to an insurance comparison website and get quotes from multiple A-rated companies that you can compare. As you compare the policies, look for whether the policy:

* Requires a referral from your primary care physician or employee assistance program.

* Includes a preferred list of providers and hospitals you must choose from and what the financial consequences are if you choose someone else.

* Includes a separate annual deductible for mental health services.

* Pays for office visits, medication, respite care, outpatient hospital care, and inpatient hospital care and what the co-payments are for these services.

* Limits your number of visits.

* Excludes certain diagnoses or pre-existing conditions.

* Includes an annual or lifetime cap for mental health coverage.

Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get mental health insurance quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can get more insurance tips in their Articles section, and get answers to your questions from an insurance expert by using their online chat service.

Disability health insurance cover is necessary for all. Even for the normal people!

Well, human life is like the cycle of seasons. There are good times, bad times and worst times. In the event of a disability everything may go haywire. Talking about your working career, you have limited income and many fixed responsibilities.

To meet such an eventuality, disability health insurance is thus needed. The policy is all about getting certain about the uncertainty, from the financial point of view.

If the organization you are working with is offering you the schemes as part of the terms and conditions of your service to provide you with the disability health cover, it is well and good. You can as well make your private arrangements to be a member of such a scheme by taking a policy and making regular premium payments. In the later case, the premiums are free from income tax.

However, when you make the decision to buy the disability health policy, do read several online quotations from some reputed brokers and study the terms and conditions carefully. For, there are many companies and many policies. The advantages detailed therein are also many. Your broker can also be your adviser in this matter.

But remember, brokers are also businessmen. They may deliberately try to promote an insurance company that offers more percentage of brokerage to them. Think from both the angles- why you should listen to the broker’s advice and why you should not.

Disability is a condition that bars one from performing the normal physical and mental functions. However there are certain permanent types of disabilities like blindness also. But the disabled persons enjoy certain fundamental rights. They are accommodated and given chance to work in places where it is safe and comfortable for them to work. They have a right to participate in all government activities.

You cover under the disability health scheme will not debar you from taking health insurance policies for various purposes. Many organizations provide compulsory insurance cover, what is called group insurance cover to their members. There is substantial discount in premiums in such cases.

In many health insurance policies, clauses for accidental insurance, disability income insurance, medical expenses insurance and accidental death and dismemberment insurance are also provided.

God forbid, in the hours of extreme distress of disability, the value and support of disability health insurance is the only savior. It would be- having taken a right step at the right time!

The United States does not have socialized medical care. If you have no health insurance coverage, you have to pay for health care out of your own finances at the time of service. This can run into many thousands of dollars for serious illnesses.

You buy health insurance for the same reason you buy other kinds of insurance: to protect yourself financially. With health insurance, you protect yourself and your family in case you need medical care that could be very expensive.

You cannot predict what your medical bills will be. In a good year, your costs may be low. But if you become ill, your bills could be very high. If you have health insurance, many of your costs are covered by a third-party payer, not by you. A third-party payer can be an insurance company or, in some cases, it can be your employer.

Many people in the United States are enrolled in some sort of managed care health insurance plan. This is an organized way of both providing services and paying for them. Different types of managed care plans work differently and include preferred provider organizations (PPOs), health maintenance organizations (HMOs), point-of-service (POS) plans and fee-for-service plans.

Individuals enrolled in health care plans pay a monthly or quarterly fee as insurance for the time when they will need medical attention. At the time when a service is provided, the health insurance organization pays part or all of the fee, minimizing the amount you have to pay at the time you receive the service.

The information presented here will help you choose a health insurance plan that is right for you. If you are married or single, have children or no children, this information will help you to find out how to choose a health insurance plan that best meets your needs and your financial circumstances. Definitions of the health insurance terms used are included in the section called Understanding Health Insurance Terms.

Understanding Health Insurance Terms

Coinsurance

The amount you are required to pay for medical care in a fee-for-service plan after you have met your deductible. The coinsurance rate is usually expressed as a percentage. For example, if the health insurance company pays 80 percent of the claim, you pay 20 percent.

Coordination of Benefits

A system to eliminate duplication of benefits when you are covered under more than one group plan. Benefits under the two plans usually are limited to no more than 100 percent of the claim.

Co-payment

Another way of sharing medical costs. You pay a flat fee every time you receive a medical service (for example, $5 for every visit to the doctor). The health insurance company pays the rest.

Covered Expenses

Most health insurance plans, whether they are fee-for-service, HMOs, or PPOs, do not pay for all services. Some may not pay for prescription drugs. Others may not pay for mental health care. Covered services are those medical procedures the insurer agrees to pay for. They are listed in the health insurance policy.

Customary Fee

Most health insurance plans will pay only what they call a reasonable and customary fee for a particular service. If your doctor charges $1,000 for a hernia repair while most doctors in your area charge only $600, you will be billed for the $400 difference. This is in addition to the deductible and coinsurance you would be expected to pay. To avoid this additional cost, ask your doctor to accept your health insurance company’s payment as full payment. Or shop around to find a doctor who will. Otherwise you will have to pay the rest yourself.

Deductible

The amount of money you must pay each year to cover your medical care expenses before your health insurance policy starts paying.

Exclusions

Specific conditions or circumstances for which the policy will not provide benefits.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization)

Prepaid health plans. You pay a monthly premium and the HMO covers your doctors’ visits, hospital stays, emergency care, surgery, checkups, lab tests, x-rays, and therapy. You must use the doctors and hospitals designated by the HMO.

Managed Care

Ways to manage costs, use, and quality of the health care system. All HMOs and PPOs, and many fee-for-service plans, have managed care.

Maximum Out-of-Pocket Expenses

The most money you will be required pay a year for deductibles and coinsurance. It is a stated dollar amount set by the health insurance company, in addition to regular premiums.

Non-cancellable Policy

A policy that guarantees you can receive health insurance, as long as you pay the premium. It is also called a guaranteed renewable policy.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization)

A combination of traditional fee-for-service and an HMO. When you use the doctors and hospitals that are part of the PPO, you can have a larger part of your medical bills covered. You can use other doctors, but at a higher cost.

Pre-existing Condition

A health problem that existed before the date your health insurance became effective.

Premium

The amount you or your employer pays in exchange for health insurance coverage. Primary Care Doctor

Usually your first contact for health care. This is often a family physician or internist, but some women use their gynecologist. A primary care doctor monitors your health and diagnoses and treats minor health problems, and refers you to specialists if another level of care is needed. In many health insurance plans, care by specialists is only paid for if your are referred by your primary care doctor. An HMO or a POS plan will provide you with a list of doctors from which you will choose your primary care doctor (usually a family physician, internists, obstetrician-gynecologist, or pedicatrician). This could mean you might have to choose a new primary care doctor if your current one does not belong to the plan. PPOs allow members to use primary care doctors outside the PPO network (at a higher cost). Indemnity plans allow any doctor to be used. Provider

Any person (doctor, nurse, dentist) or institution (hospital or clinic) that provides medical care.

Third-Party Payer

Any payer for health care services other than you. This can be an insurance company, an HMO, a PPO, or the Federal Government

Over the last couple of years, the advantages of mental health insurance have altered dramatically. I am sure you are aware that mental health is a broad term and when you are looking for mental health insurance, it is important for you to ensure that the plan that you get will include different kinds of mental disorders. Every one knows that there are various types of mental disorders and usually, the mental health insurance will include issues like substance abuse, depression, behavior disorders and anxiety. Most people can get insurance from their employers but the bad news is that the insurance generally does not over mental health issues.

The insurance agency or company will be the one to decide on the coverage. In general, the disorders that will be covered by the insurance plan are social phobias, relationship problems, depression and anxiety. However, you need to know that the cover will not include weight loss or aromatherapy. Some insurance plan may even allow you to go and see the therapist of your choice and this will depend on the plan that you have opted for. Before you select a mental health insurance, I will advise you to try to find out whether that policy will allow you to go and choose the therapist of your choice. Needless to say, I will always recommend you to find out about the various insurance agencies before you settle for one agency. By doing this, you can ensure that the company or agency that you have chosen is offering you the best deal. Prior to buying the insurance plan, it will be best if you carry out some research.

No one is going to deny the fact that mental health insurance is the kind of insurance that has been in existence for a short period of time because about ten years ago, insurance agencies paid little money or no money at all for mental health issues.  To make sure that you are getting the best policy that is being offered, you should look around for the plans offered by the different agencies. It is possible for you to compare the insurance quotes of various companies by checking an insurance comparison website. Some things you should ask before you get the policy are:

Will the insurance plan limit the number of visits to the clinic? The plan that you are considering, does it have a lifetime cap? Is there a separate deductible every year for mental health services? Are the names of the hospitals and therapists that you have to choose from mentioned in the policy? If you go to a therapist not named in the list, will you need to pay his fee by yourself?

Health plans are classified as “state plans to” or “plans of choice.” A term plan provides certain minimum requirements and guarantees. A plan of consumer choice is a plan developed by a carrier that excludes some State benefits. Generally, consumer choice plans that do not contain all the safeguards of State will save you money on your monthly premium.

Although consumer choice plans are sometimes called “standard plans,” be careful not to interpret this term to mean that the guarantees are “normalized”. Each carrier Plan May consumer choice is different, and in May the carrier plans to offer more choice for consumers.

Some State benefits continue to be necessary for consumer choice, including guarantees for:

* Phenylketonuria treatment, if prescription drugs are covered.

* Complications of pregnancy.

* Minimum of hospital stay after childbirth (mandated).

* Reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy (mandated).

The May consumer choice plans vary depending on the carrier offering the plan. For example, consumer choice plans HMO must pay for 20 outpatient visits for mental health enrollee per year, but this is not a requirement in indemnity plans. In addition, unlike insurance companies, the HMO consumer choice plans must include services to basic health care such as inpatient, outpatient, and preventive services. May carriers offer optional benefits that vary widely from one system to the.

You do not have time for all this research and calculation. But can we really afford to leave on your “maybe one day the list? Because the cost of health care increases the risk of not having health insurance are more visible than ever. Today, only one injury or illness – if uninsured – can leave a family in financial ruin. In addition, health coverage is one of the main benefits of employment. May you not be able to recruit and retain the best employees, without the offer?

Another alternative to group health insurance, which can be prohibitive for many small businesses to offer health insurance options to individual employees. By law, an employer is not permitted to participate in these plans, or could be treated in group insurance under the law of the State of Texas. But you can help your employees to be insured in a good plan and improve their health and well-being and to improve retention of employees in the process. If you own a small business that wants to offer affordable health insurance to employees, but cannot afford health insurance, you should consider offering your employees the revolutionary, comprehensive individual of health insurance solutions created by the previous especially for young, healthy individuals.

Precedent offers affordable health plans for catastrophic coverage, but without a great franchise, and we will provide these plans to your employees at a discount. For more information, visit us at our website, www.precedent.com. We offer unique and innovative solutions for individual health insurance, including highly competitive HSA-qualified plans and an unparalleled “real time” application and acceptance experience.

Many families and groups of people have now started realizing that a group health insurance plan is vital to stay protected in case of unexpected medical emergency. Today, group health insurance plans have also become popular in business sector also where the employer provides these insurance plans in form of incentives and benefits.

Almost all medical treatment and expenses are included in a group health insurance plan, such as dental care, medical bills, hospitalization, prescription cards, medicines, tax assistance and even pet care.

There are varied kinds of group health insurance plans made available by insurers meeting different types of requirements of individuals, families and companies. To search for the best health insurance plan, whether for your family or for employees, one can browse through a health insurance directory to find the best health insurance plan available. The health directory contains a list of different insurance plans along with the insurance companies offering group health insurance plans.

A health insurance directory is one of the best resources to look for a health insurance plan. The directory contains a detailed listing of insurance agents and brokers with their names, addresses, contact numbers, e-mail addresses and websites providing health coverage to people. The agent listings available in such directories are also listed out by location.

The health insurance plans and the insurers listed in the online health directory are categorized under various sections covering various medical specializations, such as cosmetic surgery, emergency services, fitness, first aid, fitness, injury claims, nursing, nutrition and pharmacy.

Other branches that are covered in the group health insurance plans include optical care, sports medicine, weight control and mental health. The insurers provide compensation for all these types of health related problems that may occur at any time in your life.

By referring to a health insurance directory, you can find the best insurance plan for your family. Also businesses can refer to this directory to find out which group health insurance plan would be suitable to their employees and the company.

The recent tragedy at Virginia Tech illuminates the colossal failure of government and public policy to all our citizens who have mental disabilities and are ignored, denied. blurred, blamed and are invisible. The Federal Government should lead in establishing an environment of reality and acceptance of treatment without the ignorant stigma of shame. Mental problems are just as legitimate as a cut needing stitches or a heart attack. Yet people who seek help for a psychological problem are still looked upon as flawed and blamed for not being able to handle their own problems.

We need public education to encourage individuals to go for help when they recognize feeling out–of-control or in a situation where they need counseling, support and advice. Some problems are chemical imbalances and often medications can reduce symptoms or stabilize the individual, if the person takes the medication. They don’t always take them because the medications have such uncomfortable side effects that the patient believes that the disease is easier to cope with than the drugs.

Other problems are situational and don’t need to be medicated but brought to the surface, worked out and resolved. The best way to do this is through “talk therapy.” There are many modalities that effectively work to educate and empower people to stop repeated patterns of destructive and self-deprecating behaviors. Being molested as a child is one example. There is no drug to resolve the damage done and continuing negative effects on adult relationships like trust issues, guilt, shame and sexual confusion and dysfunction. These issues need to be resolved by other means.

Medicating such a wound just exacerbates the dilemma and doesn’t resolve or heal the wound. Neither does behavior modification.

Grief is similar issue. Typically it isn’t pathological, yet it hurts like hell for a long time. Medication isn’t recommended. Talking about the pain and expressing the hurt is a healthier way to deal with grief. Knowing what to expect, the hot spots and the time frame is empowering. Just knowing that the immediate pain will heal itself is part of the healing process.

Historically, we as a nation have attached a stigma of shame on the individual suffering from a mental problem and on the family. I know because in 1956 my father was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and rather than go to a hospital and inflict shame on his family and himself he killed himself at 45 years old.

In the 1960’s we began systematically to empty out all our mental hospital. Often they were less than ideal, but rather than reform them we dumped the patients onto the street. Most homeless people have serious mental health problems and so do most inmates in jail. Today when a person is identified with serious mental problems there is no place to put him or her, few long-term beds and certainly not an adequate amount are available for the mentally ill. Half way houses substitute as a safe place to be housed, but they are rarely safe. And inmates in jail don’t get adequate mental health help to prevent recidivism, returning to jail after they are released.

Then in the 1990’s the Health Maintaince Organizations (HMO’s) appeared on the reimbursement stage and embraced short-term therapy with an emphasis on behavioral modification and limited psychotherapy to six or on occasion twelve sessions. Any additional sessions need to be approved by the HMO before they would be paid. This was the death knoll to effective therapy for the severely mentally ill.

Behavior modification is basically a band-aid type of therapy believing if you change your thoughts you heal any pain or problems from old wounds. Just sweep it under the carpet and it will fade away. This works for some minor problems and patients who can adjust in a very structured modality but is not realistic for more severely wounded people, some need months and even years of therapy. The most seriously disturbed patients may take months just to establish trust in their therapist before they even reveal what happened to them.

States don’t have enough money to adequately fund Community Mental Health Programs. Many people fall between the cracks even when identified and mandated to get out patient therapy. Mental health practioners are overloaded, overwhelmed and underpaid. It is a job with high burn out and high turn over. A patient may begin with one therapist, who moves on and the patient is transferred and has to start all over with someone else.

Private insurance limits the number of visits they will pay for through reimbursement and co-payments. They closely monitor the number of visits, that are regulated by HMO staff. A mental health professional literally has to beg for additional visits when deemed necessary. Additionally the HMO tells the practitioner what they will pay and it is rarely his or her regular fees, always less.

Mental health must become a higher priority in this country to prevent innocent people from becoming victims. All of society is responsible for this tragedy. We must demand more education, better treatment and prevention strategies to avoid similar incidents in the future.

This is a broken system and needs to be fixed. Now!

What is health insurance?

A health insurance policy will provide a cover to you and your family against sudden medical contingency or bodily injury.

Why health insurance?

Every human being is exposed to various health hazards.

Medical emergency can strike anyone without pre-warning.

Inadequate facilities in government hospitals

Private hospitals are too expensive

Medicines have become quiet expensive

Diagnostic charges are beyond common man’s reach

Specialists come at a price

Tax benefit under section 80 D of the Income Tax Act

Health risk is a personal risk, which could arise from various factors viz.

a) Physical condition

b) Psychological condition

c) Accident related

d) Occupational related

e) Environment related

f) Life style related

g) Travel related

What is the kind of medical emergency that can strike?

A medical emergency can be:-

Medical illness

Injury / Accident

Major illness

Critical illness

Chronic illness

Untreatable

Terminal

What impact will a medical emergency have on you and your family?

A medical emergency can

Burn a hole in your pocket

Immediate need for medical aid

Loss of quality life

Loss of career options / Income

Disruption in home life

Mental trauma and incapacitation

What does a standard insurance policy cover?

A standard health insurance covers :

Room and boarding expenses provided by the hospital

Nursing expenses

Diagnostic and medicine expenses

Surgeon, Anesthetist, Medical Practitioner, Consultants, Specialist fees

Anesthesia, blood, oxygen, operation theatre expenses, cost of surgical appliances, medicines and drugs and similar expenses

Pre-hospitalisation and post hospitalization expenses subject to conditions and limits .

What are the benefits of buying health insurance at a young age?

Health insurance premium tends to increase with age — more the age, higher the premium.

You can be covered for medical conditions that may be diagnosed over the years provided there is no break in the policy.

In addition, each `no claim’ year would fetch you a discount on your premium or an increase in your sum insured amount at no extra cost. The treatment in case of ‘no-claim’ bonus varies from company to company.

Lastly, income tax benefit under Section 80 D of the Income Tax Act.

How is premium determined?

Premium depends on several factors viz.

Your age

Amount of coverage required

Number of family members covered

Other additional benefits

Your health condition

Your income earning

How does a health policy differ vis-à-vis a life insurance policy?

The health insurance plan is more comprehensive in its coverage. All expenses involved in hospitalization fall under its purview. Life insurers usually cover critical illness and hospital cash extensions (only room rent charges) on life policies, which do not include doctor’s fees, expenses incurred on buying medicine and surgery costs etc.

Why is it important to disclose health details when I buy a policy?

Mention of details is critical since insurance companies assess the policyholder’s risk profile on the basis of his/her health. An insurance contract works on the principal of “utmost good faith”, which implies that information furnished by a policyholder is true and correct. Moreover, non-disclosure can also lead to rejection of a claim. For Free details on health insurance and buying it online click on health insurance now