Insurance World

Finding affordable health insurance was not an easy task by any means. Don’t get me wrong: there are a lot of companies that offer low-cost policies. So if you just need some kind of coverage, I’m sure you’ll be able to find it. What I wanted, though, was more than just a piece of paper saying that I was covered in the event of a catastrophic illness. I wanted affordable health insurance that provided coverage for everything from routine checkups to prescription medication to major surgery. This was much more difficult to come by.

Like tens of thousands of other people before me, I recently gathered up enough courage to permanently leave my day job in order to join the ranks of the self-employed. This was a major step for me because I’m the kind of person that values comfort and security. I liked knowing that I would get a paycheck every two weeks whether business for my employer had been bad or good during that period. I also liked the benefits that I got from working for someone else — not the least of which was great medical coverage. So prior to quitting my previous job, I had to try to find some affordable health insurance.

My search for affordable health insurance taught me many things. First of all, I learned to look past the initial quote. Now that I’m self-employed, it’s very tempting to base all of my decisions on money alone. But that’s definitely not the way to go when it comes to medical coverage, so instead of accepting or dismissing a particular policy based on the quote alone, I forced myself to compare policies according to what I would actually get out of them. Second, my search for affordable health insurance taught me that many times, companies that offer low monthly premiums require you to pay huge deductibles in the event of a hospital visit. Sure, I guess I could play the odds and hope that I nothing happened to me, but that would just give me something extra to worry about. Third, searching for affordable health insurance means reading the policy’s fine print. I wanted to know exactly what my policy covered and what it didn’t so that I wouldn’t get hit with hidden charges later on. Reading the fine print saved me from making a couple of mistakes on policies that initially looked good, but turned out to be bad deals.

The quest for affordable health insurance is the Holy Grail for self-employed people everywhere. You owe it to yourself and to your family to carry medical coverage at all times, so don’t give up on your search. Affordable health insurance is not a myth; it can be yours if you’re willing to put in the necessary time to find the best policy for your needs.

Scam insurance is not new - criminals have been selling fraudulent policies since health insurance came into being. But with today’s skyrocketing health care costs, more consumers are seeking affordable access to quality care, which provides scam artists with fertile hunting grounds.

By appealing to consumers’ insurance cost concerns, these individuals successfully entice more than 100,000 Americans into purchasing sham health insurance every year.

Consumers should always be on the lookout for common insurance scams. Some warning signs of fraudulent plans include:

* dramatically low premiums;

* guaranteed coverage - regardless of pre-existing conditions;

* lack of the word “insurance” anywhere in the materials;

* plans that ask for premium payments in cash or for an entire year up-front.

It is important to evaluate the agent selling the plan. Agents who claim that they do not need a license to sell insurance or imply that their product is exempt from state regulation should be rejected. Consumers should be wary of any agent claiming to represent a medical provider who solicits customers door-to-door or patrols neighborhoods encouraging residents to visit a mobile clinic for routine checkups or tests.

Many organizations, including the National Association of Health Underwriters, are educating their members and consumers about how to recognize insurance scams and protect against them.

To keep from being victimized, consumers need to do their research and use a reputable insurance agent or broker who is knowledgeable about scam insurance. Consumers can locate a local NAHU member to help them find the right health insurance plan by going to www.nahu.org and using the “Find an Agent” feature.

Suspected insurance scams should be reported as soon as possible. Most states sponsor fraud bureaus that investigate insurance scams, and some even reward whistleblowers if there is a conviction.

The financial effects of these schemes are felt throughout the entire health care industry. Victims of insurance fraud will have to repay uncovered medical bills and depending on how long they go without legitimate insurance coverage, may also lose health care insurance access permanently. Health care facilities and medical professionals, meanwhile, may never be paid for the treatments they administer.

The only way to stop the spread of insurance scams is to learn how to detect fraud and work to prevent such criminals from succeeding.