Insurance World

Are you shopping for health insurance? Are you looking for the best rates? Are you totally confused? There are so many people scrambling for health insurance and are trying their best to compare the rates. This is not easy at first because the health insurance companies have had to come up with creative alternatives in their insurance portfolios. Those creative alternatives can give the average person an insurance headache.

The rising costs of hospital and physician services are always passed on to the consumer. The consumer depends on their insurance company to pay for their medical expenses in exchange for a premium. The medical rates are based on several criteria.

Here are a few:

1. Gender – Male/Female rates differ.

2. Tobacco - Non-Tobacco – Tobacco users are higher

3. Household Status - Single, Parent-child, Parent-children, Husband-Wife, Husband-wife-child, Husband-wife-children

4. Deductible – $500 to $5000 (with some companies)

There are some things that you can do to affect the rate. The most cost savings method is to choose a high deductible plan. The higher the deductible calculates into a lower the rate. Low deductibles no longer justify the premiums paid. This trend toward high deductibles is called self-insuring. You are taking on the financial responsibility for the deductible amount.

The best way to offset and prepare for the out of pocket deductible is to start a health savings account. This is a tax deductible savings plan for medical expenses. It’s the equivalent of a medical IRA. The tax deduction offsets some of the out of pocket expense you incur with the higher deductible. Contact your tax advisor or accountant about starting a health savings account.

Many people enjoy the convenience of renting a house or apartment. There’s no real commitment, you don’t have to worry about selling it if you decide to move, and if something breaks – well, you can usually just call the landlord. Yes, renters seem to have it easy sometimes! However, despite the convenience, rented houses or apartments aren’t exempt from risks such as fires and smoke, theft and vandalism, water and electricity damage, or damage from weather elements. It’s most likely that your landlord isn’t going to pay to replace all your clothing should your apartment catch fire or be burglarized. Therefore, you still need to purchase renter’s insurance.

Renter’s insurance will cover living expenses, with possible limits, if you are unable to live in your rented home or apartment due to damages. This is extremely beneficial to those who don’t have family members or friends nearby with room for boarding. And, if you’re renting a home because it’s more financially practical for you, there’s good news – renter’s insurance is most often much less than home owner’s insurance because you’re only insuring your possessions. Your landlord will have insurance for the house or apartment; the house or apartment itself isn’t yours to repair

There are two basic policies for renter’s insurance – the actual cash value policy, which covers the cost to replace your possessions with a deduction for depreciation up to your policy limit, and the replacement cost policy, which covers up to your policy limit with no deduction. It’s important to remember that many policies only cover a certain kind of valuables, so check with your agent to find out what the limits are. If you need more possessions insured, you may want to consider purchasing a separate floater policy that will cover the additional items.

So remember, just because renting offers the luxury of less worry and maintenance, you still need to protect your possessions within your rented house or apartment.