Insurance World

Shopping for low cost family health insurance does not have to be an overwhelming process. Granted, it’s no day at the beach; but if done with some careful planning, the process can be less “painful.”

First, it’s important to understand the “jargon.” That is, a family health insurance policy is actually an individual policy, as opposed to a group policy, that has been issued for a family. Therefore, when shopping for low cost health insurance for your family, you’re actually searching for an individual policy that will be issued for you and your family.

Second, when shopping for low cost health insurance, it is important to realize that there are ways to keep costs down.

For example, if your family is generally healthy, you may want to choose higher out-of-pocket options for items such as deductible, copayments, and coinsurance. By doing so, you can expect to see a significant reduction in your premiums.

Another way to reduce your health insurance costs is to pay your premiums annually. Since it requires a significant initial payment, this may not be a realistic option for some. Nevertheless, if you can afford to prepay your premiums, you may be able to avoid paying service fees and possibly realize a prepayment discount. Be sure to ask your insurance agent about this possibility.

In addition, you may want to think twice about buying supplemental health insurance. In many cases, supplemental insurance offers coverage for items that are already included in your main plan. If you think you way need a supplemental health policy, be sure to discuss this with your agent thoroughly before making any final decisions.

Third, and last, whether you’re just trying to get the best deal for health insurance and finances are not a significant limiting factor, or price is a significant limiting factor, you should know is that the health insurance industry in the U.S. is heavily regulated. While regulations may vary from one state to another, health insurance premiums are regulated by each state Department of Insurance.

What this means to you is that you will pay the same monthly premium for the same plan whether you buy from a local agent, an Internet company, or the insurance company itself. Logically then, the best way to end up with the policy best suited for you and your situation is to obtain and then review multiple health insurance quotes.

Shopping for low cost family health insurance can be quite a shock for the unprepared. So, to be ready, educate yourself by using the volumes of information available on the Internet. Look for ways to keep costs to a minimum, such as prepaying premiums, selecting a higher deductible, and not purchasing insurance you will not use, . By working smarter, not harder, you will be maximizing your odds of ending up with a quality and affordable health insurance plan.

Should I lease a car or buy it?

Think of a term life insurance policy as leasing a car. When you lease a car you get the benefits of using the car, but when you stop paying you don’t have a car anymore. As with term insurance as long as you pay your premiums you get the benefit of the term life insurance policy, but when you stop paying, you no longer have any coverage.

Whole life or “permanent policies” are designed to build up a cash value. So similar to buying a car you have an asset that you can keep. Unlike a car, hopefully this asset will grow in value. Whole life, Universal life and Variable Universal life are all different types of permanent insurance. Permanent insurance, most of the time, is meant to keep until you die or as a saving vehicle.

The way the policy grows in value gives you the different names of insurance such as, Whole Life, Universal Life, and Variable Universal Life. That leads to the understanding of the different types of permanent policies.

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Whole Life- Is an insurance policy where premium payments are usually the same throughout the life of the policy, as is the death benefit. You usually need to pay the premiums as long as the policy is in force.

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Universal Life - Is an insurance policy where premium payments may be changed and the death benefit can also be changed by the owner. Usually if the death benefit is being raised you will have to show some evidence of insurability (medical information) or other information requested. Your policy grows at a stated interest rate which changes every so often.

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Variable Universal Life - Is an insurance policy where premium payments may be changed and the death benefit can also be changed by the owner. Usually if the death benefit is being raised you will have to show some evidence of insurability (medical information) or other information requested. Your policy grows at the rate of your investment choice you choose. Since you may invest in market instruments similar but not exactly like mutual funds. Your policy can lose value causing larger premium payments than expected.

Take a step back and think about it from the insurance company’s point of view, its easier to understand the difference. A portion of the cash value that builds in the insurance contract will pay for the “cost of insurance”.

Whole life- The insurance company is taking most of the risk. They are paying a death benefit to you no matter what happens to the cash value in the account. As long as you make your payments the insurance company has to pay your death benefit. This may be the most expensive.

Universal life - The insurance company is taking some risk. The policy grows give the current interest rate it pays. At times you are only able to earn low interest rates. You may need to make up more payments to keep your policy.

Variable Universal life - The insurance company has taken the least amount of risk. In the Variable policy the rate of return is variable, meaning you don’t know how fast your policy will grow or shrink. This type of policy is most likely used for someone who is younger and can ride out the volatility of their portfolio. Since you take on the most risk in this type of policy it usually has the smallest premiums.