Q Are Internationally Adopted Children Exempt From The 3

Effective April 1, 2009, changes were made to Regulation 552 of the Health Insurance Act which provides an exemption from the three-month waiting period for Ontario health insurance coverage for children adopted internationally by Ontario residents.

Exemption from the Waiting Period for OHIP

• The child has an OHIP-eligible citizenship/immigration status. OHIP-eligible citizenship/immigration statuses are listed in Regulation 552 of the Health Insurance Act more information can be found on this topic under the fact sheet OHIP Eligibility.
• The adoptive parents can provide confirmation that they have received director approval, provided by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, of their international adoption under Ontarios Intercountry Adoption Act.

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Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that were putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and reviewed by subject matter experts, who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and worthy of your trust.

Our insurance team is composed of agents, data analysts, and customers like you. They focus on the points consumers care about most price, customer service, policy features and savings opportunities so you can feel confident about which provider is right for you.

• We guide you throughout your search and help you understand your coverage options.
• We provide up-to-date, reliable market information to help you make confident decisions.
• We reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible.

All providers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide. And we constantly review our criteria to ensure were putting accuracy first.

Select The Policy That Meets Your Needs And Budget

Buying the right coverage does not need to be complicated. Consider what price fits into your budget as well as what purchasing experience best fits with your lifestyle and expectations.

Most importantly, dont lose sight of the fact that youre doing all this research and buying a policy to help financially protect the most important people in your life and give you peace of mind.

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Types Of Health Insurance Plans

When purchasing health insurance, your choices typically fall into one of three categories:

• Traditional fee-for-service health insurance plans are usually the most expensive choice. They offer the most flexibility in choosing health care providers.
• Health maintenance organizations offer lower co-payments and cover the costs of more preventive care. Your choice of health care providers is limited to those who are part of the plan.
• Preferred provider organizations offer lower co-payments like HMOs but give you more options when selecting a provider.

Does Life Insurance Require A Physical Exam

The majority of health insurance policies do not require a physical exam. Despite the many regulations involved with the health care industry, that is not one of them. However, life insurance is sometimes different depending on certain factors.

Quite a few life insurance companies do need you to undergo a physical exam. This is to see if you are eligible for their coverage. This can vary based on your health, age, the requirements of the insurance company, and how much life insurance you are interested in purchasing.

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Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance

Guaranteed life insurance coverage is a type of life insurance that is, as the name suggests, âguaranteedâ as long as you can pay the life insurance premiums. While this might be beneficial for people who are otherwise unable to acquire life insurance â perhaps due to health or any other prohibitory circumstance â the caveat is that it is typically one of the most expensive life insurance products per dollar of coverage, and pays out a comparably low death benefit to your beneficiaries.

Due to the high cost and relatively low payout, a guaranteed policy should only be utilized for life insurance coverage as a last resort.

Things To Take To A Doctor Checkup

Be ready for your checkup with these essentials and practical pointers

• My health plan ID card. Youll need this to check in at your appointment, so dont leave home without it. Also bring along photo ID, such as a drivers license.

• A list of all the medications I take. Include all over-the-counter products, prescriptions, vitamins and supplements you currently use. Some medicines and even natural products can interact with each other. And that can be downright dangerous. So make sure your list is complete your doctor and pharmacist really need to know.

  Quick tip: Brown bag it. A list is handy but you can also gather up and bring the bottles and containers to show your doctor.

• Health history notes. Its helpful for your doctor to know details about your family medical history as well as your personal health history.

• My questions and concerns. It can be hard to remember all the points you want to coverduring your visit. So make a list to bring along. Note any symptoms youre experiencing.

  Quick tip: Dont forget preventive care. Ask your doctor what screenings and vaccines are right for you.

• A buddy. If you have trouble recalling what your doctor says, it may be helpful to invite a family member or friend. Remember these extras: Take a notepad to jot down the must-remember items. Ask your doctor for a printout of instructions.

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What Is No Medical Exam Life Insurance

Before looking at how much coverage you can get, along with the cost, we need to see what these policies mean.

First up, regardless of where you end up on the question of doing a medical screening, make sure to get term life rather than a whole life policy. Whole life is a major rip-off that you should stay away fromits way pricier, and it mixes in bad investment products with life insurance coverage, but ends up helping you with neither.

Back to the no medical exam thing. Today, many insurance companies have shifted their requirements to allow people in certain age groups requesting policy values of $1 million or less to skip the exam completely and still get the most competitive term life rate available. These are also known as lab-free options and dont require a medical exam.

Some companies can approve you without a medical check or lab reports as long as you fit into certain categoriestypically were talking about healthy people. These policies are great if you want to get your policy started as soon as possible.

But are you guaranteed a no medical exam policy if you fit the right criteria? Not necessarily. Even if you feel really healthy and youre under 65, youll still need to answer questions about your medical history and disclose conditions you have to get a term life policy in place.

Depending on your answers, you may still need to complete an exam or lab work.

Who It May Be A Good Fit For

If you want to pay the most affordable rates , if you have no objection to taking a medical exam if its needed, and/ or you and your family require a policy worth $500,000 or more, youll want to consider medically underwritten coverage. And you never know: You might qualify to skip the exam, too. Get a quote for the Haven Term policy.

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Other Types Of Health Coverage

Other types of health coverage are sold in California, but if it will be your main source of coverage, you should make sure that it meets minimum essential coverage requirements. If your policy does not meet these requirements, you might have to pay a tax penalty to the IRS as if you did not have coverage at all.

High-Deductible Plans

These plans have lower premiums but high deductibles. The deductible each year can be over $5,000 for an individual and over $10,000 for a family. This means that you must pay a lot of money each year before your plan covers anything except preventive care.

Usually a high-deductible plan is combined with a Health Savings Account . You or your employer can put tax-free money into a savings account and use this money to pay your deductible.

Limited Benefit Plans

Limited benefit plans are also called mini-meds. They provide very limited benefits. They are advertised on TV as low-cost health insurance. You should read the policy very carefully. If you have a serious illness, you might run out of coverage quickly. These plans do not count as full health coverage and you may end up paying a penalty at the end of the year if you don’t have other coverage.

Discount Plans

Supplemental Health Insurance Policies

• What are the limitations and exclusions?
• How does the policy coordinate benefits with your main health insurance?

Why is Minimum Essential Coverage Important

What Happens After The Medical Exam

Feeling worried about the outcome of your medical exam? Try not to think about it from a traditional doctor/patient perspective. Life insurance companies make assessments based on risk, so something you might think is alarming or not a problem at all might be viewed radically differently by the life insurance company.

If the insurer sees a drastically abnormal reading, they might request a follow-up appointment. For example, if you have protein in your urine, they might request two separate follow-ups on different days to get an accurate read. If you have an abnormally high blood pressure reading, you might be able to retake the exam if you can demonstrate that your medical records show that itâs an anomaly.

Otherwise, the technician will submit your information to the insurance company to complete the underwriting process. Usually, youâll hear back with your actual quote in a few weeksâ time. The process can take anywhere from five to six weeks.

You can request a copy of your medical results from the insurance company and use the records to apply for a policy with other insurers, or even other types of insurance policies, such asdisability insurance, for up to six months. Like a usual trip to your doctor, your life insurance medical exam becomes a part of your record and can be factored into life insurance quotes you receive in the future.

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If You Lose Your Group Health Benefits

If you lose your job or your hours are cut, you may also lose your group health benefits.

• You may be able to buy continuation health coverage.
• Or you may be able to buy an individual policy .
• Or you may qualify for a public program .
• Or you may be able to get on your spouse or partner’s group insurance. Try to do this as soon as possible, to avoid a gap in coverage.

You can keep your employers health coverage

You and your dependents may be able to keep your existing health coverage even if you lose your group health benefits. These options are called continuation coverage.

If you lose your coverage, your employer must provide you with information on your options for continuing your existing coverage. You may see options with names like COBRA, Cal-COBRA, Conversion or HIPPA. If you choose one of these options:

• You have to pay all of the premium.
• After you use up one kind of continuation coverage, you may be eligible for another kind of coverage.
• There are deadlines and other requirements for each kind of continuation coverage.

If you have any questions about your options, contact the Consumer Hotline at the Department of Insurance 927-4357 for assistance.

Continuation Coverage or an Individual Policy?

Buying Individual Health Insurance on Your Own

People usually buy individual health insurance because they do not have group insurance through a job and they do not qualify for any public program.

Medi-Cal

If You Want: The Convenience Of A 100% No

Consider: Simplified issue life insurance

Heres why: If you under no circumstances want to take a medical exam, then consider a simplified issue policy first. Youll generally be limited to a face amount of $500,000 or less, so make sure thats enough coverage for your familys needs. Use a life insurance calculator to estimate how much coverage you may need.

With a simplified issue policy, youll have to pay higher premiums to compensate the insurer for taking on more risk by not fully knowing your medical history. But the convenience may be worth paying more.

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Why Life Insurance Companies Require A Medical Exam

Life insurance companies use a process called underwriting to determine how much of a risk you are to insure. Insurers need to calculate the life expectancy of applicants. This helps insurers price life insurance policies accurately to protect themselves financially.

It also helps prevent healthy people from overpaying for coverage to subsidize those who arent as healthy. Healthier applicants are more likely to get lower insurance rates. And those with health conditions and at older ages will pay more or could possibly be declined for coverage.

So a big part of the underwriting process involves gathering information about an applicants health. Insurers will ask you to fill out an application with questions about your medical history, prescriptions, your familys medical history , and your driving record, dangerous hobbies and plans for international travel.

A fully underwritten policy typically requires a medical exam to verify the information you provide and determine whether you have any health conditions that could affect your life expectancy.

How Often Do You Need A Physical

Just as everyone has different medical needs, your ideal physical schedule depends on your situation. If youre generally healthy, you may only need occasional preventive screenings based on your age.

General adult physical schedule:

• For ages 19-21, once every 2-3 years
• For ages 22-64, once ever 1-3 years
• Over 65, once a year

If you smoke or have risk factors for certain conditions, your doctor may suggest you come in more often. And if youre one of the 144 million Americans living with one or more chronic conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, or depression, work with your physician to create a custom check-up schedule.

Regardless of your circumstances, regular visits help you build a relationship and history with your primary care provider. And routine blood tests establish your unique health baseline. Were all a little different, and whats normal for you is not necessarily whats normal for others. So having your own track record for blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels will help you quickly spot any early signs of trouble.

Only you and your doctor can determine your best checkup and screening schedule. But here are some National Institute of Health guidelines for men and women based on age.

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Q My Baby Was Born In Hospital Or At Home Attended By A Registered Midwife How Do I Get A Health Card For My Baby When He Or She Is Born

There is a special registration process for babies born in Ontario birthing hospitals and for babies born at home attended by a registered midwife.

Immediately after the birth of your baby, hospital staff or a registered midwife will give you an Ontario Health Coverage Infant Registration form to complete. Babies born in an Ontario birthing hospital or at home and attended by a registered midwife will be provided with an infant registration form. Tourists, transients or visitors are not eligible for OHIP coverage.

This form requests information regarding your baby such as the babys name, birth date and mailing address. Information is also requested regarding the parent/guardian who is completing the form. You will be asked to confirm that :

• The child has a primary place of residence in Ontario.
• The child will be physically present in Ontario for at least 153 days in any twelve-month period to retain health coverage.

The bottom of the form is detachable and should be retained by you. It is pre-printed with a health number assigned to your baby. You should keep this record and use it until you receive the babys plastic Ontario health card.

What Kind Of Life Insurance Does Not Require An Exam

There are a few types of life insurance policies that dont always require a medical exam. Medically underwritten life insurance allows you to skip the exam in some situations. Simplified issue life insurance and guaranteed issue life insurance never require a medical exam. Learn more about these types of policies:

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What Are The Benefits Of Preventive Care

Preventive care is intended to help you stay as healthy as possible. Regularly scheduled visits and tests allow your doctor to identify any medical problems before they can become major.

Benefits of preventive care include:

• Most preventive care at no cost to you as part of your health coverage
• Early detection of medical problems, illnesses, and diseases helps your doctor provide proactive care and treatment
• Routine care can help you stay focused on your own health goals