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Is It Necessary To Have Health Insurance

A Great Idea For Some But Not For Others

Health Insurance Explained The YouToons Have It Covered

Supplemental insurance is extra or additional insurance that you can purchase to help you pay for services and out-of-pocket expenses that your regular insurance doesn’t cover.

Some supplemental insurance plans will pay for the out-of-pocket cost-sharing that goes along with your health insurance plan , or for medical services that your health plan doesn’t cover at all, such as dental and vision costs.

Other supplemental plans may provide you with a cash benefit paid out over a period of time or given to you in one lump sum. The cash can be used for:

  • Covering lost wages
  • Transportation related to your health condition
  • Food, medication, and other unexpected expenses you have due to an illness or injury

Do I Really Need Health Insurance

6 Minute Read | October 14, 2021

Weve all heard the horror storiespeople we know who go into the hospital and leave with mountains of medical bills. If you dont have health insurance, those stories can sure get you thinking, Do I need health insurance?

The answeryes! Health insurance has a reputation for being expensive and confusing, but it can also be the only thing standing between you and financial disaster if you ever need medical care. And, oddly enough, health insurance can also be good for your health.

Lets take a closer look at how health insurance reduces your financial and medical risk.

Health Insurance And The Affordable Care Act

As of 2019, you will no longer have to pay a penalty on your federal tax return if you’re not insured, as the fine was rescinded for the 2019 tax year, though some states may still have mandates.

Even though there’s no longer a penalty, you’re protecting both your health and your financial status by taking out a health insurance policy.

There are health insurance exchanges or marketplaces in each state that you can use to , or you can look at other options such as your employer’s health care plan or health share ministries.

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Medigap: Medicare Supplemental Insurance

One of the most common types of supplemental insurance is Medigap, which is sold by private insurance companies to people enrolled in Original Medicare. .

Original Medicare, which includes Part A hospital insurance and Part B medical insurance, covers many, but not all, health-related services and medical supplies. Things not covered by Original Medicare include:

  • Dental care
  • Basic vision care

However, even for the medical services that Original Medicare does cover, you still have some cost-sharing expenses:

  • A deductible for inpatient care
  • Daily coinsurance, if you’re in the hospital for more than 60 days
  • A deductible plus coinsurance for outpatient and physician care

You can purchase a Medigap policy to cover some or all of those deductible and coinsurance costs that you’d otherwise have to pay yourself under Original Medicare.

These can add up to a lot, especially if you need extensive outpatient services and have to pay Medicare Part B’s unlimited 20% coinsurance for all of it.

If you have Original Medicare but lack Medigap coverage, there’s no limit to how high your out-of-pocket costs can be. By contrast, Medicare Advantage plans cap out-of-pocket expenses without the need for supplemental insurance, but tend to have higher out-of-pocket costs than you’d have with Original Medicare plus a Medigap plan. Medicare Advantage plans also tend to have more limited provider networks.

If you’re enrolled in Original Medicare and have a Medigap policy:

New Jerseys Health Coverage Requirement

What Is Expat Medical Insurance And Why Is It So Important ...

The New Jersey Health Insurance Market Preservation Act requires most state residents to maintain health coverage. You and your tax household must have minimum essential health coverage, qualify for an exemption, or remit a when you file your New Jersey Income Tax return.

If you are not required to file a Resident New Jersey Income Tax return, you are not subject to a Shared Responsibility Payment.

Open Enrollment for 2021 coverage begins on November 1, 2021, and ends on January 31, 2022. If you miss open enrollment, you can buy coverage or switch plans only if you have certain life changes or qualify for Medicaid. Visit Get Covered New Jersey for more information.

Claim

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Why Is Life Insurance Important

importance of life insurance

1. Looking After The Loved Ones

2. Dealing With Debt

3. Helps One Achieve Long-term Goals

4. Life Insurance Supplements Ones Retirement Goals

5. Buying Insurance Is Cheaper When Younger

6. Insurance Takes Care Of Ones Business

7. Tax-saving Purposes

8. A Tool For Involuntary Savings

9. One May Not Be Qualified For It Later

10. Securing Peace Of Mind

Mukta Agrawal

Dt. Mukta Agrawal is a qualified dietitian and has done her post-graduation in clinical nutrition and dietetics, she has done her specialization in diabetes and cardiac care and also she is a certified bariatric nutritionist. She is a lifestyle coach and diabetic educator. She has 12 plus years of experience in the field of health and fitness industry. Mukta is passionate about educating people regarding the truths and myths of health through the INLIFE Blog. Her belief in the fact that good health is for everyone is one of the highlights of her writing.

Is It Really Necessary To Have Health Insurance

Since the Affordable Care Act took effect in some parts of the world having health insurance has become less of an option and more of a necessity. The law requires you to have sufficient health coverage and if you do not have this you can be liable to pay a penalty.

So its not so much a choice to be made but a law to follow when it comes to health insurance. If you do not have it the penalty payable in 2014 is either 1% of your annual income or $95, whichever is higher.

The penalty rises each year in 2016 it will be 2.5% of your annual income, or $695. The requirement to have sufficient health insurance applies to the majority of individuals, with a few exceptions.

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How Much Does An Emergency Visit Cost Without Health Insurance

A trip to the emergency room will also cost $50 to $150 just to check-in without insurance. But this is where the big numbers come in: The tests and the doctors fees. Your $50 to $150 goes to the hospital. The doctor you see may charge you another $100 to upwards of $1,000 for the level of service. And an ER visit may require CT-scans, MRIs, or more, all with a price. Those X-rays at $140 and CT scans up to $1,146 are fully your responsibility. If you are admitted for an overnight stay, the hospital room and service will be additional, as well.

Healthcare Blue Book found an ER visit for a minor problem ranges from $431 to $1,343. The prices climb by the severity of the health issue with a very severe problem, pricing between $1,056 to $3,295.

Shopping For Individual Insurance

Why Insurance is Important

Shopping for health insurance can seem overwhelming. Think about what is important to you. Start by asking these questions:

What are the costs?

  • How much are the monthly premiums?
  • Is there a deductible?
  • How much are the co-pays and/or co-insurance?
  • What is the plan’s out-of-pocket maximum ?

Which doctors and other providers can I see?

  • Is there a network? How large is it?
  • Can I see any provider in the network?
  • Is my current doctor in the network? If I need to choose a new doctor, are there doctors in my area accepting new patients?
  • Will I need a referral from my doctor to see a specialist?
  • Does the plan have hospitals and pharmacies near me?
  • Do I need pre-approval from the plan for certain services?
  • If I travel often, what kind of care can I get away from home?

What are the covered benefits?

  • What services does the plan pay for? What is not covered? Are the services that I need covered?
  • How much will I need to pay for my prescriptions?

  • Are there any limits on the number of visits for some kinds of care?

What is the quality?

  • The California Department of Insurance can tell you how a company ranks in complaints. You can find out how long it takes to reach a real person when you call the company and how many complaints the company gets. We have a PPO Report Card with quality information about PPOs. Call 1-800-927-4357 or go to www.insurance.ca.gov.
  • The California Office of the Patient Advocate has information on health insurance and provider quality, at www.opa.ca.gov.

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Insurance Ensures Familys Financial Stability

No matter how much you have managed to save or what your monthly income is, an unexpected event can burn a huge hole in your pocket or can simply jeopardize your familys financial future.

For example, if you do not have adequate life insurance, your family might have to go through financial hardship if you were to meet with an untimely death. Though no amount of money can replace the loss of loved ones, having life insurance would save them from going through financial hardship. Meanwhile, if you or your family do not have enough health insurance, then huge medical bills during any treatment can completely shake your finances.

So it is essential that you cover yourself, your family with an adequate amount of insurance.

Shorter Waits Than The Public System

A universal health system is based on people with the most clinical need gaining access to the services required.

Most emergency treatment is provided in public hospitals. The case is different for “non-urgent” or elective surgery, with patients encouraged to use their private health insurance, mainly because of waiting times for such surgery in the public system.

Elective surgery waiting times for public hospitals vary according to whether patients are publicly or privately funded. In 2015-2016, the median waiting time was 42 days for public patients, 20 days for patients who used their private health insurance to fund their admission, and 16 days for those who self-funded their treatment.

Bear in mind, however, that waiting times vary according to clinical urgency. In 2016-17 in New South Wales, 98 per cent of public patients were admitted within the clinically recommended time frame.

Differences in waiting times also vary according to the type of procedure. In 2015-2016, cardiothoracic surgery had a median waiting time of 18 days for public patients and 16 days for all other patients. In contrast, the median wait for public patients needing total knee replacement was 203 days, and 67 days for all other patients.

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How To Get Cobra

Group health plans must give covered employees and their families a notice explaining their COBRA rights. Plans must have rules for how COBRA coverage is offered, how beneficiaries may choose to get it and when they can stop coverage. For more COBRA information, see COBRA Premium Subsidy. The page links to information about COBRA including:

No Mandatory Health Insurance: Advantages

Why Health Insurance Is Important.

The primary upside to health insurance no longer being mandatory at the federal level is the money you don’t have to spend on premiums that remains in your pocket.

“If you’re young and healthy, it’s possible to get by without paying a monthly bill for health insurance, which saves you money,” says Chane Steiner, CEO of Crediful, a personal finance website. That could be helpful if you’re trying to pay off student loans or save money toward a down payment on a home.

Of course, if your employer offers some type of health insurance coverage as part of your benefits package, you may be able to get affordable coverage anyway, without having to shop around for it.

Christina Nicholson, owner of Media Maven, opted to cancel her health insurance and pay out-of-pocket for pregnancy-related medical expenses that her plan didn’t cover. She first considered adding herself to her husband’s health insurance, but their premiums would have increased by over $1,000 per month so she opted to pay her own medical bills.

Fortunately, she was able to negotiate discounts from her hospitals and doctors, which ended up costing her significantly less money than she would have paid had she been covered. In one instance, the difference between the cost of medical tests with insurance was $1,900 more than her negotiated fee without insurance.

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Why Are Californians Required By Law To Have Health Insurance

What you need to know about the individual mandate â and how it impacts you and your family.

Having health insurance isnât just a good idea â if you live in California, itâs the law. In fact, 2020 marks the first year that Californians are required by state law to have health insurance. This law is referred to as the individual mandate because it means that all individuals in California are mandated to be covered by health insurance. Hereâs what you need to know to understand the individual mandate and how this law can benefit you.

Understanding Health Care Reform

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed in 2010 with the mission of making health care more accessible nationwide. There were two key points of his act. First, people could no longer be denied or charged more for health insurance due to preexisting conditions. Second, a federal individual mandate was established, which meant that purchasing health insurance that meets specific conditions was a requirement under law. These two aspects worked hand in hand. By making sure everyone paid into the system â young and old, healthy and ill â the sickest members could receive care without premium costs going haywire for everyone. From 2014 on, when the law went into effect, those who chose to go uninsured faced a financial penalty at tax time.

The Individual Mandate Comes to California
More Financial Help for Californians
What Does This All Mean for Me?

Reasons Everyone Should Get Insurance

As we said at the start, most people think insurance is an unnecessary expense. The reason is that we feel confident about our future and our ability to tackle unseen circumstances. But there is a huge difference between our perceived ability and reality. For instance, a few years of savings can vanish in case of a medical emergency. Thats just one example.

Here are 3 reasons why getting insurance is important

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How Many People Are Uninsured

After several years of coverage gains following the implementation of the ACA, the uninsured rate increased from 2017 to 2019 amid efforts to alter the availability and affordability of coverage. Coverage losses in 2019 were driven by declines in Medicaid and non-group coverage and were larger among nonelderly Hispanic and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islander people. The number of uninsured children also grew significantly.

In spite of the recent increases, the number of uninsured individuals remains well below levels prior to enactment of the ACA. The number of uninsured nonelderly individuals dropped from more than 46.5 million in 2010 to fewer than 26.7 million in 2016 before climbing to 28.9 million individuals in 2019. We focus on coverage among nonelderly people since Medicare offers near universal coverage for the elderly, with just 407,000, or less than 1%, of people over age 65 uninsured.

Key Details:

  • The uninsured rate increased in 2019, continuing a steady upward climb that began in 2017. The uninsured rate in 2019 ticked up to 10.9% from 10.4% in 2018 and 10.0% in 2016, and the number of people who were uninsured in 2019 grew by more than one million from 2018 and by 2.2 million from 2016 . Despite these increases, the uninsured rate in 2019 remained significantly below pre-ACA levels.

Figure 1: Number of Uninsured and Uninsured Rate among the Nonelderly Population, 2008-2019

There Are Many Reasons Why Health Insurance Is Important

Why health insurance costs are on the rise

There are many reasons why health insurance is important. Using your healthcare benefits as recommended is useful for preventative care and early detection. In this way, having health insurance can save your life. Insurance coverage also gives you access to affordable medical care so you can get the treatment you need without breaking the bank and ending up crushed by mountains of medical debt.

Ultimately, having healthcare allows you to have the peace of mind that you and your family are protected in case of an illness, accident, or emergency. With all the benefits you receive from health insurance, its not something you can afford to ignore.

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How Much Does A Primary Care Visit Cost With Health Insurance

Preventative care means insurance often covers 100% of your annual checkup at the doctor. Outside of that visit, the average cost of visiting a doctor for a checkup with health insurance is a $10 to $40 copay. The rest of your visit will be covered by insurance for which you are paying the average $462 per month.

This means it costs more than $5,500 a year to see a doctor just once and copays for additional visits. Some insurance has deductibles, meaning you will pay out-of-pocket until you reach the limit. For example, if you have a $1,000 deductible, you will pay copays and additional costs until you reach that limit. After that, all costs are covered by the insurance company.

Measuring Impacts Of Coverage

coverage is a key element in most models that depict access to health care. The relationship between health insurance and access to care is well established, as documented later in this chapter. Although the relationship between health insurance and health outcomes is neither direct nor simple, an extensive clinical and health services research literature links health insurance coverage to improved access to care, better quality, and improved personal and population health status. The Committee’s conceptual framework for considering the extent and nature of these and additional effects of health insurance builds selectively upon the most widely used behavioral model of access to health services . The framework focuses primarily on the economic, financial, and coverage-related factors that facilitate the use of health care services. The Committee uses the framework in this introductory report to conceptualize various effects of health insurance and to provide an overview of the subsequent analyses in future reports .

Levels of analysis for examining the effects of uninsurance.

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