in Health Coverage (submitted 2009-09-25)
You may be paying much more than the average price for medical coverage in your state may be very different. Your health care insurance and its price are impacted by many factors. Some . you can impact and some you don't.
The major factors that affect your price for individual medical care coverage are:
your present age
your gender
your town
whether you smoke or not
pre-existing conditions
your body mass index
your chosen company
your choice of policy and options
Age and Your Gender
Your age and your sex are major factors that may effect your payments for health care cover. As we get older the statistical probability that we will need health care care. Females carry most of the burden of reproduction, girls and women visit doctors more often than males during their teens through their fifties.
Your Zip Code
Your address can impact the cost of your health care coverage. As a general rule, the more affluent the city, the more health care providers will charge. This impacts the amount of costs the insurance coverage carrier pays for and of course these bills are passed on to their clients who reside in those locations.
Tobacco Status
Most individual health care insurance carriers will raise your premiums if you have smoked in the last 12 months. Smoking has a tremendous influence on your need for healthcare care and because of it the costs a health cover carrier has to pay. Now you have one more reason to stop!
health Status and Weight
Your medical records and your build are two huge determinants regarding not only the cost of your individual or private medical coverage policy, but also the availability of coverage. Insurance companies don't know what will happen to you specifically, but they are great at analyzing numbers and trends. Individuals in different weight ranges have different medical care costs.
It is not possible to predict the costs for one policy holder, but when they analyze large numbers of people, they see definite patterns. They have a very good idea regarding which health conditions are most likely to cost them the most and will do what they can to keep their company profitable. It can mean that they will reject an application. Sometimes they will add a surcharge and/or eliminate coverage for a particular disease.
Regular exercise and intelligent eating can reduce your price for your healthcare policy and extend the time you get to enjoy your life. Often health issues are beyond our control, but many can be prevented or at least delayed. Regular check-ups, eating well, stress management and a host of other factors that are within your control can help you keep your medical care payments lower. You probably have more control over your health than you give yourself credit for.
Your Choice of insurance coverage company and Plan
Shopping around is crucial when it comes to medical care cover. One insurance coverage carrier may charge much less than the average price for health care coverage in your area and another may cost more than the average. The insurer that has the lowest price for twenty year olds may not be the same coverage carrier that offers the cheapest price for those in their forties.
You'll find the similar variance when it comes to other deductible ranges. The coverage carrier that has the cheapest low-co-pay HMO could have the worst premiums for an HDHP HMO policy.
Big Deductible Plans with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are great low cost options. These covereage options appear on the surface to have limited protection. However, when you consider all the benefits and all the costs, you might discover that these plans are the cheapest low cost choice for your family.
Conclusion
Many factors are beyond your control or are hard to control. However, you may find that some things are controllable.
When you are thinking about new places to live, you may want to get insurance premiums associated with each area. You may want to investigate smoking cessation systems or body weight management and find a system that will work for you. You should shop for coverage, different companies charge differently for similar policies. You don't have to contact all the insurers that service your vicinity, you can work with an insurance agent who is appointed with the various insurance carriers in your county. Finally, be open to high deductible insurance options. Most people's overall expenses will be lower when they handle the costs for the small things on their own and let the insurance company write the checks for the larger expenses.
About the Author
Alston J. Balkcom has been an insurance agent since 1985. You can find Anthem BCBS information on his sites. He can also help you find North Dakota home insurance quotes.
