California Life Health Insurance
Residents of San Jose and the South Bay Area often have questions about California life health insurance that are more in depth than those discussed in the Health Insurance Overview page of the website. Accordingly, we are posting the most frequently asked questions below, along with our answers. If you need further information or have a different question, feel free to submit a question to us. This helps the experts at San Jose Insurance stay current on the real-world concerns of the community we serve. We hope that the answers we provide will help those trying to make sense of the changing and sometimes bewildering world of health insurance.
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During difficult economic times, people under 30 often consider going without health insurance to save money. They know that they are unlikely to develop a serious medical condition or disease. They figure that they can pay for occasional medical treatments and screenings out of pocket, saving money over having a hefty monthly health care insurance premium. This thinking is good—up to a point. Healthy adults do not need a health care insurance package loaded with benefits they will never use at a price they can’t afford. Paying routine medical expenses out of pocket is smart, but going without any Califonia life health insurance is not. To make that work, you not only need to be healthy, you also need to be lucky. Fact is, adults under 30 are more likely than their elders to be involved in accidents requiring emergency room visits or even hospitalization that can result in tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses. A smarter solution is to get a health care insurance policy with a high deductible amount. With such a plan, you continue to pay out of pocket for small expenses, but you are covered should you incur big ones. Because the deductible amount is high, the premiums are low, making it an affordable option for younger adults.
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The best way to control costs for routine physicals, immunizations, and childhood illnesses is to opt for a managed care health insurance plan that emphasizes wellness, such as an HMO or a PPO. These kinds of health care insurance plans charge nominal co-payments for routine care because the participating doctors, clinics, and laboratories agree by contract to follow the insurer’s guidelines for care and costs. A managed care health insurance plan gives you access to all care you need when you are ill, but the premiums are less expensive because the health care providers in the organization agree to keep their charges low in exchange for receiving a steady flow of patients from the health insurance organization. The only drawback is that you and members of your family must visit the health care providers within the network in order to receive the maximum coverage of the managed plan.
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Many people assume they will pay more in the short run if they change California life health insurance plans, but that is not always the case. If you are able to shop around, you can actually save money when you switch health care insurance plans. That is a big “if” though, because it can take hours of research to find a better plan that costs less. But that is exactly what San Jose Health Insurance can do for you. We have the experience and knowledge of health care insurance options to find free quotes for a quality health care insurance plan that fits within your budget. Our service is free to you the consumer, and you are not obligated to accept our recommendations.
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The 63 day rule applies when people have lost their health insurance through unemployment, relocation, divorce, or other life changes. It describes the amount of time a person has to acquire a new health insurance plan before health insurance companies deem him or her to not have “continuous” health insurance coverage.” Once a person goes 63 days without health insurance coverage, health insurers can deny or delay coverage of preexisting medical conditions. If you are one of those people who have lost their health insurance within that last 63 days, call San Jose Health Insurance immediately. We are happy to provide you with free quotes for health insurance so you and members of your family do not forfeit your continuous coverage.
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HIPPA is the abbreviation for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Signed into law in 1996, this federal law makes sure that a person who has lost his or her health insurance coverage due to the loss of a job, death of a spouse, relocation, or any other qualified reason will be able to acquire health insurance, regardless of any preexisting conditions. HIPPA is the law that created the 63 day period during which a person can find a new health care insurance plan and maintain “continuous coverage” (See the explanation of the 63 day rule above.)
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As long as the company for which you work employs 20 people or more, it must provide the same health care insurance benefits to employees who are over age 65 that it provides to employees who are under 65. It must continue offering group health insurance to the employee until he or she reaches age 69. However, if you are 65 or older, you should sign up for Medicare Part A even if you have private insurance. Medicare Part A is a health care insurance plan funded with taxpayer dollars, so you do not have to pay health care insurance premiums . If your employer-provided California life health insurance offers better coverage than Medicare does (and the majority of private health care insurance plans do), you can make your employer’s health insurance plan your primary health care insurance plan and use Medicare as a secondary, back-up health care insurance plan. In that scenario, Medicare will pay only for services not covered by your primary health care insurance plan.
