Fight Texas Health Insurance Premium Rate Hikes
An increase in Texas health insurance plan premiums may have become standard, but some people don't realize that their premiums will increase with their age. As we get older, insurers expect us to need more health care and become a greater financial risk. That means they charge us more, particularly when we move into a different category, such as those over age 50.
For example, women in their forties are more predisposed to breast cancer than those in lower age brackets because hormones may start to decrease and you've been around longer to be exposed to the risk factors in the environment and in food. There are a few tips you can use to fight back, though.
Do Texas Health Insurance Companies Offer A "Lock-In" Period For Premium Rates?
When you're living on a tight budget, getting rate increases is very frustrating. Health insurance companies tend to apply rate increases to the policies they've had the longest. That means you may not see a rate increase for a year. To stay ahead of those increases, shop whenever you get notice that your rates are going up, and you can probably count on that coming annually. January 1 is infamous for higher rates.
When you apply for a new policy to keep your premiums low, request an effective date of the 28th of the current month. That way you will get the rate you were quoted rather than next month's rate increase.
Shopping for TX health insurance means comparing policies from several insurance companies, but you've got to understand the different types of coverage to be sure you're comparing similar coverage. If not, the cost comparison won't be valid.
Will Comparison Shopping Really Save Me Money?
If you're in good health, switching plans and companies is easy. Now that you can shop online with Internet access, it's fast, too. You can get a list showing you what different health insurance for Texas plans are being offered by leading companies along with the cost so you can literally narrow your search to a few plans in minutes. Since you can almost instantly where to buy the least expensive plans, comparison shopping can easily save you a lot of money, but there are a few cautions to keep in mind.
First, when you find a more affordable plan and decided to switch, make sure that your new coverage is in effect before cancelling your previous policy. You could get a counteroffer if you're overweight, for example, and decide you don't like the premium. If you have a pre-existing condition, an insurance company is allowed to decline to accept your application until 2014. That's true for adults, but children under 19 already have the guaranteed coverage protection. Their applications cannot be rejected no matter what pre-existing conditions they have.
Second, insurance policies come in a few different types. Not all types work for everyone, but certain kinds of coverage almost always cost less. Knowing where to find the low-cost coverage means more savings.
Can High-deductible Texas Health Insurance Keep My Premiums Low?
Generally, you get lower premiums with a high-deductible TX health insurance plan. This is because you're sharing the cost-of your health care by paying for it up to a specified amount. That's called the deductible.
Any TX health insurance plan you buy now will immediately cover preventive care services, even before you have met your deductible with one caveat. You'll have to use in-network providers. Preventive care includes annual physical exams and screening procedures to detect common diseases.
For other forms of health care, make sure you can afford to pay the bills until you meet the deductible.
What If I Have A Pre-existing Health Condition?
With the passage of health care reform, children under 19 cannot be denied health coverage because they have a pre-existing condition. For those 19 or older, there is a Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, but you can't qualify until you haven't been able to get insurance for six months.
By 2014, adults will gain the same guaranteed coverage protection that children already have. Before you complain about the disparity, consider that children died much more often than adults when they entered a hospital with no health insurance. Regardless of why they needed to be hospitalized or which hospital they were sent to, the children who did not have health insurance died 60 percent more often than children who did, according to Johns Hopkins researchers.
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