Sunday, May 27, 2012

I'm Self-Employed In Pennsylvania. Now What?

You're self-employed and you live in Pennsylvania. You need health insurance for yourself and your family. You want an affordable plan, but also would like to have top-notch protection, especially if there is an expensive injury or illness. What are your options? Should you purchase coverage through an exchange or through one of the top healthcare websites such as www.Pahealthinsurancecoverage.com? So many questions and the answers aren't easy.

Actually, there are quite a few health care plans in Pa that will help without putting a huge dent in your budget. If you are currently uninsured, and are in reasonably good health, you should be able to qualify for an underwritten plan. Since preventive coverage is included in the vast majority of plans, a great "starter" policy would be a simple policy that covers the big expenses only. It provides rich benefits for big claims and keeps the cost within your budget.

Plans like this are typically the least expensive option and when you view plans on reputable websites (as mentioned above), you can usually view them at the top of the screen. You will notice deductibles between $3,000 and $10,000 and often limited office visit and RX benefits. But if you have no serious medical isuues, it may be a big budget-saver.

If you have existing medical conditions and previously have been turned down, the State Open Enrollment plan has very good prices (under $300 per month) and after 2014, your health history will not be a factor in the underwriting of a policy. And regardless of how large or small your business is, that factor alone may be a big money-saver. However, after March, this program will not be available.

Cheap Healthcare In Pa For Business Owners
Save Money With A Pa HSA


Often referred to as a "catastrophic" policy, your premium will be low and you'll be protecting the most important thing- the big unexpected claim. You never know when an illness or injury can occur or the amount of money that will be needed for treatment. And since your yearly annual physical is covered, you'll be encouraged to utilize it to stay in good health. You can choose many different plan options that will provide low premiums with higher risk or vice verse.

The Blue Cross (Blue Shield) plans in your area are always a good place to start. For example, if you live in Lebanon or Lancaster, Capital Blue Cross offers some very attractive plan options. There are many PPO plans that feature low premiums. A prescription rider can be added to many of the plans. A higher deductible such as $5,000 will help the premium reduce, although many other lower choices are offered as well. In the middle of the state, Geisinger should also be considered. The Network is not very large outside of the area, but if you rarely travel, it's a nice plan.

Other Blue Cross plans can be purchased in other areas. Independence Blue Cross is available in the Philadelphia area and Highmark plans are great plans to consider in the Western part of the state. Northeastern Blue Cross also offers coverage in that part of the state. For many self-employed individuals and small business owners, BC and BCBS plans are great places to start when searching for new coverage. They have big networks that tend to discount treatment very heavily.

A Health Savings Account should also be considered if cutting costs and reducing premiums is a priority. In addition to tax deductions, a savings element is included to go along with lower premiums. While an HSA should be researched before purchasing, they still remain on of the most popular plans today. You have a much broader control over the way your expenses are paid and what type of treatment you receive. And of course, most importantly, how much you are spending for your healthcare.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Ten Silly Ideas That Would Lower Healthcare Costs

Healthcare costs are too high.  The cost of a specialist or Emergency-Room visit has skyrocketed. What can we do? A lot. I have plenty of ideas and here are 10 of the best ones. I fully endorse all of them and hope to see them implemented soon.

1. Mandatory 10-mile runs for any man caught sitting on a couch longer than four days. This could help speed up metabolism and improve his relationship with other family members...if they're still around. After about four of these runs, he won't be a couch potato any longer!

2. No pasta Tuesdays. Instead, rice cakes, blueberries and pomegranate extract will be served at all college dining halls and hospital cafeterias. And no pizza deliveries at night on Tuesdays.

Lower healthcare expenses easily with these ideas.



3. Doogie Howser will become the new caretaker of national health care reform. Medical schools would provide special funding for applicants under the age of 12. Eligibility ages for driving will reduce from 16 to 11. And  Sesame Street and Big Comfy Couch will replace all evening programming.

4.  Routine annual physicals will become "routine weekly physicals." Just as garbage pickup is once per week (and that works pretty well!) routine physicals will occur every Monday or Tuesday, with recycling included.

5. Hospital semi-private rooms will be replaced by a maximum room occupancy of 14.Yes, crowded conditions will make treatment a bit impersonal, but large non see-through curtains would be utilized. Dependents on your policy can stay in the room along with three family pets. No goats or sheep please.

6. Everyone's appendix will be removed by age 24. At the same time, a small computer chip would be installed in its place. This chip would monitor the central nervous system and make subliminal suggestions. Eventually, psychiatrists would not be needed, except during March Madness.

7. Hockey and football players would wear protective watermelons over their helmet to help reduce the number of concussions. This could also help in keeping the players hydrated during games, although I don't know what would happen with the seeds.

Healthcare rates will increase if we all indulge in french fries
They Taste So Good!


8. Fast food restaurants will only sell french fries to customers that agree to eat them in the restaurant while walking on a treadmill. While it won't offset all of the calories, it will help a little. Large fries would require an extra hour of running.

9. Movie theaters will replace long-time favorites popcorn and nachos with bean curd and skim milk smoothies. To offset anticipated lost revenue, the average price of a movie ticket will rise from $9 to $65.

10. The last digit of your license plate will represent the number of prescriptions you take. Therefore, the healthiest drivers will have very low numbers as their last digit. If you are driving behind someone with a number higher than five...Look out!

You wanted lower healthcare prices? Now you have 10 recommendations that will save millions of dollars. And it might make your next visit to the doctor a lot more entertaining.