Health Insurance Options

You’re probably aware that you have a few different healthcare insurance choices to pick from, but how much do you know about them? We want to tell you about some of the health insurance options that are out there and how they differ, as well as how they might be right for you.

Obamacare is a government-approved healthcare policy that gives you affordable coverage for all sorts of common medical expenses. Short term healthcare plans are health insurance policies that only cover you for a limited number of expenses and for a limited period of time. We want to discuss these two kinds of plans and show you how they benefit you in different ways.

The Coverage You Want to Have

Would you rather be covered for all the most common and essential medical expenses, or would you like to handpick your coverage and ensure that you only pay for what you believe you need? These two kinds of healthcare policies allow you to do whichever you choose.

Obamacare plans all come with some standard coverage. They include what are called the 10 essentials, which would cover you for maternity care, rehab services, mental health care, and a variety of other medical expenses that people have to deal with on a regular basis. These plans can come in a range of coverage sizes, with some offering much more cover than others. Of course, the more cover you get from your insurance plan, the more you will have to pay for it.

Short term plans will only cover you for a small number of medical expenses. While Obamacare plans include coverage for preexisting conditions, short term plans are not going to have that benefit for you. They will cover what you choose for them to cover, as you can pick from the long list of available short term plans to find the one that suits you well, but you should not expect any preexisting condition to be covered under your plan, unless the insurer specifies that kind of coverage. Short term plans can cover everything from emergency medical care and hospital stays to optometrist visits and dental care.

The coverage differences between these two kinds of plans extend to how long they last. Generally speaking, you can keep your Obamacare plan for as long as you choose, if you continue paying the premiums. The short term plans are only designed to last for a short period, though, as you can imagine. They can be as short as just 30 days, or they can last as long as one year, and then you can renew your plan for a few more years after that- up to 36 months.

Are You Guaranteed the Plan?

You have to consider your eligibility for these plans. They are designed for all kinds of people, so you want to keep that in mind.

Obamacare plans are made for people who cannot afford some of the other major insurance plans or who do not qualify for Medicare plans yet. Obamacare plans are considered to be guaranteed issue. That means that you will get the plan you applied for regardless of any underlying, preexisting medical conditions that you may have. You cannot be denied an Obamacare plan just because you have diabetes or some other medical problem.

Short term plans are not guaranteed, though. That means that the insurance company can turn you down when you apply for one of those plans. Keep that in mind when you look at these health insurance options. You may be able to get a short term plan that doesn’t have anything to do with your current medical conditions, though.

Also keep in mind that short term plans are not available in every state. There are places in the US where they are extremely limited and can’t even be renewed and other places where they are into even sold.

You also get more flexibility with short term plans than you do Obamacare plans. Once you sign up for an Obamacare plan, you may have trouble cancelling it or changing your plan until the agreed upon term is over. With short term plans, you can drop these and change them pretty much any way that you see fit. The specific details are up to the insurance companies that sell them, but you will find short term plans to be very flexible and open to anyone.

What’s going to cause your short term plan or Obamacare plan to be cancelled? Generally, you will only have to worry about that if you fail to pay the premium on time. Of course, if your plan’s term is up, then you have to agree to have it renewed. That won’t happen on its own. You’ll want to pay close attention to the terms of your plan and what you are allowed to do and what is required of you as a customer.

Who Is Selling the Plan You Want?

Not every major insurance company that sells health insurance will sell both of these kinds of plans. Let’s look at a few of the top insurers for both Obamacare and short term health coverage.

For short term plans, the major insurances that sell in most areas of the country are Pivot, United Healthcare and National General Accident and Health. These three all offer competitive rates, good customer service reputations and a strong base from which to offer their services. Pivot tends to have the lowest prices of the three, while United Healthcare has the most benefits and resources to offer customers. National General has the longest-standing reputation and a really good relationship with its customers.

For Obamacare plans, there are a number of great insurers we could tell you about. AARP offers Obamacare plans to people of all ages, and they have expanded from being a seniors-only company to taking their insurance plans to pretty much everyone. They have the best membership bonuses around, but also some of the highest prices.

Aetna offers a large network for you to take advantage of and has more competitive prices than many of the other insurers. However, they are not offering Obamacare in most states anymore, so you may need to find another insurer if they were your top option.

Kaiser Permanente sells some of the most affordable Obamacare plans around and has a wide selection of these for you to pick from. They haven’t been around as long as some of the other options, though, so their company isn’t as established.

Blue Cross Blue Shield also sells Obamacare plans, and they have incredibly low rates and a great customer service rating. Their membership benefits are somewhat lacking, though, which is to be expected when the prices are so low.

Compare Your Options and Save

We urge you to look at the full list of plan providers here on our site. You can use our site to perform a search for the plan that you want, and you’ll get results fast and be able to tell who has the best prices and how they all compare. This is a simple and effective way to get a good deal and ensure that you are well taken care of by the plan you get. If you have questions about your health insurance options, then please give us a call and get them answered.