Articles on Health | Topics: health, healthy
by Juliet Gaines
Purchasing health insurance used to be a tedious process. Usually, one had to make appointments with agents, visit their offices, fill out reams of paperwork, and then submit to a physical exam. Fortunately, times have changed, and consumers are now able to preview and choose a health insurance company from the comfort of home, at any time of day or night they may find convenient. All this can be accomplished by the use of the Internet; however, the convenience comes at a price, and buying health insurance online is only an enjoyable experience if done correctly. To this end, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
1. Don't Call Me, I'll Call You
Many of us receive SPAM e-mails on a regular basis. Aside from the prescriptions and get-rich-quick schemes these e-mails offer in staggering numbers, some of them have now ventured into the health insurance coverage domain. If you have received a SPAM e-mail that advertises insurance, health plans, or even prescription drug coverage, stay away! If any company will stoop so low as to send unsolicited e-mails to prospective customers, they will probably not be too picky about their other business ethics either.
2. Protect Your Privacy
When taking advantage of the many insurance companies and agents that offer to give a free online quote, a prospective client will almost always be asked to give out personal information and also an e-mail address. Unless you are certain that you want to do business with a particular company, take a very close look at the privacy policy that should be posted. These privacy policies will spell out what the company promises to do and refrain from doing with the data you provide to them. It is safer to do business with a company who will not share or sell your information to anyone else than to have your sensitive data go to a variety of companies and individuals.
3. By All Means, Call!
While the Internet will most likely supply you with any and all of the information you may need, it is wise to check out an insurance company's telephone support prior to actually needing it. Having to read through long pages of fine print in order to glean a number is a bad sign. Additionally, if the company does not offer a toll free number, but expects you to pay for a long distance call out of your own pocket, you may wish to consider if you are willing to spend your money while holding for an agent or supervisor, etc. Last but not least, call the telephone number and get a feel for average hold times, times of operation, and also services offered via telephone.
| Quote of the Day |
I wish more and more that health were studied half as much as disease is. Why, with all the endowment of research against cancer is no study made of those who are free from cancer? Why not inquire what foods they eat, what habits of body and mind they cultivate? And why never study animals in health and natural surroundings? why always sickened and in an environment of strangeness and artificiality?
| —Sarah N. Cleghorn (1976–1959) |
|
|
4. Hire An Agent
Unless you have already decided which insurance company you wish to do business with, it is wise to contact a licensed health insurance agent who will be able to access, compare, and discuss health insurance plans from any given number of insurance companies. In addition to comparing prices and products, an agent will be able to give you personalized service, such as feedback received from other consumers about a company, their support, services, and also rates. Naturally, an agent will also be able to give you some suggestions about needed coverage and ideas about foreseeable changes to your situation that will necessitate a health plan update of possibly and overhaul.
5. Compare Apples To Apples
With so many different health plans to choose from, it is easy to get side-tracked. In addition to the foregoing, some insurance companies will showcase a full range of their products online, while others may only highlight their most popular plan choices. When relying on a website for complete information, it is wise to choose one that will allow you to have access to a broad range of plan information.
In closing, buying health insurance online is a welcome convenience for any consumer who does not wish to be inconvenienced by banker's hours, weekend restrictions, or the faxing of lengthy documents to and from an office fax. Yet, since health insurance is such a critical component to anyone's quality of life, let the buyer beware!
|
We strive to provide
only relevant articles on our website. If
there is a specific angle on health that you would like us to cover, please contact us here.
Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Choosing a Health Insurance Company Online" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by HealthExerciseSports.com. |
Online Golf Game
By Yahir Keith
Online Golf Game: Above Par For all you know, an online golf game, can satiate your craving for golf when you desperately feel like playing it but cannot because of home, work, or logistics pressures. An online golf game is usually played by a yuppie-aged person, mostly using a computer, or in some cases a video console....
Identify Smoking Triggers and Nip Them in the Butt
By Therese Underwood
One of the most difficult aspects of quitting smoking is overcoming triggers, which are certain events or situations that make you feel the desire to smoke. Identifying these triggers, and figuring out how to overcome them, is one of the primary keys to smoking cessation success....
Gums, Patches, Hypnosis – Oh My! Various Methods to Help You Quit Smoking
By Underwood
If you are a smoker, you have undoubtedly tried several times to quit the habit. But, for some, this struggle seems to be a little more difficult than for others....
Top Ten Identifying Menopausal Symptoms
By Jean Vasquez
When a woman's ovaries are no longer producing eggs and hormones as they did when they were younger, this is menopause. The main organs that regulate when this will happen are the ovaries....
Rising Health Care Costs: What you need to know
By Fred Zamora
Americans pay more than one and a half trillion dollars for medical care each year and costs related to all manner of health care, such as prescription drugs, continue to skyrocket. While some of reasons behind this booming bill are understandable, Americans caught in a cash crunch might be surprised to find out some of the lesser-known causes of high health care costs....
|
