Quote FL Insurance Blog

Are you and your spouse using separate health insurance plans from your own employers? Adding your spouse to your policy and having only one family health insurance plan will reduce costs for your family instantly.

Lose weight to save money on your health insurance costs. Obesity costs thousands of dollars in health care expenses because of related ailments such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Consider using an HSA, or health savings account, to supplement your health insurance. Save money by using this un-taxed money for medical expenses, allowing you to raise your deductible and lower your monthly premium. Your employer may also allow you to add part of your pre-taxed pay to this account, or they may even match your contribution.

Lower the cost of health insurance premiums in Florida by increasing your deductible. If your plan still offers major medical coverage at the higher deductible, you will save money. Keep the money you save on premiums aside to cover the higher deductibles.

Watch out for Florida health insurance policies that offer fixed compensation for medical services, or indemnity plans. You want to be compensated for the actual cost of the procedure, not what the insurance company believes the procedure ought to cost.

Watch out for “calendar year limits”. This means that if your procedure requires more attention or funding than your policy allows per year, you will not be covered and will pay full cost.

In Florida, if you are a self-employed individual with health problems and do not have any employees, you are eligible to purchase a small “group of one” health insurance policy. You cannot be turned down because you have diabetes or any other serious health condition. These policies are only sold during the month of August, with benefits beginning on October 1st. Contact the Florida Department of Insurance for more information.

Make sure you get multiple quotes including quotes from one or all of the major health care companies in Florida (Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield of Florida (BCBSFL), Humana or United Healthcare). You may be surprised at what rates you can qualify for if you are in good health.

It is always wise to use multiple independent insurance brokers to help compare the vast options available to you when shopping Florida health insurance plans. You just want to make sure that you are getting the most coverage for the best price and nowadays by using the internet this has become very easy to do. Remember that as a consumer-competition is a good thing!

Note that HMO’s can be extremely restrictive and usually have many rules that must be followed if you want them to pay your claim. A few notable ones are that you can only see the doctors on your HMO list, you will be required to see your primary care doctor first, regardless of what is wrong with you. And if you have to go to the hospital you must have your primary doctor’s permission prior to going.

The key difference is that Captive insurance agents are usually limited to only selling plans available from one company. This could raise some concerns in that captive agents really don’t have an interest in shopping around for the best price for you as they can only write policies for the company they exclusively represent. Alternatively, Independent agents have the ability to comparison shop across many different companies to price shop your policy which often times leads to more competitive insurance quotes.

Shop for Florida health insurance on the Internet. Top insurance companies are competing for your business by simplifying their plans and offering competitive prices—all online for a quick comparison.

If your child is born with a special care need or a disability and is under the age of 21, you and your family can take advantage of Children’s Medical Services. This program is provided by the Florida Department of Health and can provide medical and therapeutic care to those that are eligible. Women with high-risk pregnancies are also eligible for this program.

Take advantage of Florida KidCare, a state-funded medical insurance for children that are eligible under the age of 19. The four programs include Medikids, Healthy Kids, Children’s Medical Services and Medicaid.

A PPO is a collection of private-practice health care providers that contract with insurance companies and receive an agreed set rate for their services. PPO plans entitle you to discounted rates for routine medical procedures by establishing what providers can charge you if you receive your care within the network.

Most Florida health insurance cards are not accepted internationally. Protect yourself by purchasing travel insurance when vacationing.

In Florida, plans will vary a great deal so find out if the policy you choose will cover things like maternity costs, vision, dental and emergency room visits. Don’t be afraid ask your agent questions about your plan!

Florida HMO coverage can be beneficial to your wallet because all fees incurred by a visit to the Primary Care Physician are covered by one small co-pay. Your primary care physician will be able to address most of your healthcare concerns.

HMO coverage is not available in every county in Florida; HMO coverage is mainly concentrated in southeast Florida. Make sure your county is covered.

Ask yourself where the savings are coming from? Are there lower limits being placed on coverage amounts? Will you be liable for higher deductables? Also check to see if your plan places restrictions on hospital stays or miscellaneous medical fees. Read the rest of this entry »