California Health Insurance Quotes and Blog

Why are people not going to health insurance agents anymore? With the arrival of the internet, we’ve become a “Do it Yourself” nation. From home repairs to investing, we don’t want to be bothered with somebody telling us what we want. We know it all, because it’s here, on the internet, right. Well sometimes it’s wise to go ahead and get the advice of an expert. Especially when it comes to a complicated product like California Health Insurance. Until few years ago we relied on health insurance agents when we wanted to signup for our health insurance policy. We relied on their advice on the right policy to choose and for the additional riders that we chose. They are knowledgeable in this area and we did not have easy access to information on different types of policies and their costs. Most of us were comfortable operating that way because we did not have to do much except to sign on the application form and write the check. Today, that is not the case anymore; we don’t even have our insurance agent’s number in our contact list anymore. At the same time we have started searching for better deals on our health insurance policies. This is possible because we have learned to take advantage of the internet and the online services. We can get our health insurance quotes in a jiffy sitting in the comfort of our homes. We do not have to wait for our agent to give us the quotes and push the one carrier they prefer on us. There are number of good California health insurance quote comparison sites such as www.mattsinsurance4ca.com from which we can get quotes from all top rated insurance companies in just a few clicks. This service is available 24/7 and we can get the quote anytime and choose a plan we like at our leisure. And we can see all the quotes from every carrier and not only those that are advantageous to our insurance agent. This site also has a quote comparison tool that will allow us to compare a number of quotes side-by-side including their costs and benefits. Yes the internet has made us forget about our insurance agents. We all feel that we can do it our self and that way we will save money. Well, that’s not always true. It’s a good idea to use websites like www.mattsinsurance4ca.com to get an idea about how the plans work and how much the cost. But when you decide to buy, you may want to give the agent a quick call and ask “This is the plan I think I want, Will it work for me in my situation.” Many people make the wrong choice and either underinsure or buy a plan that’s too expensive for their situation. Bottom line, Get the free health insurance advice. Just ask your agent “Is this plan right for me?” The advice is free and it could save you big bucks.

Can I hide a preexisting medical condition?

I get asked this question daily at my Health Insurance Agency. Health Insurance can be expensive in California. If you have a preexisting medical condition an insurance company can give you a higher monthly rate or just flat out decline coverage. I’ve seen 50% and even rates 100% higher than the standard rate healthy people with no medical conditions get. The inconvenience of having to pay more than the normal rate will influence many people to get creative while filling out their health insurance application. “What if I forget to mention my pre-existing medical condition on the application, will they find out that I already have a medical condition or will it lead to any trouble, etc?” I get asked. People say “I cannot be without any medical insurance. And if I mention the medical condition I have my rates will be higher than what I want to pay.” A potentially higher insurance premium makes people consider all these options.

Health insurance companies help people enjoy good health by offering wellness and preventative programs. They actually want you to stay health so that there are no giant claims to be paid. You need to buy a policy early in life while you’re healthy and keep the policy forever. Health insurance is for the big “what if I get really sick” situation. Let me give you this analogy. Do you insure your car before or after an accident? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could not have to pay any premiums for car insurance, then if we get into an accident, we can race over the local insurance broker and say “I wrecked my car and I want your company to pay to get it fixed. And here’s one month’s premium. I want to take the car into the shop as soon as I leave here. And by the way, as soon as my car gets fixed I’ll be canceling the policy because don’t like that pesky monthly premium.” Wouldn’t that be great! We’d all save tons of money! But we all know it doesn’t work that way don’t we.

You cannot conceal a pre-existing ailment to the health insurance company because it will be a pure case of deception. When you deceive the health insurance company and later file claims including the legitimate ones, the insurance company can deny the request. If the insurance company finds out that you lied on your application they will rescind your policy. Rescind means they will give you back the premiums you paid and cancel/take away the policy like it never happened. When that happens, of course the person who lied on their application calls the local news crew and tells them how unfair the insurance company was. And that’s what you usually see on the news. A liar complaining that they can’t get something for free.

Having health insurance is important. You can reduce the cost of your premium by comparing a number of quotes using independent agents like Matt at www.mattsinsurance4ca.com . The competition is high in the California health insurance sector so many companies offer several different plan designs and premiums. Get insurance while you’re young and healthy and keep it forever. If you happen to have a medical condition and you need coverage, fill out an application with a reputable carrier and see what they say. If you get a higher rating by all means take it. You might be close to being flat out declined. Take the policy and then shop around to see if you can get another policy issued at a lower rate. If you do get declined, you will be offered a HIPPA plan. If that happens you need to talk to your agent ASAP for advice. There are other options.

One of my friends was complaining about the increasing cost of health insurance policies in California and when I asked him how much it cost him he threw me a figure which shocked me. No wonder he was complaining about the cost and I was feeling little sad for him because I thought he had some other medical condition that made his health insurance so expensive. Unable to restrain myself I asked him about his premedical condition. He responded with a guffaw, “What medical condition? I don’t have any thing like that, what are you talking about?” I was totally confused now and I told him I wanted to see his policy document and when I saw his papers I understood why his health insurance was almost double the cost of my policy.

He had opted for plan with the best benefits possible probably thinking that it would save him a lot of money. He had opted for a health plan that covers physician visits at a $5 co-pay, a very low ($2) co-pay for prescriptions etc. I explained to him how we can safely cover these cost and reduce our health insurance premium. You should opt out of these “rich benefits” when you enjoy general good health that does not require visits to your physician on weekly or monthly basis.

The function of health insurance is to support people when they have to face a huge medical bill that has resulted out of some unforeseen circumstance or some major illness or hospitalization. It makes sure that we are not deprived of any medical attention that we require in these circumstances just because our resources were low during the time of emergency. It also helps us to keep our savings and other assets intact. We can keep our health insurance premiums low if we keep the policy to fulfill this basic function rather than opting for coverage that promises to take care of even the most basic things like doctor visits.

When I pointed this out to my friend he too readily agreed with me and regretted about not discussing this with me before signing up. I also asked him how many quotes he got before signing up. He was surprised with my question but he understood that he had lost few more dollars in that. I introduced him to Mattsinsurance4ca.com where we can get instant health insurance quotes and compare those quotes free of cost. I managed to cut down a considerable amount of the cost by comparing several plans from several health insurance companies’ side-by-side. He got the best value for his policy with additional riders at a discounted price.

To hook up to new customers, insurance companies are ready to quote several different health plan designs with varying premiums and benefits to add value to their customers. Discussing your needs with an independent health insurance agent will help you get a good deal from the insurance company. And using the services of broker does not cost you the consumer any more than if you went directly to the insurance company.

Don’t fall into the low co-pay trap. Talk to your agent about those low first dollar benefits. Don’t let your health insurance company fool you!

To learn more about California Health Insurance click here.