Arizona Child Only Health Insurance

A 2005 study by (SHADAC) and the US Census Bureau ranked Arizona in the bottom of all the United States for providing healthcare to children. The three worst states were Arizona, Louisiana and Mississippi. The state does have some very generous programs for low income families to obtain health insurance. KidsCare is the states version of the federally mandated SCHIP program and complements our states long standing Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System Care (AHCCCS) or Medicaid. Although we rank poorly in this survey, our elected officials have provided a generous healthcare plan for children 18 and under that are at risk due to economic factors. However, the state is at fault for not getting the word out so every child who qualifies gets the health insurance they deserve.

Most KidsCare members must pay an inexpensive monthly premium. The amount a family must pay is based on family income and the number of children who get KidsCare. Premiums will cost no more than $25 a month for one child or no more than $35 a month no matter how many children are in the household. For more information or to apply for KidsCare click here

What can a family do, if they don’t qualify for these great Arizona health insurance programs? There are only two choices: enroll at work for group coverage or get a child only health insurance policy. Depending on the age of the child these policies are generous and extremely affordable. Undoubtedly Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona has the most generous and affordable child only policies in the state. As of June 2008 a ten year old boy or girl could have a “BluePreferred Basic” health insurance policy for $50.00 a month. For such a low premium many families should be considering taking their child/children off their work plan and enrolling them in a child/children only plan to save money. To get a quote on a BCBSAZ child only plan click here.

Due to the internet, shopping for health insurance has become as easy as going to an instant quote search engine like AzHealthNow.com. Here you can compare no obligation instant health insurance quotes from six top Arizona carriers. All parents want to protect their children.

Arizona Student Health Insurance

Shortly millions of American students will be heading back to school. Some will be boarding buses to continue their primary education while others will be driving off to attend universities & community colleges. Regardless of their destination, as parents, we worry about their health and well being. During these inflationary times, providing health insurance for our young students can be a burden for some families. Often families provide health insurance for their children through their group health plans from work. Parents will find substantial health insurance premium savings by putting their children and young adults on their own individual or Arizona student health policies.

Many employer sponsored group family health insurance plans are astronomical in price. In many instances a family can realize a large cost saving by switching their children to their own individual health insurance plans. The type of plan a parent would want for their young student depends a lot on the family’s current financial reality. In today’s health insurance market there are all kinds of policies for just about every budget. All these health plans offer a degree of protection that every parent would want for their child. Due to the internet, shopping for health insurance has become as easy as going to a instant quote search engine like AzHealthNow.com. All parents want to protect their children. I can think of no better peace of mind than knowing that my child has a good health insurance policy I can afford.

Parents with PPO and HMO type health insurance plans, face a particular set of problems when they have out of state bound college students. Often there is a reduction of benefits when a person leaves the network coverage area. In some cases the limitation may be so sever that only emergency care is provided. In this situation obtaining a individual health insurance is the best choice for any parent. Some health insurance companies offer a national network. So regardless of a person’s home of record they can obtain services out of state as long as the insurance company has coverage in that area. In this instance the benefits provided would not be reduced because of the open directory. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona has such an agreement with its sister BCBS affiliates throughout the continental United States. Another option is to purchase a student health insurance policy from a carrier like Assurant Health. Unlike the cheesy student health policies colleges put in their welcome packages, Assurant’s plan is a very flexible major medical policy. (For more specific information about Assurant's student health plan click here)

For those lucky few who are going abroad to study there is only one good choice and that is to get an international health insurance policy. Again, thanks to the internet, obtaining a good international health insurance policy is as easy as clicking right here.

Making sure your young student has health insurance is the kind of peace of mind a parent needs when sending their child out into the world.

Find Affordable Arizona Health Insurance

Actually finding affordable Arizona health insurance has just gotten so easy that anyone can accomplish the task from the ease and comfort of their own home or work place. Just go to AzHealthNow.com, and you will find a very simple instant quote search engine. In a matter of minutes you can have 375 quotes from six of the top rated Arizona health insurance companies. You will be able to compare multiple carriers and their premiums, benefit outlines, check on their doctors and apply for coverage all in one place. Once you have narrowed down the field to plans you really like you might have some questions and concerns. They have helpful licensed insurance agents on staff to assist you and make the process of selecting your own affordable Arizona health insurance policy very easy.

At AzHealthNow.com all you have to do to get an instant insurance quote is fill out the form so the search engine has the correct information about you and your family. Then hit the “show me plans and premiums” button and in thirty seconds you will have about 375 plans from six top rated Arizona health insurance companies. Each offering shown explains the company name, plan name, what the premium is and offers two additional links so you can see a list of doctors and obtain a printable plan summary brochure. Gathering all this raw information may be overwhelming for some health insurance shoppers, that is why AzHealthNow.com has a customer service number posted at the top of each page. Call the customer service number and you can speak with a licensed insurance agent and get all your health insurance questions answered.

AzHealthNow.com also allows you to customize your search; you do this by selecting the premium, plan type, deductible, coinsurance, co-pay you wish to see. By manipulating these different components AzHealthNow.com allows you to see how the different insurance carriers’ actually compare to each other in premium and plan design. No matter what kind of health insurance you have, AzHealthNow has leveled the insurance shopping field so everyone can compare their plans.

The only question left becomes what do you want in an affordable Arizona health insurance policy?

COBRA Insurance Option, Get an Affordable Arizona STM Health Insurance Policy

COBRA insurance contains provisions giving former employees, retirees, spouses and dependent children the right to temporary continuation of health insurance coverage. For the recently unemployed it is a shocking moment when they receive their COBRA paperwork and see the full premium they are required to pay to continue their former employers’ health plan. The reason for the increase in payment is that the employer is no longer required to contribute to the plan. For those that are uninsurable, COBRA gives them an eighteen month bridge to a new group health plan. But for those who are healthy, a much less costly option exists in a short term medical plan or (STM).

Short Term Medical insurance provides comprehensive temporary medical insurance coverage that guard against catastrophic costs of unexpected medical bills. Temporary health insurance covers a wide variety of needs, from 30 to 365 days. STM plans are just as comprehensive in coverage as most major medical plans. Temporary health insurance policies cover physician services, prescriptions, X-ray, laboratory services, inpatient hospital stays, inpatient and outpatient surgeries, skilled nursing facility care and rehabilitation up to a lifetime maximum of $2 million. The reason they are so affordable is their short duration and the fact they do not cover preexisting conditions. These plans are valuable for healthy individuals and families that are in between jobs and want a lower cost option to COBRA.

Another valuable benefit of obtaining a short term medical policy is that it provides continuation of coverage. Under federal and state laws, insurance companies can exclude covering preexisting conditions for a newly enrolling employee if they had no viable insurance within the past 63 days. A short term medical plan meets this test and is considered viable insurance coverage by all interested parties.

When you need affordable Arizona health insurance and are between permanent employer-sponsored health plans, short term medical insurance bridges the gap between your old employer plan and a new group plan. This provides coverage that can give you and our family the peace of mind you deserve.

Get a free no obligation health insurance quote now!
You can even apply online and be covered as early as tomorrow.

Looking for Affordable Arizona Health Insurance? Consider a Right Start PPO!

The current economy is looking bleak for many Arizona families. As their job outlook wanes and prices in the food and fuel sectors spiral out of control many people are looking to slash their budgets. Some are even considering going without health insurance. Before making that drastic decision everyone should consider switching to a Right Start PPO policy with Assurant Health.

Unlike a limited benefit policy or a mini-med; Right Start PPO, has the look and feel of any health insurance policy with some major cost savings features. To enjoy substantially lower premium the Right Start PPO policy limits:

The annual maximum to one of either
• $50,000
• $100,000
• $250,000

The annual out patient services provision to one of either
• $2500
• $5000

Additionally if a person selects the co-pay option it will only provide for two office visits per year for a $25.00 co-pay.

Though these policy provisions seem like drastic limitations lets examine some realties. Health insurance is not an all or nothing proposition. This plan is not for everyone, but it is for people who have no insurance or considering going without insurance. Once the deductible is paid it will pay for regular doctor office visits and for any medically necessary hospitalization. For most people the premium savings is about 50 percent with a Right Start PPO. That kind of cost saving allows a family to provide catastrophic coverage and ensure they are protected when a medical crisis arises.

Weighed against the specter of having no health insurance, the Right Start PPO is an excellent choice for Arizonans looking for affordable health insurance in these trying times.

I offer health insurance plans from six of the top rated heath insurance carriers in Arizona. For more information about the Right Start PPO or any other health insurance policy please call me at (602) 502-3113

To see a detailed brochure click here.

To see what your cost savings might be click here for a free instant quote

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is the Gold Standard in Arizona Health Care

BCBSAZ is the acronym for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. BCBSAZ offers a wide range of health care plans to fit the needs of all Arizonans. They also boast one of the most extensive PPO directories in the state. Whether you’re looking for a health care plan for your child, yourself or your family you can’t go wrong with a BCBSAZ policy.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona most generous individual medical plan is called Blue Preferred PPO. Blue Preferred PPO has many great policy benefits such as low co-pays for doctor office visits and specialists, a generous prescription drug benefit and the plan pays 100% for member labs and x-rays. When examining the policy you should note that BCBSAZ makes available everyday healthcare as well as catastrophic healthcare.

Everyday healthcare consist of your doctor’s office visits and well checkups. Where many health plans scrimp on preventative care, BCBSAZ goes out of its way to ensure their policy holders get their preventative care they need. They have come to the conclusion that it is better to help their patients pay for preventative care than shell out the cash when little health problems left, unchecked, become major hospital stays. Many individuals and families find it is much easier paying the co-pay to receive this vital care when it is included in their premium. Some Arizona health insurance plans these days do not include the generous co-pays for services the Arizona Blue Cross Blue Shield offers. What exam is complete with out having lab work done? With your Blue Preferred policy all your labs are free as long as you go to a BCBSAZ lab.

The day you have the big health event, you will be very glad to have BCBSAZ standing with you. After you leave the hospital you can count on BCBSAZ to pay your bills. They are the only Arizona not for profit health insurance company that maintains an AM Best rating of A+ for financial stability. With their financial stability and generous policy provisions everyone looking for an Arizona health insurance plan should consider this plan.

I have been specializing in Arizona Health Insurance for my clients since 1991. If you have questions or need help with your health insurance feel free to call me at (602) 502-3113. Or if you want a health insurance quote you can visit www.AzHealthNow.com and get an instant quote.

Own your Arizona health insurance plan as well and be beholden to no one

Long term trends in employer and employee relationships have greatly changed over the past few decades. Statistics show that the average prospective employee will change their place of employment a minimum of seven times in their work lives. With that thought in mind, individuals and families should begin to question how they think about Arizona employer health benefits. A forward thinking person should consider owning their own Health, Life and disability policies so they have true financial freedom to act in their own best interest when seeking career choices.

In our current employment environment neither the employer nor the employee are offering each other much loyalty. Employers are increasingly under pressure to cut their human resources costs and those cuts often cause a slashing of Arizona health insurance benefits by shifting more of the cost to their employees to accomplish the cost saving measures. More and more employees are faced with escalating monthly costs, higher deductibles and higher co- insurance.

For employees the biggest drawback to employer benefits is the portability issue, if they leave their employer they leave behind their insurance. They have the COBRA option but it only lasts 18 months and is often cost prohibitive. Leaving a place of employment for personal, family or economic reasons becomes difficult if a person is leaving a great health plan behind. With employers cutting back on health benefits those seeking greener pastures must consider the economic impact of leaving their health plan behind as well.

You do not have to be in this situation if you owned your own Arizona health insurance plan. These policies are often less expensive than traditional group plans and are just as generous in benefits. The best reason for owning your own policy is that it can not be taken away from you as long as you pay the premiums. So no matter where your career takes you, your Arizona health insurance is never in question.

If in today’s employment environment workers are claiming their independence to say no to their employers and decide to move for job to job for many reasons. They should become truly free of their employers Arizona health insurance plan as well and be beholden to no one.

Three Key Components of any Arizona Health Insurance Plan

In the current Arizona health insurance market not all insurance carriers or their insurance policies are equal. Though price is always a factor, it is important to understand what benefits those premiums are giving you and at what cost. Let’s examine three major components of an Arizona health insurance plan; co-pay, deductible and co-insurance. Understanding how you might be able to manipulate these three components will make any budget conscious insurance buyer a savvy shopper.

Many people like to have the peace of mind knowing that they can access their doctor for a co-pay. Co-pays are the amount a person pays directly to their doctor for regular office visits. The co-pay can range in cost from $10 to $50 dollars depending on the plan. These types of visits can be for many routine type office visits such as, physicals, sickness, and regular checkups. Knowing what the policy will actually cover is important because some plans do not pay for all types of office visits and have different co-pays for different types of doctors; some even limit the number of visits subject to just the co-pay. If you are the type of person who does not go to the doctor very often, going without this policy provision could potentially save you $100 or more in monthly premium. When selecting a plan, you should always balance the probable need for covered services against the monthly and annual cost.

Another important policy provision is the annual deductible. Your policy will explain what services are subject to the deductible and which are subject only to the co-pays. Your annual deductible is the amount you are required to contribute to your own health care costs before the insurance policy starts to pay anything for certain policy provisions such as inpatient and outpatient treatment. The higher the deductible the lower your premiums will be and vice-versa.

Coinsurance can be very confusing to may people. It is the amount you and the insurance company agree to pay for covered services after the deductible has been met. A very common coinsurance amount is 80/20. This means that after you pay the deductibles the insurance company would pay 80% and you would pay 20% of the remainder of the bill up to a specified out of pocket maximum. The most important part of any insurance plan is your out of pocket maximum. Some insurance carriers do not have a maximum out of pocket which means they will only pay a percentage of the cost and you will pay the rest no limits. The best Arizona health insurance plans will have both individual and family out of pocket maximums. Just like the deductible, the more co-insurance you are willing to agree to, the lower your insurance premium will be.

You can use this information when using an internet insurance quote search engine. You can manipulate these three components to find the balance between cost and benefit and a premium you can live with. To use these concepts you can go to
my website at www.AZHealthNow.com and complete the quote form and get an instant on line quote.