Health insurance is one of the touchiest topics right now with debates about making it free being waged all across the country. Whatever your stand may be on the issue, you can’t deny that health insurance is absolutely necessary if one is to ever fall sick and get treated on time.
The cost of healthcare in America has gone up by several notches in the past decade or so. As a result, unless you have medical insurance, you can’t really get treated properly (except if you are very wealthy – in which case you wouldn’t be reading this article). But along with the cost of health care, health insurance premiums have gone up by several notches too.
There are several factors that determine how much you have to pay for insurance coverage. These factors vary from company to company and are designed to insure that the companies offer coverage only to the healthiest of individuals, thereby cutting down their liability. This is, of course counter-productive: if you were already healthy, why would you need health insurance in the first place?
Nonetheless, such are the rules and one has to find a way to work around them. Many people get disappointed after being rejected by a company and stop looking. But if you just keep on searching, you can find an insurance plan that is tailor made to your needs.
The first thing companies look for when offering you coverage is your age. Naturally, if you are above 60, you have a much higher chance of suffering a serious illness than someone who is 20. Many companies have a cap of 60 years beyond which they do not offer coverage except in the rarest of rare circumstances. Therefore, you have to try and find a company that does not have such an age limit in place.
Next, the companies look at your past medical history. If you have suffered a major disease in the past 5-10 years, your chances of being offered coverage reduce a lot. And even if you are offered insurance, the price will be very high. They also look at your family’s medical history. If there is a history of heart disease in your family, your insurance premium goes up.
Trying to get insurance nowadays is quite like getting into a good college. These companies analyze every section of your medical history, trying to find records that can justify their exorbitant premiums. Therefore, for a consumer it is that much harder finding a good insurance provider, but if you search hard enough, you will find a plan that is suitable for you.