What do you think?

Everyone is talking about the problem, the number of uninsureds and the rising costs of healthcare. It is something important, as it relates to our health. More so, not just ours, but our children’s and our families. Healthcare has a cost, there is no other way to state this fact than just that; healthcare has a cost. It is also not an inexpensive cost, but expensive and it will increase as a percentage of our overall nation’s income (our GDP). The reason for this is as simple as just saying that while our technologies improve with research and development over time; our wants for curing ills that were incurable before will rise.

We will develop new and better technologies to improve our lifes. We will develop new drugs and treatments to battle and cure diseases. All of this will have costs.

There is no shame in this. We are dedicating ourselves to improving our health and wellness.

Nevertheless, our system, our healthcare system and the way in which it operates lends itself to many inefficiencies that have nothing to do with improving our overall care. This must change in order to maintain some semblance of a balance. Many of these inefficiencies are politically motivated and they do not benefit our overall healthcare.

More government alone is not the answer. It never is the answer, but a combination of government allowing the private sector to provide more efficient healthcare and also proving some subsized assistance in some form will improve our system.

Universal healthcare can take on so many different definitions. Yet, I believe most everyone agrees that as a nation we believe that our citizens should be able to attain healthcare at an affordable price.

Remember this, healthcare is as much a personal responsibility as it is a right to have it be affordable in our country.

Health insurance is needed to inject fairness into the system. Private health insurance is the goal, just be efficient.

As our economy is heading south, many of us view our personal health as sometimes a secondary need. Although I can understand the many reasons and factors of why a decision like that would happen, health is important. I am stating a fact, but it merits explanation. Health is important and the management thereof just as important. It is important to be involved in the process, to be a good consumer. This means to be aware that you need care, but focus on the approach.

Does anyone remember the “Friends” episode when the character “Joey”, who a played an actor,  had a terrible pain in his abdomen but would refuse to go see a doctor because he had no insurance. He waited until the pain was just too much, but luckily he had gotten a job just in time. He finally was diagnosed with a hernia and cured.

The point is that his illness could have been much worse and much costlier. He should have acted (no pun intended) sooner and gone to the doctor to know his options. It could have been something very simple to treat. We need to know and be involved. Many times we simply view healthcare as inaccessible due to the fact that we do not have health insurance.

While some of this is true, healthcare, especially preventative and basic care is still accessible from an affordability point of view. There are clinics, doctors, and even hospitals that offer discounts and special rates.

Definitely, waiting and not treating and facing the problem won’t help and could make it worse.

Take care

Why get hung up on Copay’s only?

Many clients buy health insurance and rate insurance carriers by the doctor office copay amount offered rather than by what type of coverage the plan offers, what is the maximum amount covered, what coverage area the plan offers, what is excluded in the plan, what rating the carrier has and how much risk are you willing to accept.

The option to offer doctor office visit copay’s is not a benefit that is free of charge to you, the policy will have a monthly added cost to cover such benefits and the carrier knows that a healthy individual might visit a doctor one or two times a year, this option usually doesn’t benefit the policy holder.

Health insurance should be purchased based on the following:

1) Type of plan being offered (PPO / HMO / POS)

2) What is covered by the plan, what is not covered by the plan.

3) What is your maximum out of pocket expense with the plan.

4) How much money are you willing to risk if you become ill.

5) Are you covered outside of their network, do you need referrals for specialists.

6) What capacity does the carrier have to pay claims (A.M. Best Rating).

7) What premium can you afford on a monthly basis without having to lapse the policy.

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A question thousands more of us ask ourselves everyday.

Most of us have been used to getting our healthcare coverage provided through our employer, but this is changing. This is changing rapidly. More and more employers are either doing away with providing health insurance benefits or just simply providing some funds to employees and letting them choose for themselves what to do.

So this new reality in  health insurance has taken off our blanket of having our employer, usually through the human resources department, be our health insurance purchaser. They would do the research, analyze the carrier, weigh the options, and make the decisions. The decisions may or may not have been in our personal bests interest anyway, but they, the employer did the shopping for us. Who wants to deal with all that work of deciphering what to get, what to do.

Well, guess what? This  is now our job, we have to figure out what is the best health plan for us and our families. What is a fair price, how high of a deductible, co-insurance, prescriptions, maternity coverage, limitations, exclusions, etc., etc.

To begin this journey, many people have tried going online and requesting quotes, but 99 out of 100 times, all they get are aggressive telemarketers calling from a million different companies that are not even from the website that they submitted their personal information!

Yes, it is true!

Who knows who is calling them, from where, what company, and even if they are  licensed as health insurance agents anyway! This is happening today, everyday, to thousands of people.

Do I have your attention now?

Let me introduce you to VitalOne Health, our company is only responding to health inquiries for the clients that request it, period. Our company values the trust placed on us by the people that submit to us their private and confidential information. We do not use this information for anything else than to to provide you with assistance in attaining quality and affordable health insurance coverage. We are not a prospect marketing company.

We only represent the customer, the applicant, not the insurance companies. We are biased, yes! We are biased to our clients. We do not care what health plan our clients choose as long as it’s the one that is right for them. We are not a captive agency promoting only one health plan!

We have, do, and will, always represent our client!

You may have tried the rest, now do yourself a favor and try the best!

Our President, Barrack Obama, is conducting summits around the country to identify and generate plausible solutions to the healthcare crisis. Is it a crisis? When there are 47 million plus Americans uninsured, I would say so. Yet, the answer is not more government, as many want to do. Government running business operations is not a good model. This will not improve things, it will make them worse. There is no doubt that change is needed to improve our healthcare industry by requiring citizens to all have health insurance. We all need to be responsible.

We cannot have the healthy not have insurance and the unhealthy be the ones that wanted. This is not then insurance. We need to spread risk amongst all of us. Therefore, we all need to have it.

How often do you see this; “Get A Health Insurance Quote” when you’re searching for health insurance online?

I am pretty sure that it’s most of the time. It is a step in the process to begin to provide information for you when inquiring about health insurance.

My company, VitalOne Health does it. We ask you to submit basic information in  order to begin the process. Now, it is true that all anyone can really provide with just your basic information is an estimate or a range in premiums because only a more in-depth qualification can get you an accurate personalized quote. This is where things are different with most other websites that ask you to submit information in order to generate a health insurance quote.

Most websites are not insurance agencies, they’re simply large prospect generators that sell your information to thousands of insurance agents around the country. This is the reason why you get so many telephone calls from so many people all of the time. Many times, you do not know who is calling you, from what company, representing what products, and even whether they are licensed agents!

It is not fun and most importantly it can be dangerous. My company, VitalOne Health is an agency with licensed insurance agents promoting many products. We only use the information you provide us to service you, in attaining the information and assistance you need. We do not share this information with anyone outside our agency and value the trust you place on us to do our job right.

Outside our company, VitalOne Health, there are only a few others that do the same. All others are basically just large marketing companies selling your information to whoever wants it! There are no requirements other than payment.

Our health insurance agents working with you are all under supervision, managed, and kept in compliance.

This is more than food for thought, it is our competitive advantage, to bring you quality service, represent you not the carrier, and keep your information private and secure.

Do you expect coverage whether you are healthy or sick?

Do you expect to have continuous coverage and slight incremental rate increases, not a large increment only if you get sick?

Do you care about co-pays or are you smart enough to know that co-pays don’t make the plan?

Do you want your claims paid quickly and good customer service to assist you in the process?

Do you want to be rewarded for being careful and taking care of your health?

What else?

What are you looking for?

Hispanics represent the largest minority group in our country. Yet, this number is still relatively small as a percentage of our population. Under the numbers presented by our census department, it is approximately 17%. Yet, the number of Hispanics that are uninsured is above 33%. This is a very large number any way you look at it.

Another way is to say that out of the roughly 47 million uninsured Americans, more than 15 million are Hispanics, not counting many illegal immigrants. Why?

The answer is a bit more complex, but be assured that a piece of the answer has to do with the fact that there are not many (if any) carriers that cater to this growing group. This is to say that it has to do with more than just branding a carrier product in Spanish, but adhering to some of the specifics that this demographic group deems important.

Our healthcare industry is now being kicked, sworn at, and made culpable to a lot of our economic ills. Yet, if you look closer maybe part of the reason costs in the aggregate are so high are due in large part to Medicare and Medicaid. These are government run operations. Need I go on!

The Hispanic uninsured market is largely untapped and there is no reason for this other than just it has seemed to have sneaked up on our mainstream society.

In the old days, licensed insurance agents would learn the basics of one carrier, and more than likely one specific plan and would then focus on promoting and selling that specific health plan.

In today’s world most licensed insurance agents still do the same, even over the internet!

This was what created our company’s opportunity!

We are a company whereby our licensed health insurance agents have access to a large portfolio of insurance carriers, and through our unique proprietary software, can match, qualify, and customize the right health insurance plan for you and your family from multiple providers and multiple options. All this is done simultaneously with the assistance from one of our licensed insurance agents.

With our system we have enabled our licensed insurance agents to be able to do a better, faster, and more efficient service to you, our customer.

We represent many carriers, many providers, and many options in order to assist you in attaining the right health insurance coverage for you and your family without having to go to every independent insurance carrier directly.

Insurance premium rates are regulated and prices are fixed by law, they cannot be changed. So do yourself a favor and try our unique service. We will provide you expert advice, multiple providers, multiple options, and more importantly, the right health insurance plan for you and your family.

You start by providing us with basic information that we use to prepare an estimated quote range from many carriers and plan designs. The next step allows you to review the basic information and gives you the opportunity to speak directly with one of our licensed health insurance agents.

This part of the process is truly unique. Our licensed health insurance agents will listen to your needs and expectations, will ask you a few questions, will qualify you, and then customize several plan options specifically for you and your family.

This will be done from the many health insurance plans and carriers that are available and will be customized through our software for you.

You can then review and compare plans, quotes, and benefits and receive a free expert consultation from our licensed health insurance agents. They will be focused on assisting you and servicing you.

Our goal is to provide you with the information you need and assistance from a qualified licensed health insurance agent that represent you, not any one carrier or plan.

Our unique process is geared towards efficient better service to each individual and family.