Oregon Health Insurance

If you leave your job or start another one that doesn’t offer health insurance you will need to consider Oregon’s individual health insurance. An individual plan is purchased on the private market, not tied to workplace benefits. Although they are called “individual” plans, they can cover you, your spouse and your children. There is no guarantee that an insurer will accept you for an individual policy. Individual plans are medically underwritten and a Oregon insurer may reject your application or attach exclusions to your policy if you have health problems.

The type of health insurance familiar to most consumers in Oregon is group coverage offered by an employer. With group health insurance through your employer the policy is partially paid for by the company on behalf of their employees. The company will contribute a large percentage toward the monthly premium and you (the employee) will be responsible for paying the difference, about 16-27%. One of the disadvantages of group plans is you have little choice in the specific benefits of the plan (these are determined by negotiations between the company and the insurance carrier) but you also cannot be denied coverage under the group plan no matter what prescriptions you may take or preexisting conditions you may have.

You will also need to balance the cost of coverage with the medical care your family needs. You may want to take less risk with your family health insurance than you would with your own. Indemnity plans come with lower family health insurance premiums, but only cover catastrophic medical costs; most preventative care must be paid out-of-pocket. However, it may be suitable if any of your family members are attached to a particular physician or specialist not included in a managed plan network. You need to take your family’s health and needs into account, as well as your own, when choosing affordable family health insurance.

Temporary circumstances don’t need to leave you or your family uninsured. With short term health insurance, you will be protected if a medical emergency strikes. Cheap short term health insurance is similar to standard health insurance, except that temporary health insurance can last anywhere from thirty days to one year. A short term health insurance plan may be for you if there is a short gap in your insurance. For example, if you lost your job and have begun searching for new employment with health insurance benefits, affordable temporary health insurance can help bridge the gap. Short term health insurance coverage is also suitable for people who are recent college graduates or on strike.

Students in Oregon are faced with the challenge of selecting and purchasing their own health insurance or supplemental insurance. Many are doing this for the first time. Others have gone without and perhaps haven’t weighed the risk of being uninsured. It is best to have coverage because you want to be prepared in the event of an accident. There are ways to reduce cost while getting proper coverage that most people don’t consider. One way is simply to comparison shop, and there’s nothing easier than doing it online or having an unbiased expert doing the shopping for you.”