Friday, July 18, 2008 

Third of Elderly Patients Take Companion to See Doctor (HealthDay)

HealthDay - TUESDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) -- More than one-third ofelderly patients on Medicare take a companion with them for routinemedical visits.

Almost everyone is asking how to get affordable health insurance in Mississippi. The reason is simple enough: health coverage has become so expensive that over 50% of the people in Mississippi admit that paying their premiums each month is a severe financial burden and fully 16% of all Mississippi residents can no longer afford medical coverage at all.

Hopefully this article will shed some light on things you can do to reduce the costs to the point where you can afford to get sick from time to time.

If you are generally healthy and you have assets - such as a home or a savings account or a portfolio of stocks - that need protecting you may wish to consider opening a Health Savings Account, also known as an HSA. This is a special tax-free savings account that can only be used to pay medical expenses. As part of your account you will be required to purchase a relatively low-cost High Deductible Health Insurance policy. For more information talk to your banker, or an insurance company - it is also probable that your employer will be able to provide you with information.

There are several other things you can do to keep the cost of your health care down. For example, you need to stop smoking or using any tobacco products. You know as well as anyone that you will never get the most affordable medical premium in Mississippi if you smoke or use chew. If you're serious about lowering the cost of your coverage, then you've got to be serious when it comes to quitting smoking.

If you're overweight you'll also have to redouble your efforts to lose at least a little weight. If you can shed even a few pounds you may drop down a peg on the company's weight chart and if that happens then you could potentially save hundreds of dollars each and every year.

Start eating healthy and get some exercise. Eating healthy generally ties into losing weight. Stop eating at fast food places and cut out most fried foods. You've got to make the commitment to getting healthier if you really want to save money on your medical premium.

Exercise can be as simple as riding a bike to do errands or walking hyaluronic acid na hyaluronate therapy the block a couple of times three days a week. Join a local group that walks the mall in the mornings. Make exercise an enjoyable social event.

If you can pay your premiums yearly you'll save money, but if this isn't possible then set up automatic premium payments out of your checking or savings account every month. Auto pay saves you close to $100 per year.

Don't participate in dangerous or extreme sports. Also, don't drive a fast, sporty car as that could also increase the cost of your coverage.

Group health is less expensive than an individual policy. If your place of employment doesn't offer group health ask around at any clubs, groups, associations or organizations that you belong to. You'd be surprised by the number of different organizations that offer their members a low cost group medical plan.

If you can't find an organization that offers its members group health, see if any of your friends or family know of one.

Increase your co-payment. If you can afford it, increase your co-pay to 50% each time you visit your doctor. This will save you money on your premium each month and is especially effective if you don't see your doctor very often each year.

Increasing your deductible will also save you money each month. Be realistic, however, and don't agree to pay a higher deductible each year than you can actually afford.

Buying your health insurance online will also save you money. There are two tricks to saving big money when buying online.

First, don't rely on just one price comparison website. Find at least 3 price comparison websites and fill out the form on all three of them.

Second, use the information you have learned in this article when filling out the forms and be sure to enter the exact same information on all 3 forms. That's important. By entering the same information you will be comparing the same policy on all three sites and this will save you the most money possible.

Now simply choose the best price you find. That's really all there is to it. This is how to get affordable health insurance in Mississippi and keep the cost of your health care as low as possible all year long.

My Recommended Sites: My #1 Recommendation For Affordable Health Insurance in Mississippi
Cheapest Health Insurance Policy in Mississippi

 

Laparoscopic gastric bypass provides better results (Reuters)

Reuters - Performing gastric bypass surgery to reduce the weight of morbidly obese patients using a laparoscopic method, rather than the conventional more invasive "open" abdominal method, reduces postoperative complications, the need for a second operation, and shortens hospital stays, new research shows. Nevertheless, laparoscopic gastric bypass is more expensive.

Read through this article if you're at all serious about getting affordable health insurance. I'll take you through interesting ways that you could easily save a lot. The good thing about most of them is that they won't take much for you to implement but good result in much savings...

1. Buying your health insurance from the same insurance company that provides your other insurance policies will get you a discount. It is called a multi-policy discount.

2. If you're rarely ever ill you'll make substantial savings by buying catastrophic health insurance instead. You are given coverage for those health conditions or medical needs that could arise suddenly.

You'll truly love this policy if you ever are compelled to pay huge bills due to sudden ailments or accidents. Catastrophic health insurance rates are usually very affordable.

However, bear in mind that the deductibles are as high as $2,000. Albeit, you'll be happy to contribute that little if your medical bills total as much as $50,000. This is where catastrophic health insurance truly excels.

3. If you want to get the very best in health insurance then you would have to shop extensively. And, recommendations from trusted acquaintances can help you find lower rates.

Doing this helps you avoid being led to just the company with the catchiest ad but to the provider that gives the best price/value. You can count on your friend to tell you their experience with an insurer without changing the story whether good or bad. If you inquire from your friends and acquaintances you'll hardly get a terrible deal.

4. People whose lines of duty expose to hazards get higher health insurance rates. You can reduce your rates if you betaine hydrochloric acid another line of duty that doesn't expose you to hazards. An individual who works in a nuclear plant can't expect similar rates with a clerk in the local grocery.

5. Don't become shortchanged by the lowest price as you shop for affordable health insurance. You want a low rate that also gives you much value. If the lowest quote has everything that is important to you, then choose it. But in situations where you don't see the right value in the cheapest rate, you'll be taking the right step if you pay more to make sure you really get the quality of health insurance coverage that you really need.

Some very low quotes may be so because the health insurance carrier has slashed off important features. Such low health insurance quotes won't be a wise choice because you did not get the right coverage for you.

And don't forget: As you shop, get and compare quotes from five or more quotes sites. There are hundreds of companies and no single quotes covers even a good number. Therefore, you can only get a wide range of quotes by visit as many quotes sites as possible.

Here are great pages for health insurance quotes...

Health Insurance Quotes

InsureMe Health Insurance Quotes

Publishers can get unique versions of my articles by following any of the links above. Click on "To Use My Articles" when you get to my site.

Chimezirim Odimba writes on insurance.