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Affordable Connecticut Health Insurance Quotes
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Health Insurance Online is designed to help you understand how to purchase affordable health insurance in Connecticut, understand the benefits of purchasing health insurance in general, how to obtain an accurate health insurance quote, and how to understand your policy. Health insurance, simply stated, is your guarantee that in case of a medical emergency or need, you have protection against financial loss. Health insurance is there to help with doctor visits, prescriptions, emergencies, and other bodily injuries, illnesses, and medical needs. Understanding your Connecticut health insurance is the key to maximizing your health insurance benefits.

Introduction to Connecticut Health Insurance

When was the last time you or a loved one had an unexpected medical expense? Whether it was a cold that wouldn't go away, an allergic reaction to a bug bite, or an injury from an accident, chances are the last 12 months have involved at least one expense. Without health insurance to help make that expense affordable and somewhat predictable, too many of these unexpected medical expenses can be financially devastating.

Health insurance offers guarantees to your budget that can help you stay on track to your goals and easily anticipate your major expenses. Once you get your health insurance policy, you'll be expected to pay a premium payment monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually. This premium guarantees the validity of your policy and ensures that the insurance company will pay the largest portion of your medical expenses for the year. You may have to pay a small copayment (usually between $25 and $100) when you visit your physician or receive treatment in a hospital or clinic. Everything else is paid by the insurance company.

The law of large numbers is the “rule” that allows the insurance companies to guarantee payment for your expenses. The law of large numbers is also called, Bernoulli's law. Bernoulli's law is a theory of probability that proves the larger the number of people in your sample, the closer you will be to your expected outcome. This allows the insurance companies to accurately anticipate what their expenses will be and charge premiums that allow them to exceed these expenses. Those premiums are pooled together into a reserve pool that the insurance company can draw from to meet obligations.

Terminology:

• Copayment: A copayment is a fixed amount that you, as a policyholder, are expected to pay for your medical treatment and/ or medications. Your copayment will be due at the time you are treated and will range from $25 to $100. The insurance company will notify you of your copayment amounts so that you understand the fixed amount before you need to use it.
• Premium: A premium is the annual fee of your policy. Premiums need to be paid to the insurance company on time (on or before the due date) in order to avoid your policy becoming void (also called, lapsing).

How Health Insurance Impacts Connecticut Residents

It seems it is becoming more and more common to turn on the television and find that foods are being recalled due to Salmonella outbreaks. From spinach to chicken, green apples to peanut products, food recalls are becoming all too frequent. In a 2007 interview for CNN, Dr. Jonathan Mirmen of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that anywhere from two to four million people within the U.S. contract Salmonella each year. Symptoms of Salmonella infection range from abdominal cramps, fever, nausea and headaches. If it goes untreated, a Salmonella infection can result in death. Those why do seek treatment will generally be hospitalized and receive medications and observation for several days. All this from eating the wrong piece of spinach in your salad.

A health insurance policy brings you and your family the comfort of knowing that you can seek medical treatment for symptoms of any possible infection- without the concern that you are being overzealous. And, should it turn out that you do need to be hospitalized for further treatment, you don't have to worry about the resulting medical bills. You will know what they are and they will be thousands of dollars less than your out of pocket expenses would have been.

The average overnight hospital stay costs $1,000. This does not include any additional costs for tests or medications. Should you need to have EKG's, X-Ray's, ultrasounds, or any other test completed, you could see your expenses skyrocket past the $2,500 mark in no time. With an insurance policy, you know that you will only pay your copayment of up to $100 for the stay.

Choosing Connecticut Health Insurance

When deciding what type of insurance policy best suits you and your family, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices available. Don't become intimidated by these choices, look at them as additional perks that allow you to design a policy perfect for your needs. Here are some of the factors you'll need to consider:

• Major Medical Insurance: Major medical insurance is not like a typical health insurance policy. With major medical, you have the comfort of knowing that you have coverage in the event of a catastrophic illness or accident. Routine care and preventative care are not covered under a major medical policy. Should you need emergency surgery, care or treatment from a sudden and serious illness, infection or accident, you'll be covered. Major medical policies generally have deductibles rather than copayments, and you should read the policy carefully before purchasing it to make sure it covers the events you are most concerned about.
• Deductible: When choosing a major medical policy or even, in some cases, a regular health insurance policy, you may be able to choose one with a deductible. Deductibles are different from copayments, as they are larger and they are considered a minimum out of pocket expense that must be paid by the policyholder before insurance kicks in. If your policy has a deductible, you may be expected to pay anywhere from $500 to $5,000 in out of pocket expenses before billing anything to the insurance company.
• Individual Coverage: Individual coverage is a comprehensive health insurance company that covers you, as an individual. This policy will cover preventative and routine care and will include either a copayment or deductible. Individual health insurance policies are individually underwritten, so your prior health history along with gender, age and smoking status will determine your premium. If you have dependents, you may be able to get each of your dependents their own policy or cover them under yours as, “riders.”
• Group Insurance: Group insurance is a single insurance policy that covers an entire group of people. Group policies are often available through your employer as well as any unions or fraternal groups you are a member of. Group insurance is often more affordable than individual insurance, since you are not underwritten based on your individual health but instead, the probability of the entire group is underwritten. Rates are homogenized (rates are equal for all participants based on their age and gender) and preexisting conditions are not charged an additional premium (as long as the participant has never had a break in coverage). Should you leave your group, you will be able to get COBRA coverage for portability of your policy.
• HMO or PPO: Health maintenance organizations (HMO's) and preferred provider organizations (PPO's) are similar, but have one important difference. When you are choosing a group or individual policy, you'll be asked to choose between the two. Both of these options provide the same excellent care and access to doctors and both HMO's and PPO's use networks of physicians, hospitals and clinics that policyholders can visit for medical treatment. HMO's offer policyholders no insurance coverage should they receive treatment from a physician or hospital outside the established network. PPO's will pay for a portion of treatment expenses incurred with physicians or hospitals outside the network, but it will not be the full payment they would offer for visits within the network. Premiums for PPO policies are generally more expensive than the premiums of HMO policies.
• Health Savings Account (HSA): HSA's are accounts that hold pretax contributions which can be used to pay copayments, prescriptions costs, and many other approved expenses. You can combine HSA's with insurance policies, major medical policies and group policies. You can also have an HSA with no other insurance, but please note this means you'll be paying all expenses yourself, while utilizing a tax benefit.
• Connecticut's State High Risk Pool: Connecticut has a state-subsidized insurance pool for high risk individuals that are considered uninsurable by individual insurers and do not have access to group coverage. There is a premium expected from the high risk pool participants.

Terminology:

• COBRA: A federal program that requires sponsors of group insurance to allow participants to continue their group health insurance benefits for a limited time (and for a higher premium) once they terminate employment or association with the group plan provider.
• Preexisting Conditions: Any chronic illness, disease or injury that you have been diagnosed with prior to obtaining a new insurance policy is considered a preexisting condition. Preexisting conditions can be excluded by insurance policies, can make your individual insurance policy more expensive and can sometimes result in you being considered uninsurable.
• Riders: Additional benefits of a policy that allow you to include more coverage to your policy with an additional premium.
• Underwriting: The process of determining a proposed insured's risk to the insurance company based on their health history and family history.

The Leading Health Insurance Plans in Connecticut

When choosing a health insurance company to obtain your policy through, Connecticut residents have many choices. There are nationally recognized health insurance leaders with offices statewide including Bristol, Stamford and Bridgeport. Additionally, several companies have plans specifically designed for Connecticut residents. Some of these companies are:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Connecticut: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Connecticut offers access to participating doctors, clinics and hospitals on their website. They also have articles and guides offering comprehensive information on health care, preventative care and illnesses. They have offices statewide including in major metropolitan areas like Hartford, West Hartford and New Haven.
• ConnectiCare: Connecticare is a regional insurance company serving more than 240,000 policy holders in Connecticut as well as Western Massachusetts. Connecticare has many different insurance policies available to proposed insured's including HSA's. They are based in Farmington and are highly accessible to all Connecticut residents, including those in Norwalk, Danbury, New Britain and Greenwich.
• Golden Rule Insurance Company: Golden Rule Insurance Company is a division of United Healthcare and is available nationwide. They give coverage quotes online after the application process is complete, and they have a wide range of insurance policies available.

Connecticut Health Insurance

As you begin to explore your many options, narrow down your selections and determine which health insurance company and plan is right for you, you should be filled with the comfort of knowing you've made an important decision that can help your family and finances stay on track. It will take time for you to complete the due diligence necessary to get the perfect coverage for your needs, health history and budget. Devoting the time necessary to review your many policy options and apply for coverage is an important step that will pay off for many years to come.

Connecticut Health Insurance Resources

• Premiums versus Paychecks: A Growing Burden for Connecticut's Workers
• Tables Concerning the High Costs of Connecticut Health Insurance Premiums
• Tables Discussing Slow Wage Growth for Workers in Connecticut
• Tables Discussing Slow Wage Growth for Workers in Connecticut
• Discussion on Connecticut Health Insurance Premiums
• Rising Connecticut Health Insurance Premiums for Workers
• Higher Cost, Less Connecticut Health Insurance Coverage
• Increased Connecticut Health Care and Medical Costs
• Conclusion to Connecticut Health Insurance Cost Findings

Connecticut Medicare Plans

Seniors age 65 and older are eligible for a variety of Medicare plans in Ohio.  Medicare plan options include Medigap and Medicare Advantage policies:

• Connecticut Medicare Plans
• Medicare Supplemental Insurance Plans in Connecticut
• Medicare Advantage Plans in Connecticut
• Medicare Part D Plans in Connecticut
• Official U.S. Government Site for Medicare

Connecticut Doctor Directory

Doctors practicing medicine in the State of Connecticut are licensed by the state. Doctors accept different forms of health insurance which you can verify before setting an appointment.

• Directory of Doctors in Connecticut - search by location and practice