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In the midst of all the heated debate about healthcare reform, there is one element that tends to get slightly less publicity. Yet, when it comes down to making the reform work, it is one of the most important changes to push through both the House and the Senate. To understand the issue, we need to go back to the Supreme Court decision in United States v. South-Eastern Underwriters Association which, in 1944, allowed the federal government to apply antitrust laws to insurance companies by extending the Commerce Clause in the US Constitution to break up abusive monopoly control. For many years, the lack of competition had allowed South-Eastern to fix outrageously high premium rates and to defend their monopoly through intimidation and coercion in six US states. When the Supreme Court finally signalled a potential end to these abusive practices, the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945 appeared. The key provision exempts insurance companies from the general run of federal laws imposing antitrust limits so long as each state puts local regulations in force. This has produced a patchwork of state laws which, to a greater or lesser extent, encourage free competition between insurance companies.

It is an undisputed fact that, as competition declines, the remaining one or two suppliers in a market have the power to abuse their dominant position. The results are usually higher prices, lower quality products and poor service standards. The interests of the consumer are lost in the rush to extract the maximum possible profit. In the healthcare industry, consumers have been penalised as insurers refuse to accept people with pre-existing conditions and refuse renewal of policies if expensive longer term treatment appears necessary. You cannot have failed to notice the steady increases in the premium rates – in fact, there has been a slightly faster rate of increase over the last year despite the fact of the recession. This is made possible because there is a lack of real competition between insurers in the majority of US states. The House has already included provisions in the bill to repeal this exemption from federal regulation. The Senate is now about to debate the same issue. Without this repeal included in the final law, insurance companies will be able to continue fixing prices and dividing up the market as it suits them. You will remain helpless victims. With the repeal in place, insurers will suddenly have to compete with each other. This should drive down premium rates and improve the quality of the service delivered. However you look at it, you will benefit directly. Read the rest of this entry »

As you grow up, you take your parent’s health plan for granted. There always seems to be enough money around to pay for the treatment you need. Then comes the magic birthday. Suddenly you are 18 and you can start making your own decisions. Yet, there seems little incentive. You are fit and healthy. Why bother? Well, if there is no job with a health package thrown in, the earlier you begin paying into a private health plan, the more money builds up to your credit with that insurer. Over time, you will pay less because of that accumulated value. If you wait until you are older and the probability of poor health is higher, the premiums will start at a higher number. That said, the majority of people put off getting a plan until children are on the way. Perhaps paranoia comes with being a parent, but it’s surprising how often you take your children to see the doctor. This is very expensive if you are uninsured. More generally, it’s also worth remembering that everyone lives longer these days. Having a health plan in place from a young age gives everyone the best value coverage.

The reality of children is a strain on your household budget. Until they arrive, you have no real idea just how expensive they are going to be. That means finding a health plan offering the maximum coverage and paying as much of the expenses as possible. There will be little slack in your budget and you do not want to hit your savings every time you see a physician or need to buy medication. Suppose you have agreed to a high deductible or the levels of copayments and out-of-pocket expenses is capped on the high side, you might have to delay treatment until you have saved enough to pay. You might not be able to afford the price of the must-have drugs. If you have to watch your children getting sicker, this is going to increase your stress and anxiety levels. It’s a source of poor health for you. But if you have put a good family health plan in place, you can sleep better at night and, if the worst happens and a claim has to be made, you can focus on what’s important – getting the children well again – without having to worry about finding the money to do it. Read the rest of this entry »

If you think pet insurance is a bad idea- think again. It is totally brilliant. It is not new as it was available for as long as we can remember it but people never questioned it or considered it seriously. United States of America brought it up again recently and now pet lovers all over the world try to keep up with the US pet-owners. There is such thing as pet insurance plan and there is also a policy to go with it. This policy has been suitable in many cases known and we are happy to inform you that with the help of this article you will get a chance to know more about the pet insurance.

Pet insurance companies have had certain innovations lately. Some people that tested those companies say they got better, others do not agree with them.

It is true that it requires a real specialist to treat an animal because unlike people they can’t tell us what’s hurting them. Veterinary medicine is not really based on any type of insurance. There is no such thing as cat or dog emergency. There is only care for the animal in any state it is in.

Nowadays veterinary policies became quite alike to human insurance policies. Their plans resemble. Both have premiums, deductibles, and various coverage types but of course with the latter, the decision depends on the pet -owner. The type of policy he chooses for the pet – that one will the pet be treated under. Plans are also based on species, their age, pre-existing conditions and sometimes even the lifestyle of the pet.

There are companies that only insure pets starting from a certain age. When they are 6 or 8 weeks old pets can be brought in to get insured. They also have some restrictions and age limit, but that can totally range – one company will still insure a pet that is 20 years old, others won’t allow it when the pet is 10.

The policy itself differs in the price. For some people it can be very affordable, some may consider it cheap or on the contrary – too expensive. It also depends on the package you are about to get. There are comprehensive packages that include: regular checkups and vaccine procedures, simple care, preventive drugs and spay surgeries. There are also packages that only include maladies and illnesses of the pet. Those ones are the cheapest.

But what is this pet insurance is no good for you?

Well you can check with the pet doctor. There are vets that have their own packages that they offer to their clients within the hospital. You might want to consider that every now and then. You can also search up for the online pet insurances. Usually they come with good discounts that you just can’t get by. And there is also such variant as non-profit organizations that provide pet-care to animals for free. Read the rest of this entry »