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Archive for June, 2010

Will Health Insurance Cover My Blepharoplasty?

05 Jun



People seek an eyelid surgeon for a variety of reasons, including personal preference, aesthetic concerns, professional desires, trauma, and medical necessity. Whether your health insurance will cover your cosmetic eyelid surgery depends on your condition, the reason you seek surgery, and of course your insurance.

Health insurance does not cover most cosmetic procedures because they usually are not medically necessary. Health insurance plans are there to help you when you medically need treatment, so while there are many good and legitimate reasons to seek eyelid plastic surgery, if your primary goal is to improve your appearance with no health benefit (other than peace of mind), then your insurance probably won’t cover the cost, nor should it have to. This is not to say that you should not seek cosmetic treatment or that you have few payment options; these are all points to discuss with your doctor, and you may be happy to learn that many doctors offer a variety of cosmetic surgery payment options.

How can I find out if my health plan will cover my surgery?

Health insurance does not cover cosmetic surgery. It may cover medically necessary reconstructive surgery. May is the operative word. Health insurance companies are increasingly unlikely to cover procedures that they previously did cover. This is their effort to maximize profit and minimize expenses. Examples of items that generally are covered include eyelid ptosis surgery because of vision problems, or if you have skin cancer and need mohs surgery for basal cell carcinoma, your insurance may help. To find out, call your insurance provider or read your insurance handbook. If you call, you can describe your situation and treatment desires, and also ask under what circumstances eyelid surgery is covered. Be honest and don’t try to scam an insurance provider into paying for care that isn’t really in your plan or that you don’t truly need for good physical health.

Will my Surgeon accept my insurance plan?

Check with your insurance to find out if they offer out-of-network payment. For reconstructive surgery, you will be asked to make a good faith deposit for surgery. As the doctor is not an in-network provider, his fees are likely to be more than what is allowed or paid by your health insurance. Following surgery, a courtesy bill will be provided for you to submit to your health insurance company. However, they are only obligated according to their fee schedule. The good news is that many health insurance plans do cover the hospital and anesthesia fees and part of their network. Because of how medically necessary surgery is billed, many patients are surprised to learn that they may actually save money when surgery is performed as self-pay cosmetic. If you have Medicare, you will be asked to sign a so-called opt out form that waives your right to bill Medicare for your surgeon’s work.

I want to see an Eyelid Surgeon, but my insurance won’t help.

There are a variety of ways individuals have financed their cosmetic treatment plan, including saving up or using CareCredit card, which offers care credit cosmetic surgery options. This leading patient payment program can help you to completely finance your cosmetic eyelid surgery on approval of credit. CareCredit is a great program that we are happy to offer as a service to our patients. This will enable you to seek treatment today that you can pay for in monthly installments.

Discuss Your Options

Depending on your need and condition, there is a good chance that your health insurance will cover a portion of your eyelid reconstruction in medically necessary situations.

 

Where to Find an Affordable Massachusetts Health Insurance Plan

03 Jun



In this day and age of skyrocketing medical costs, health insurance is something you can’t afford to be without. Here’s how to find an affordable Massachusetts health insurance plan.

Exploring Your Options

Most people get health insurance through their employers. However, if you’re unemployed or your company doesn’t offer health insurance, there are still ways for you to get coverage:

* If you left a job that offered health insurance, look into COBRA coverage. COBRA lets you remain covered under your former employer’s health insurance plan for a few months at your own cost.

* Look into the state health insurance programs. These programs provide health insurance for Massachusetts residents who can’t afford private insurance. You can learn more Massachusetts’s state health insurance programs by visiting the Massachusetts Division of Insurance website.

* Group insurance from an organization. Employer health insurance plans cost less because you get a lower group rate. Buying health insurance through an organization such as your college alumni group or a professional group can get you the same type of discount.

If you don’t qualify for these options, you can still buy an affordable individual health insurance plan. Many types of individual plans are available: comprehensive coverage, major medical coverage, emergency coverage, short-term coverage, PPOs, HMOs, and more.

Finding Cheap Massachusetts Health Insurance

If you decide that an individual health insurance plan is your best option, then you need to start searching for an affordable policy. An insurance comparison website is the best place to start. On such a website, you complete a form with information about yourself and your health insurance needs. You then get fast quotes from multiple A-rated health insurance companies.

The best websites also let you talk with insurance professionals so you can ask questions and make sure you get the best health insurance plan for your needs and your budget (see link below).

 
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Ohio Car Insurance Regulations and Laws

03 Jun



Car insurance is necessary for everyone that owns a vehicle on Ohio. Ohio’s car insurance regulations can be divided in three sections. The first section defines the injury cost to the drivers. The second section deals with the coverage of passengers involved in the car accidents. The third section provides coverage for damaged properties in the collision.

The easiest way to meet the Ohio requirements is to have car liability insurance. Most people choose to fulfill the requirement by buying auto liability insurance. If you don’t want to own car liability insurance, you must choose from alternative self insure options. Individuals that choose to self insure must demonstrate that they have financial responsibility. According to the Ohio state law, financial responsibility means that the driver must be able to fund the costs of damages involves in the car accidents. The driver must show they have enough funds to meet the minimum obligations set by the Ohio state law.

The auto liability insurance includes bodily injury liability, and property damage liability. Bodily injury liability has state requirements of $12,500/$25000. Most people purchase the bodily injury liability for $100,000.

Property damage liability is an insurance that pays the damage done to the property of the other party. The properties can be any property including house, lamppost, and etc. The property damage liability offers coverage for the legal defense costs in the event that the other party file a lawsuit against you. Everyone in Ohio needs property damage liability coverage to protect themselves from accident that results in the damage of someone’s property. Ohio residents that have a filing on commercial auto insurance policy must purchase the Property Damage Liability Insurance. The state requirements for the property damage liability are $7500. Common coverage scale for the property damage liability is $100,000.

For people who prefer self insure option, they can get a $30,000 bond from the insurance company. Alternatively, you can obtain the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) certificate of financial responsibility. On the certificate, there is a statement that states the individual is equipped with a enough funds that meets the minimum obligations. Alternatively, it can also state that the individual has a bond that worth $30,000 at the Ohio state treasury.

Besides auto liability insurance, Ohio does not have other requirements about car insurance coverage. There is exception to leased vehicles. If your vehicle is leased, it must be covered by the comprehensive and collision insurance. Other forms of auto insurance in Ohio include uninsured motorist bodily injury, medical payments, collision and comprehensive.

Uninsured motorist bodily injury insurance offers protection for medical costs of physical injuries arise from a collision with an under insured individual. It offers coverage of $100,000 to $300,000 per person.

When shopping for car insurance in Ohio, make sure you perform shopping comparison between different companies. In order to perform shopping comparison, you must obtain the estimate quote from the car insurance companies. You can obtain an estimate quote by completing an online survey on the insurance company site. Once you have obtained the quote, you can make a call to the sales representative and ask them more details about the health insurance plan.

 
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