Need Health Insurance? What to Consider Before You Buy
Studies show that the majority of private bankruptcy filings in this country are an outcome of unpredicted medical-related bills. Sadly, this dilemma does not only have an effect on people that are without insurance, but households who do not have enough insurance to cover costs. A lot of people today that are insured have coverage due to their job. However with a lethargic financial state, several companies have reduced coverage, or simply pass the cost of health care to the workers. The consequence is that many of us have to spend more money on inadequate insurance protection that won't protect us in cases of moderate-severe injury or illness.
When Consumer Reports scanned the details of insurance policies classified as "cheap" packages they found that many will fail to cover the majority of expenses incurred. Consequently a good deal of customers that select their own insurance policies, or attain affordable health insurance by using an company, might discover that this insurance policy could leave them unprotected, and eventually saddled with a great deal of medical debt once they try to submit a claim. Thus, it's important for anybody that is now uninsured or inadequately insured to choose health insurance coverage that suits both temporary and long-range cost/coverage goals. Here's what to think about:
Rank your overall health care requirements
Usually, the majority of cheap insurance plans should be avoided since they are simply not effective in terms of costs, in the event that you suffer an illness or injury. To find the most effective insurance policy think back to a recent time when you had health coverage: Now, during that time when you were insured, how often did you actually go to the doctor? If you only went a few times, or less, a year, and mostly for preventative care, you're at the "least risky" end of the spectrum and can likely find a policy that is relatively inexpensive while providing decent coverage. Currently, the Affordable Care Act makes precautionary visits and tests free to all Americans, so these will be included in any plan you purchase. Thus, choosing a midrange insurance plan that has a small (ten to twenty-five dollar) copayment for the first couple of appointments should probably suit your needs, while keeping you from shelling out a lot out of your own cash on top of your own premium ranges.
What's your health like now?
Among the first details you should look at in advance of paying for any personal medical care insurance coverage package is the existing condition of your health and wellbeing. This is relevant for a couple of reasons: Primarily, even though the Affordable Care Act keeps insurance firms from canceling a policy as a result of a pre-existing illness/injury, this doesn't go into effective for until 2014. Also, you need to be honest about your health with any potential insurer, so you might as well start by being honest with yourself. Lastly, it is crucial that you review your overall health and take steps to improve it, if you can, before applying for insurance, in order to save money. If you happen to smoke cigarettes, try to stop. If you're even slightly overweight, think about getting a few extra minutes of exercise per day to demonstrate you've got a healthy lifestyle. Insurers look at the details of your current health, but the policies the policies that are the most cost-effective are reserved for people with healthy lifestyles.
Don't choose your health coverage based solely on the cost of the premium
There are alternatives to purchasing health insurance. For those living at or below poverty-level, most states, counties and large cities offer no-cost health care. To find out whether you qualify, or to find what options are available in your area, visit your state's official website, or the federal health insurance site: http://www.Healthcare.gov.
If you're not eligible for free coverage, you'll have to decide what type of insurance you want to purchase. Most insurance company websites offer standard policies that range in price from $90-$500 per month. But don't be enticed to automatically purchase the cheapest plan you see. That is because low premiums lead to higher prices for visits, tests, medications, and other procedures-in other words, things you can't avoid paying. This is how your, "Wow! What a deal!" low-cost insurance can end up costing you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars a year.
Find coverage that suits your needs
The very best health coverage will be the one that: (1) matches your current healthcare needs, and (2) allows room for changes to your health status (particularly in case of unexpected illness or injury). Consider what your needs are now, as well as some more predictable medical needs? For example, do you require access to prescribed medication? Are you pregnant, or soon plan to be?
Healthcare policy options that tend to be most effective include packages that offer a little of everything. This includes visits to the doctor, out-of-area treatments, a hospital stay, emergency situations, medications, maternal treatment, and testing.
Consider a Health Savings Account (HSA) to help you afford insurance
More and more employers as well as health insurers are offering plans that have low premiums but high deductibles. For some who make too much money to qualify for free state and local health care, a low-cost premium may be your only option. Plans that have low premiums (usually less than $90/month), come with large deductibles. If you choose a plan with a deductible of $1,200 or higher, you're eligible to get an accompanying Health Savings Account. By choosing a plan with an accompanying savings plan, you're essentially putting money aside to pay for your own future care, should the need arise. The good news is that HSA's are tax deductible. That's because most people with HAS's have money deducted directly from their pretax income, and placed into the account. Thus, in the event that you must choose a low-premium insurance option, finding one with a connected savings account is an excellent solution.
Try These Amazing Aromatherapy Home Remedies for Arthritis Pain
My friend Celeste was paying a fortune for her arthritis pain medication when she learned about essential oils. Her first introduction was from a network marketing consultant who gave her a tiny roll-on bottle of a very expensive blend. It worked well, but on her fixed income, she couldn't afford to use it regularly. She knew of my experience with essential oils, so she called.
I was able to get her the pain relief she needed for about one-third the price of the expensive network marketing blend with absolutely no loss in quality or effectiveness. If anything, according to Celeste, my more affordable oil blends work better for her.
She learned that there are many essential oils that help with arthritis pain and inflammation-both single oils and there are blends. Some are spicy and hot bringing circulation to sore areas for warmth and healing. Others are cooling and calming for taking down inflammation. And there are oils that practically work miracles for taking the pain away.
I told her that while blends of oils are typically a bit more expensive than single oils, they're a more affordable route for her because purchasing a lot of single oils at once and using them separately or blending them might be just too expensive for her all at once. Blends have highly targeted and very expensive ingredients that make all the difference in effectiveness. And you don't have to buy a whole bottle of the expensive oil to get the amazing effect of that single costly ingredient. In essential oils, less is often more.
Blends can target one specific use or combine the benefits of all the features you want. A pain blend, for example, contains the emergency analgesic oils that take the pain down instantly-oils like birch, peppermint, and clove. The anti-inflammatory blend may not act as quickly but it works deeper for more long-lasting results. Anti-inflammatory ingredients might include myrrh, helichrysum, eucalyptus, fir, lemongrass, spruce, and wintergreen. Other more expensive trace ingredients may be part of the recipe.
You can, of course, purchase single oils and create your own blends. A pain blend might use equal parts of helichrysum, birch or wintergreen, peppermint and clove. An anti-inflammation blend might use triple the amount of helichrysum in the pain blend then add equal amounts of black pepper, juniper, hyssop, eucalyptus, lemongrass, myrrh, or spruce. You don't have to use them all. Just pick four or five.
Here's how you'll use rotate between these two types of blends. For intense, urgent pain, use the fast-acting pain blend first. On a small area, apply a drop neat (undiluted) and gently spread it around. For a larger area, mix ten drops in about a teaspoon of mixing oil and gently massage the area.
An exceptionally strong anti-inflammation is like a burning fire. Even the mildest oils can sometimes be too strong. If too much is used, they can actually add to the inflammation. Calm them with a mixing oil or a cool damp compress.
If you find that the oils are too hot for you, use this method with the anti-inflammation blend to cool and calm. Create a suspension of your anti-inflammation blend in cold water-4 to 5 drops to 1/4 cup of water. Shake the mixture well and soak a piece of gauze or flannel to create a compress. Apply cling film over it to keep the aromatic moisture in contact with the skin. Apply an ice pack to enhance its cooling effect.
Apart from the times of extreme pain, try to keep the inflammation under control by applying the stronger pain blend in the morning and then turn to a soothing anti-inflammatory blend in the afternoon, in the evening, and before bed.
Celeste writes that she can't make it through the day without her two blends. She has a regular shipment going out to her well ahead of the urgent need. The other thing she reports is that over time with the restorative nature of the therapeutic essential oils, the pain seems to be easing overall.
How to Control High Blood Pressure - 5 Tips
The force with which the blood flows in your arteries is called blood pressure. A normal blood pressure is around 120/80 mmHg. If you have a cardiac problem, the force may get stronger and the blood will flow with more pressure in your veins. As a result, the higher pressure puts more stress on your heart and veins. This may cause damage to your heart. In severe cases, patients suffer from a heart attack because of high blood pressure. Therefore, it's important that you control your blood pressure with the following home remedies.
Get moving
It's a good idea to exercise for at least 30 minutes in the morning on a regular basis. This can bring the reading down by up to 9 mmHg. However, you should keep in mind that you should take a slow start and then keep on picking up the pace as well as the frequency of your workouts.
If you don't want to join a gym, you can go for a swim, jog or a hike. Actually, what you need to do is get moving. Aside from this, you can give a go to doing pushups, and lifting weights.
Change your diet
If you follow a good diet, you can reduce your blood pressure by up to 14mmHg. Ideally, your diet should include whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Apart from this, you may want to try fish, nuts, lean meats and dairy products that are low in fat. The food that you should eliminate from your diet should be fatty meats, fatty dairy products and products that are high in fat. It's also a good idea to avoid sweetened beverages like fruit punch and soda.
Use less salt
You may want to use salt sparingly to keep your blood pressure normal. When you use too much salt, your body retains liquid. As a result, your BP goes up. According to doctors, you should not take more than 1.4 grams of salt per day. In other words, the maximum amount of salt you can take is half a teaspoon in 24 hours. As an alternative to salt, you can use herbs and spices.
Control your weight
Your weight has a significant impact on your blood pressure. So, if you are overweight, losing even a few pounds like 4 kg can help a lot. Therefore, we suggest that you keep an eye on your waistline. Ideally, if you are a man, your waist should not measure more than 40 inches. On the other hand, the maximum allowance for women is 35 inches.
Lower your stress level
Since this is a fast-paced world, it is difficult to slow down and unwind for a while. Stress is a result of the never-ending daily chores. So, it's important that you get some time off and reduce your stress. As a matter of fact, stress raises your blood pressure putting you at a higher risk of heart attacks.
So, if you have been looking for natural ways to keep your blood pressure normal, we suggest that you follow the methods given in this article.