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	<title>Georgia Insurance Options &#187; Georgia Insurance Trends</title>
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		<title>Which Aetna Coverage is Right for Me?</title>
		<link>http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/05/aetna-coverage/</link>
		<comments>http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/05/aetna-coverage/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2009 22:55:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nperry</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Aetna coverage is hot, hot, hot - the affordable rates and great benefits are making it very attractive to first-time insurance buyers these days. But is Aetna coverage right for you? Georgia Insurance Options has the answer<p><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/05/aetna-coverage/">Which Aetna Coverage is Right for Me?</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com">Georgia Insurance Options</a></p>



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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/free-quote/"><img class="size-full wp-image-478 aligncenter" title="Aetna Coverage" src="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/aetna-coverage-quote.jpg" alt="Aetna Coverage" width="516" height="92" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Aetna coverage is a hot commodity right now, and with good reason &#8211; Aetna coverage is among the most affordable types of health insurance available in Georgia today. There are several different types of Aetna coverage, so let’s have a look at what’s on the market.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Aetna Coverage Option One: Managed Choice Open Access &amp; PPO First Dollar 30</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The first thing you’ll notice about Aetna coverage is that the plans have frightfully long names.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Managed Choice Open Access &amp; PPO First Dollar 30 plans are the top of the line when it comes to Aetna coverage. There’s no deductible on these plans &#8211; instead, with this Aetna coverage option, you’ll pay 30% of your bills until $7500 comes out of your pocket. After that point, you’ll pay nothing and your Aetna coverage will pay 100%. Office visits are handled by a $30 copay ($40 for specialists). Visits to an urgent care center will run $50 under this Aetna coverage plan, and visits to the ER will cost you $300 flat-fee (unless you’re admitted, in which case this Aetna coverage waives the $300 and goes back to charging you 30% until you’ve reached your annual $7500 out-of-pocket limit). </span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Prescription drugs are subject to a $500 deductible. Generics are a $15 copay (deductible waived), so only preferred drugs ($40 copay) and non-preferred drugs ($60 copay) are subject to the deductible with this Aetna coverage.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Verdict: This Aetna coverage is pretty magnificent, but it carries a magnificent price tag, too. If you want to spend this much on your health insurance, why not limit your out-of-pocket exposure a little more and get a <strong><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/04/uhc-insurance-plan/">Copay Select</a></strong> plan with Golden Rule?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Aetna Coverage Option Two: Managed Choice Open Access &amp; PPO First Dollar 40</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>This Aetna coverage is essentially the same as the first, with the following modifications</span></p>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span>This Aetna coverage pays 40% of your bills, not 30%</span></li>
<li><span>The maximum out-of-pocket is $12,500, not $7500</span></li>
<li><span>Office visit copays are each increased by $10</span></li>
<li><span>Brand name drugs are not covered</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Verdict: The lack of prescription benefits with this Aetna coverage really kills it. As always, I never recommend a plan with less than full prescription benefits.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Aetna Coverage Option Three: Managed Choice Open Access &amp; PPO 1500</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>This Aetna coverage is more in line with what most people think of when they think “health insurance.” Here, we’ve got a $1500 deductible &#8211; once that’s met, this Aetna coverage will pay 80% of your bills and you’ll pay 20% until an additional $1500 comes out of your pocket. At that point, your Aetna coverage will pay 100% of your bills.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Office visits with this Aetna coverage are handled by a $25 copay ($35 for specialists). Generic prescriptions cost $15 without meeting any deductible. After a $250 prescription deductible, preferred drugs cost $35 and non-preferred cost $50. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Verdict: This Aetna coverage is just about top-of-the-line and carries Aetna’s trademark affordability. This is an excellent option.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Aetna Coverage Option Four: Managed Choice Open Access &amp; PPO 2500</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>This Aetna coverage is the same as the PPO 1500 with the following modifications:</span></p>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span>There’s a $2500 deductible, then 20% coinsurance to an additional $2500 out-of-pocket (our previous Aetna coverage had $1500, 20%, and $1500)</span></li>
<li><span>Office visit copays are $30 ($40 for specialists)</span></li>
<li><span>Prescription drugs are handled in the same style, but this Aetna coverage carries a $500 prescription deductible instead of $250.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Verdict: A more affordable version of the 1500 Aetna coverage without any significant holes. Again, an excellent option.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Aetna Coverage Option Five: Managed Choice Open Access &amp; PPO 3500</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Again, this Aetna coverage is the same as the PPO 1500 and 2500 with the following modifications:</span></p>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span>There’s a $3500 deductible, then 20% coinsurance, then a $6500 out-of-pocket limit, making the total liability for this plan $10,000</span></li>
<li><span>Office visit copays are $35 ($45 for specialists). </span></li>
<li><span>Prescription drugs are handled in the same way as with the PPO 2500 Aetna coverage.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Verdict: This Aetna coverage includes a $6500 out-of-pocket limit, making the total liability on this plan a little too high. The price difference between this Aetna coverage and the PPO 2500 is not large enough to justify the difference in liability.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Aetna Coverage Option Six: Managed Choice Open Access &amp; PPO 5000</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Once again, we have a plan that works the same as our previous few options with a couple of modifications:</span></p>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span>This plan has a $5000 deductible, 20% coinsurance, and then a $5000 out-of-pocket limit. This means that the total liability is the same as with the PPO 3500 option, but the deductible is larger.</span></li>
<li><span>Office visits are handled with a $40 copay ($50 specialist).</span></li>
<li><span>Prescription drugs have a $500 deductible and work the same as our last two Aetna coverage options.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Verdict: If your budget restricts you to this or the PPO 3500, the 3500 will give you greater flexibility and value. However, it’s very much worth the slight price increase to move up to the PPO 2500 and cut your liability in half.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Aetna Coverage Option Seven: Managed Choice Open Access &amp; PPO Value 2000</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>This Aetna coverage option has the word “Value” in the name, which loyal readers of Georgia Insurance Options will know is code for “watch out &#8211; limited benefits ahead.” However, Aetna breaks the mold a bit by offering a robust coverage option and only limiting unnecessary benefits.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Here, you’ll have a $2000 deductible. Once you meet that, you’ll pay 30% of your bills until an additional $2000 comes out of your pocket. At that point, your Aetna coverage will pay 100%. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>You’ve got six office visits per year covered by a copay ($40, or $50 for specialists). Specialist and non-specialists share those six visits under this Aetna coverage option, so budget those visits wisely.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Generic prescriptions are again a $15 copay, and the deductible is waived. Other prescriptions, however, are subject to a $200 prescription deductible with this Aetna coverage option. After that’s met, you’ll pay a $25 copay for preferred drugs and a $40 copay for non-preferred drugs. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Verdict: Extremely affordable with low liability means this Aetna coverage option is a great choice for just about anyone. The only people I wouldn’t recommend this plan to are parents with very young children &#8211; those six visits will dry up quickly with them.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Aetna Coverage Option Eight: Managed Choice Open Access &amp; PPO Value 5000</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Not to sound like a broken record, but this Aetna coverage option is the same as the previous plan with the following modifications:</span></p>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span>You’ll have a $5000 deductible, then 30% coinsurance to an additional $5000 out-of-pocket.</span></li>
<li><span>The prescription deductible is $500, not $200. </span></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Aside from that, this Aetna coverage option is identical to the previous plan.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Verdict: This Aetna coverage option is decent if you’re on a budget, but the Value 2000 is far superior and the prices aren’t that far apart. I suggest looking at the Value 2000 Aetna coverage option more closely if you’re considering the Value 5000 plan.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Aetna Coverage Option Nine: Managed Choice Open Access &amp; Value 10000</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This Aetna coverage option is flat-out <em>bad</em>. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">First, you’ve got a $10,000 deductible. Once you meet that, you’ll pay 30% of your bills until you pay an additional $2500 out of pocket for a total liability of $12,500.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">You’ve got two office visits per year covered by a $30 copay. After that, under this Aetna coverage option your office visits begin falling to your deductible.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Generic drugs under this Aetna coverage option cost $20, no deductible. After a $500 deductible you can get preferred drugs for $40, but non-preferred drugs aren’t covered. On top of that, there is a maximum prescription benefit of $5000 per year for prescription drugs &#8211; meaning if you’re on $8,000 a round outpatient cancer treatment drugs, you’ll be out of pocket for everything after the first round.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As a final straw, this Aetna coverage option has a $1,000,000 lifetime maximum benefit. Seems like a lot until you realize that the standard is usually $5,000,000 and some plans in Georgia go up as high as $25,000,000</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Verdict: This Aetna coverage option is bad, bad, bad. However, admittedly, it’s the cheapest health insurance plan in the state of Georgia. If you absolutely, positively <em>cannot</em> afford anything else, then this Aetna coverage option is technically better than nothing.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Aetna Coverage Option Ten: Managed Choice And Open Access Preventative and Hospital Care 1250</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This one’s no good either.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">First, you’ll have a $1250 deductible with this Aetna coverage option. After you meet that, you’ll pay 20% until an additional $3000 comes out of pocket. At that point, you’ll be covered at 100%.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Office visits are not covered expenses, meaning that with this Aetna coverage option you’ll not only pay for the entire bill for your doctor’s visits, but that amount won’t apply to your deductible and you won’t get network repricing. Horrible!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Labs and X-Rays aren’t covered either. Neither is physical therapy or durable medical equipment (like wheelchairs, crutches, etc.). Again, “not covered” means you’ll not only pay for them, but the cost won’t apply to your deductible with this Aetna coverage.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Preventative care under this Aetna coverage is handled well, giving you unlimited visits at $25 a pop &#8211; but who goes for preventative checks more than once or twice a year?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Finally, you’ll get your generic drugs at $15 each, but brand-name drugs are not covered. That’s the final nail in the coffin of this Aetna coverage.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Verdict: I sat here for ten minutes trying to think of a reason why you should buy this Aetna coverage, and I didn’t come up with a single one. A resounding “NO.”</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Aetna Coverage Option Eleven: Managed Choice Open Access and PPO Preventative &amp; Hospital Care 3000</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Somehow, worse than the 1250 Aetna coverage.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This Aetna coverage is probably the single most offensively awful thing I’ve ever come across. You’ve got a $3000 deductible, 20% coinsurance, and then another $2000 out of pocket. Then your Aetna coverage kicks in and pays 100% of your bills.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Again, office visits aren’t covered. Labs and X-Rays aren’t covered. Physical therapy isn’t covered. Durable medical equipment isn’t covered.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Under this Aetna coverage, you don’t even get the $15 generics &#8211; there is simply zero prescription drug coverage.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Verdict: I wouldn’t wish this one on my worst enemy. This Aetna coverage option is the absolute, bottom-of-the-barrel <em>worst</em> health insurance plan offered by any major insurance company in Georgia. It is absolutely, positively <em>unthinkable</em> that there would <em>ever</em> be a situation in which this Aetna coverage option was the right choice for you.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Aetna Coverage Option Twelve: Managed Choice Open Access &amp; PPO High Deductible 3000</strong> <strong>(HSA Compatible)</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The last two Aetna coverage options are very good and very simple. This Aetna coverage has a $3000 deductible &#8211; costs before it come out of pocket, costs after are paid 100% by Aetna. That’s it &#8211; doctor’s visits, hospitalizations, prescription drugs, everything. Once you’ve paid $3000, you’re done for the year and your Aetna coverage will pick up the rest. This is an extremely simple HSA style plan with very few moving parts and an integrated prescription deductible.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Verdict: While this Aetna coverage option is great, it doesn’t offer any advantages over the <strong><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/04/humana-plan/">Humana Autograph Total Rx</a></strong> series of plans. These two often run neck-and-neck as far as pricing goes, so comparison shop. However, as we’ll see in a moment, even if the <strong><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/04/humana-plan/">Humana</a></strong> plan comes out to be $30 a month more expensive I’d probably recommend it over the comparable Aetna coverage.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Aetna Coverage Option Thirteen: Managed Choice Open Access &amp; PPO High Deductible 5000 (HSA Compatible)</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>This plan is functionally identical to the previous plan &#8211; the only difference is that the deductible is $5000 instead of $3000. This, of course, makes the plan slightly more affordable while trading off some of the risk. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The Verdict: My feelings about this Aetna coverage are the same as they are about its $3000 sister. Compare closely against <strong><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/04/humana-plan/">Humana</a></strong> to see which one works better for you.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span><strong>Special Considerations</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>There are a couple of things to consider when you’re looking at an Aetna coverage option. Although the plans are some of the most affordable in the state, Aetna has a reputation for being somewhat difficult to deal with on the billing side. Aetna coverage comes with Aetna bureaucracy, which means increased headaches when it comes to getting bills paid and rates negotiated.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Aetna also has a nasty habit of raising their rates multiple times in the second year of coverage, turning a very affordable Aetna coverage plan into an overpriced bank-drainer. In contrast, <strong><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/04/humana-plan/">Humana</a></strong> and <strong><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/04/uhc-insurance-plan/">Golden Rule</a></strong> will raise their rates once a year at most, and <strong><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/04/assurant-insurance/">Assurant</a></strong> will allow you to lock in your rate for up to three years on some plans.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>There’s also no option to add maternity to your Aetna coverage, so if you’re planning a family then this isn’t the company for you.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>On the positive side, Aetna’s dental coverage is widely regarded as some of the best in the business. It’s accepted across a large range of practitioners and geographic areas and is a very affordable form of dental coverage, too. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The final verdict on Aetna coverage in general: The plans are affordable (for the first year), but you’ve got to be very careful which one you pick. You could either get awesome Aetna coverage, or be stuck with one of the worst plans in the state &#8211; there’s very little middle ground when it comes to Aetna coverage. The company also has a slightly spotted reputation, but it’s still a first-tier carrier and that means it’s miles above no-names like Imerica and World.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>In short, Aetna coverage is a good budget option, but probably shouldn’t ever be your first choice. Always compare these plans closely with offerings from Humana and Golden Rule before making your final decision.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Now that you’ve learned more about Aetna coverage than you probably ever wanted to know, it’s time to find out how much it costs! Head on over to our <strong><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/free-quote/">free Georgia insurance quote</a></strong> page to get your instant, personalized proposal now!</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/05/aetna-coverage/">Which Aetna Coverage is Right for Me?</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com">Georgia Insurance Options</a></p>
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		<title>Health Insurance and Health Care &#8211; The Difference</title>
		<link>http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/03/health-insurance-health-care-the-difference/</link>
		<comments>http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/03/health-insurance-health-care-the-difference/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:57:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nperry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[What's making health care the hottest issue in Washington today (behind the bailouts, of course)? Simple - confusion. There's a lot of misinformation out there right now about the difference between health insurance and health care, and here at Georgia Insurance Options we wanted to do what we can to clear things up. Read on to find out why this debate might not be about what you think!<p><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/03/health-insurance-health-care-the-difference/">Health Insurance and Health Care &#8211; The Difference</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com">Georgia Insurance Options</a></p>



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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here at Georgia Insurance Options, we&#8217;ve been hearing this question a lot lately:</p>
<p>&#8220;Is health care the same as health insurance?&#8221;</p>
<p>This question is making health care the hot-button issue these days, and it&#8217;s also making health care the most misunderstood thing around. There&#8217;s a major difference between the two, and we&#8217;re going to take a short look at what makes health care the target of so much attention in Washington today.</p>
<p>The short answer: health insurance is what pays for heath care. Health insurance, held by individuals or groups, is a system into which the policy holder pays so that when a medical problem arises there&#8217;s someone to pay the comparably larger bill, making health care the recipient of health insurance dollars and provider of medical care.</p>
<p>Now, a lot of people lately are mixing up universal health care and universal health insurance &#8211; but these are two vastly different things. Universal health insurance refers to a system in which absolutely everyone would be able to get health insurance on a guaranteed-issue basis, regardless of pre-existing conditions. The result of this is that costs would rise for insurance companies (because those insurance will have to pay the medical bills of less healthy people, and with health care the prices for treatment are obviously higher for the more critically ill) and that premiums would rise across the board for insured persons.</p>
<p>Universal health <em>care</em> refers to extending health care coverage to everyone, making health care the step-brother of health insurance in a way. Universal health care is related to universal health insurance, but that doesn&#8217;t make health care the same as health insurance by any stretch.</p>
<p>Here at Georgia Insurance Options, we strive to bring impartial views on industry trends and to correct misconceptions such as this without bias. While I publicly neither support nor decry universal health insurance or universal health care, I realize that our current political climate has made health care the issue on everyone&#8217;s mind. I hope that this short article has made this issue somewhat more understandable and has answered the question that we set out to address: &#8220;Is health care the same as health insurance?&#8221; While they&#8217;re related, and are becoming more and more intertwined at the governmental level, for now we still have a private system, making health care the realm of the doctors  and insurance the realm of the agents and insurers.</p>
<p>If you have any questions or concerns about this article, or you just want some help making health care the topic of your next talk with your agent, please feel free to contact me. And, since you&#8217;re here already, why not make saving on health insurance a priority like you&#8217;ve made learning about health care the focus of the past few minutes? You can get a <strong><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/free-quote/">free, personalized insurance quote</a></strong> right here at Georgia Insurance Options &#8211; we&#8217;re still in a private health insurance system, why not save a little money?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/03/health-insurance-health-care-the-difference/">Health Insurance and Health Care &#8211; The Difference</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com">Georgia Insurance Options</a></p>
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		<title>Reader&#8217;s Choice: Top Ten Health and Life Insurance Questions</title>
		<link>http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/03/top-ten-insurance/</link>
		<comments>http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/03/top-ten-insurance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:11:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nperry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Georgia Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Georgia Insurance Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Georgia Life Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Affordable Georgia Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FAQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Georgia Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Georgia Insurance Agent]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[You the readers of Georgia Insurance Options have been asking some awesome questions lately, and I wanted to share them with everyone. Here are the top ten most frequently asked questions I get, covering everything from COBRA to maternity coverage to term life coverage!


We make no secret of the fact that Georgia insurance can be tricky, but when it comes to Georgia health insurance and Georgia life insurance, we're the experts. It's our job to make Georgia insurance as easy to understand as possible for you - so never hesitate to ask! You might just inspire the next Georgia Insurance Options article!<p><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/03/top-ten-insurance/">Reader&#8217;s Choice: Top Ten Health and Life Insurance Questions</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com">Georgia Insurance Options</a></p>



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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">Instead of the normal articles about the industry and how health insurance in general works, today we&#8217;re going to focus on you. Since this website has been launched, I&#8217;ve been asked a ton of questions by you guys about how health insurance works. So today, we&#8217;re going to take a look at the top ten health insurance questions as asked by you, our readers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>1. Should you buy health insurance from an agent, or directly from the company?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This one&#8217;s easy: use an independent health insurance agent. The rates are the same since they&#8217;re set by law, and agents don&#8217;t charge any sort of &#8220;broker&#8217;s fees&#8221; or anything to use their service. Agents tend to know a lot more about your options than your average call center employee, and they&#8217;ll work with you for the life of your policy.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>2. What are the top five health insurance companies in Georgia?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Based on my personal experiences (level of client service, ease of application, claims payment record, etc.), I&#8217;d say that the top five individual health insurance companies in Georgia are:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Golden Rule (the individual division of United Health Care)</li>
<li>Humana</li>
<li>Assurant</li>
<li>Aetna</li>
<li>Kaiser Permanente</li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Each company has its quirks, of course &#8211; Golden Rule is great if you&#8217;re in perfect health, but they love to issue riders. Assurant is more expensive, but they are more lenient in their underwriting. Aetna will decline anyone with three prescriptions. Humana doesn&#8217;t offer maternity benefits, and Kaiser requires you to stay within Kaiser facilities with most of their plans. Every company is different.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>3. Can I still get COBRA if I was fired?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In most cases, yes. There is a provision in the COBRA law that says you are ineligible for COBRA if you were &#8220;terminated for gross misconduct,&#8221; but that has never been tested in court. Generally, if you leave a company (either voluntarily or involuntarily) and that company stays in business and keeps the group plan that you were on in force, you can get COBRA.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>4. Is there such a thing as emergency maternity coverage?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">No. If you&#8217;re already pregnant, no major medical insurer will issue a policy to you. Now, there are some guaranteed issue policies that will cover you, but you must be extremely careful with those &#8211; oftentimes, you&#8217;ll either end up paying more for the policy than you would for the pregnancy, or you&#8217;ll get stuck with a bill that the insurer will weasel out of. Never purchase a policy like that without consulting with an agent, preferably an independent agent who can compare it with true major medical plans.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>5. How do I get my pre-existing conditions covered with an individual health insurance policy?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br />
</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Depending on the condition, it&#8217;s possible that you can just apply for coverage and have it covered. Things like high blood pressure, cholesterol, and most allergies aren&#8217;t generally excluded from coverage under individual health insurance policies (however, the rates to cover these conditions may be higher). If you have a more serious condition, like diabetes or Crohn&#8217;s Disease, your options are more limited. In Georgia, there&#8217;s no state risk pool, so if you&#8217;re above the income level for Medicaid then you&#8217;re not eligible for state assistance. Your best bet is to find employment with benefits, or, if you&#8217;re self employed, talk with an agent about going on a small group plan. That&#8217;s a tricky option, but it can be done. There are some guaranteed issue plans in Georgia that will cover pre-existing conditions, but like with question four, you must be <em>extremely</em> careful with those. You can wind up losing a lot of money if you&#8217;re not. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>6. What does maternity insurance cover?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Maternity insurance covers the costs associated with a normal pregnancy. Depending on how your specific maternity benefits are structured, you may either have a set amount of money to apply to maternity costs or your maternity costs may apply to a separate deductible. It&#8217;s worth noting that true emergency c-sections are covered by your normal health insurance plan.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>7. What do I do when my COBRA runs out?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">When your COBRA eligibility runs out, you can do one of two things. You can either purchase an individual policy, or you can elect to use a HIPAA conversion option. With HIPAA conversion, the health insurance company that administered your COBRA plan will switch you over to an individual plan, and you can&#8217;t be turned down for coverage. HIPAA conversions aren&#8217;t available until you have used up your entire COBRA eligibility period.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>8. How does my deductible work?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Your deductible is the amount of money in medical costs you&#8217;ll be responsible for before your insurance company starts picking up part of the bill. If you have a copay plan, your copays generally will not apply to the deductible. Once you meet your deductible, then (depending on your plan) your insurance company will either pay 100% of the rest of your bills, or you&#8217;ll pay a small percentage until you reach your out-of-pocket limit. That small percentage is usually 20%, but some plans do increase that amount.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>9. How did the new stimulus package change COBRA?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br />
</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Previously, if you wanted to go on COBRA then you had to pay 102% of your health insurance premiums. That came as a shock to many people who went on COBRA, because they were used to paying only a portion of the full premium while their employer picked up the rest of the tab. Now, for the first nine months of COBRA eligibility, you&#8217;ll only pay 35% of your premiums and your former employer will pick up the other 65% (they&#8217;ll be reimbursed in the form of a payroll tax credit). At the end of those nine months, things go back to the way they used to be and you&#8217;ll start paying 102%.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>10. What&#8217;s the best life insurance option for me?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Most people are best served with simple term life insurance. Get a policy that&#8217;s guaranteed renewable so that you never have to worry about being uninsurable, a face value that will provide for your loved ones (don&#8217;t forget to pay off debt <em>and</em> account for lost income when you&#8217;re figuring out how much you should get), and discuss the various riders available with your agent. In my humble opinion, variable life, universal life, and whole life are just not worth it for the vast majority of people. Term is simple, term is easy, and term is what you need. There are a ton of life insurance options out there, and with all the riders available you can really customize your term life insurance to fit your needs.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Bonus!</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>11. What does &#8220;no-stone-unturned&#8221; quote mean, anyway?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I get asked this one a lot, so I thought I&#8217;d toss it in there. I&#8217;m an independent agent, so when you come to me with a health or life insurance question I work with a bunch of different companies to make sure you&#8217;re getting the best deal on the market. Instead of just sticking you with an easy-to-issue policy, I leave no stone unturned to make sure that when I run a quote and write an application with you that I&#8217;m doing what&#8217;s in your best interest. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Did I miss any burning questions? Anything you&#8217;re absolutely dying to know? Then feel free to comment on this post, use the contact link at the top of the page to email me, or just call me up at 404-660-1020 and I&#8217;ll be happy to answer any questions you might have. Who knows, your question might make it into the next edition of this article! Or if this cleared up all of your questions and you&#8217;re ready to see how much you could be saving on your insurance, then head to our <strong><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/free-quote/">free insurance quote</a> </strong>page and get a no-obligation, personalized quote!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/03/top-ten-insurance/">Reader&#8217;s Choice: Top Ten Health and Life Insurance Questions</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com">Georgia Insurance Options</a></p>
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		<title>Georgia Insurance Options: Rate Watch January 2009</title>
		<link>http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/01/rate-watch-january-2009/</link>
		<comments>http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/01/rate-watch-january-2009/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:25:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nperry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Georgia Insurance Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Georgia Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Georgia Insurance Agent]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[I know this is a short post, but I just wanted to update everyone on a trend I&#8217;m looking at today.
As you know, when you have an independent insurance agent, you have access to all the health insurance companies that agent represents. And, as you know, this is the time of year when a lot of our policies are renewing, which also means a lot of our plans are seeing rate adjustments.
Unfortunately, the majority of the time those rate adjustments go upwards rather than downwards. It looks like this year ...<p><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/01/rate-watch-january-2009/">Georgia Insurance Options: Rate Watch January 2009</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com">Georgia Insurance Options</a></p>



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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">I know this is a short post, but I just wanted to update everyone on a trend I&#8217;m looking at today.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As you know, when you have an independent insurance agent, you have access to all the health insurance companies that agent represents. And, as you know, this is the time of year when a lot of our policies are renewing, which also means a lot of our plans are seeing rate adjustments.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately, the majority of the time those rate adjustments go upwards rather than downwards. It looks like this year won&#8217;t be any exception, especially with the way our economy is trending. Today, I&#8217;ve talked with several people who are reporting rate increases from Golden Rule and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, as well as less severe rate increases with Imerica and Assurant. My own research has borne this out &#8212; it looks like these companies are increasing rates across the board.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Keep in mind, this isn&#8217;t based on any official information from the insurance companies. This is just something I&#8217;m watching on my end, and I&#8217;m personally seeing a lot of higher premiums for the same coverage.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">That being said, major kudos to Humana. From what I can tell, Humana&#8217;s rates are holding steady with no sacrifice of benefits. I&#8217;m keeping an eye on this, and I&#8217;m going to spend some time this week calling current clients to make sure that they&#8217;re still satisfied with their coverage.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Rate hikes, especially when they come out of nowhere, can really disrupt your monthly budget. That&#8217;s why I always, <em>always</em> recommend a twelve-month rate guarantee to my new clients. Locking your rates in for the first year adds an element of predictability to your plan, which is a great deal for a product that exists to provide asset protection.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you want to evaluate your current plan against the shifting market to make sure that you&#8217;re still getting the best rate possible, check out our <strong><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/free-quote/">free Georgia insurance quote</a> </strong>page to get your free, personalized, no-stone-unturned quote. You never know how much you could be saving until you get your agent to research the market for you!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/01/rate-watch-january-2009/">Georgia Insurance Options: Rate Watch January 2009</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com">Georgia Insurance Options</a></p>
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		<title>The Unaffordable Health Insurance Myth</title>
		<link>http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/01/the-unaffordable-health-insurance-myth/</link>
		<comments>http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/01/the-unaffordable-health-insurance-myth/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:13:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nperry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Georgia Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Georgia Insurance Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Affordable Georgia Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Georgia Insurance Myths]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The costs associated with a health care emergency can be devastating, and you never know when one might strike. Even worse, the unforeseen onset of a health problem in our current medical system can leave you uninsurable for life, severely limiting your options for future coverage. 

Maybe it seems like going without health insurance will save you money by cutting a premium payment out of your monthly budget. But ask anyone who's been there: what you truly can't afford is to be without health coverage. In this article, we'll look at why health insurance is absolutely critical to protecting your assets and your loved ones and how you can find comprehensive Georgia insurance at an affordable price.<p><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/01/the-unaffordable-health-insurance-myth/">The Unaffordable Health Insurance Myth</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com">Georgia Insurance Options</a></p>



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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;"><!-- 	 	 --></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">&#8220;I can&#8217;t afford health insurance!&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I can&#8217;t tell you how many times I heard that when I used to work in a doctor&#8217;s office as an insurance benefits specialist. Know what else I can&#8217;t tell you? How many people walked out of our doors followed by phone calls, letters, and eventually collections agents and bankruptcy attorneys. What these people truly couldn&#8217;t afford was to <em>not</em> have health insurance.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The cost of health care can be astronomical. Accidents happen, critical illness strike, and they generally don&#8217;t have the manners to call a week ahead of time to let you know they&#8217;ll be visiting. Are you one of the people who says they don&#8217;t have health insurance because they can&#8217;t afford it &#8211; but hey, it&#8217;s not like you plan on getting sick anytime soon, right?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Stop reading this article right now. Get in your car, go to the nearest hospital emergency room, and ask how many people there were planning on getting sick. Ask how many of them were planning on having an accident that day. See the guy with the appendix that&#8217;s about to rupture? He&#8217;ll be getting a bill for over ten thousand dollars in the mail before too long. The kid in the corner who fell off of his bike and whose parents don&#8217;t have health insurance coverage? That broken arm is going to cost at least a hundred bucks to evaluate, plus another $175 per x-ray (and they&#8217;ll probably do two or three), plus casting fees (triple the cost if the doctor deems a waterproof cast necessary), plus follow-up visits (at least one, at at least $125), plus cast removal (another $150 or more), plus physical therapy if he needs it. The thirty-five year old guy who didn&#8217;t realize he had an almost complete arterial blockage until he had a heart attack &#8211; forget it. If he survives, he&#8217;s bankrupt. If he doesn&#8217;t make it, his family will be.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If your budget is truly so tight that you don&#8217;t think you can afford health insurance, then take a close look at where your money is going. Ask yourself this: what is going to truly ruin our family, an extra set, steady charge each month that we can plan and budget for, or a sudden crush of medical bills?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I can&#8217;t emphasize this enough. You should be looking to save money on the cost of your<em> health care</em>, not your <em>health insurance</em>. Sure, you can adjust your deductible and coinsurance levels. You can eliminate a copay from your plan, like we talked about in another article. But you simply cannot afford to go without health insurance &#8211; it&#8217;s a gamble, and it&#8217;s one that may work for a while, but it&#8217;ll get you in the end. The bottom line is this: no matter your situation, you <em>need</em> health insurance. If you&#8217;re self employed or own your own business, the costs of a medical emergency can cripple your financial infrastructure and run your business into the ground. If you have a family, you owe it to your children and your spouse to protect them from financial devastation. Even if it&#8217;s just you, modern day hero, a healthy young man or woman going it alone, bankruptcy can ground your dreams and take years to claw your way out of. You don&#8217;t go broke because you have a monthly premium to pay. You don&#8217;t go broke because you&#8217;ve factored a set, predictable monthly cost into your budget. If you go broke, it&#8217;s going to be because you got <em>slammed</em> with a hundred thousand dollar medical bill and don&#8217;t have insurance coverage that will pay for it.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The reason many people think they can&#8217;t afford insurance is because they think health insurance is an all-or-nothing proposition. Either you get the $750 a month policy that covers absolutely everything at no cost past premiums or it&#8217;s just not worth paying for. This simply isn&#8217;t the case. Now, don&#8217;t get me wrong; if you have room in your budget for the high-end policy and you, with the counsel of your local independent agent, decide that that&#8217;s the level of coverage you need, then that&#8217;s what you should buy. But for the vast majority of people, a policy that robust simply isn&#8217;t necessary. What&#8217;s the point of paying for coverage you simply don&#8217;t need? Think about it this way: what&#8217;s the point of buying a Hummer with Swarovski crystal rims and velvet airbags when all you want to do is drive to McDonalds?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The reality is, you <em>probably</em> don&#8217;t need a plan that has a $10 co-pay for all services with no deductible, no out-of-pocket cost, and 100% coverage. The reality is, you can probably get the coverage you need at a lower price than you think! Your local independent agent will know what plans offer the proper level of coverage while still bringing an affordable price to the table. The fact is, no matter what your budget, there&#8217;s a health plan out there that will work for you. Think about your car insurance. It covers you in the event of an accident, right? Do you have car insurance for that day you have an accident, or do you have car insurance to cover your oil changes, new wiper blades, air in the tires, and the occasional wash? Can you imagine how much more expensive your car insurance would be if it covered those things? Health insurance works the <em>same way!</em> Eliminate the benefits you don&#8217;t need, put the money you save on premiums away, improve your financial situation, enjoy the peace of mind that comes with comprehensive coverage, and everybody wins.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Save money on the cost of health care, not by eliminating health insurance from your budget. It&#8217;s a gamble that you, your business, and your loved ones will pay for when &#8211; not if &#8211; you lose. Georgia Insurance Options is 100% dedicated to getting you the coverage you need at the price you can afford, so when you&#8217;re ready to protect your family head on over to our <strong><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/free-quote/">free Georgia insurance quote</a></strong> page and get your personalized health insurance proposal today.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/01/the-unaffordable-health-insurance-myth/">The Unaffordable Health Insurance Myth</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com">Georgia Insurance Options</a></p>
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