Health Knocking

A few hundred years ago, countries around the world had a local herbalist providing medical help and aid when needed. Today, we have centralized medical facilities and teams of medical professionals to answer our medical care needs. Along with this marvelous industry and team of skilled workers, care and medication, we get a bill!

The medical profession is expensive to cover all costs for the medical care received during your visit. Every item that is dispensed for the care of the client is noted. These items can add up quickly especially with the use of highly technological medical instruments.

Assistance for people with their medical costs is made available with various medical insurance options. They are as follows;

– Private, purchased by individuals or families. Some or all costs are paid by the insurer.

– Group, medical insurance covering a group. Premiums are paid by the employee, the employer or both will pay. Premiums cost lower.

– Health Maintenance Organization, HMO, prepaid fees to cover health services. Billed either monthly or at intervals. HMO’s focus on prevention and maintenance of health as it costs less than treating illness.

– Preferred Provider Organization, PPO, made between a PPO and a company. Rates are reduced for employees of medical facility.

– Medicaid, sponsored by the Federal and state governments and vary state to state. People usually over 65, disabled or low income are usually eligible. No premiums to pay.

– Medicare, provided by the Social Security administration of the Federal government and available to people 64 and over. Disabled may be eligible. Benefits and regulations change often so is recommended to stay informed at your local Social Security office.

– 'Medical Savings account, MSA, held by a subscribing family and therefore leaves the "insurance" pool. The healthy family does not spend the entire amount deposited to the account. The fund balance remaining is "lost" to the health care system that therefore harms the less healthy'. http://benefitslink.com/articles/msa.html

– Diagnostic Related groups, DRG, legislated to reduce Medicaid and Medicare costs BEFORE a person is hospitalized. Hospitals keep monies if extra is left over after treatment or lose altogether if above the set amount.

The use of Alternative medicine and treatment is not accepted or may not even be negotiable with some health insurers as they don’t qualify covering for these services even if supported by the traditional modern hospital and medical professionals. People will be required to pay out-of-pocket for these services even if lower in cost. A need to bring this to the attention to local government may be in order to change this attitude.

Health reform may be in the works and best to stay up-to-date so we are not caught without insurance to pay for medical care when it's needed. Health insurance providers are numerous and I probably didn't mention all of them but the best practice is to shop around for the best deal for you and your loved ones. Read more --> here.

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Article(C)2011 Dame Scribe, all rights reserved. Dame Scribe creates articles and posts online. She creates articles on business skills & development, health, science, technology and society and has a strong passion for writing.