Thursday, January 27, 2011

Kentucky Health Insurance – Plans to Suit Your Needs

Health insurance companies offer various kinds of health insurance plans to suit the needs of individuals, families and employers in Kentucky. These include indemnity plans, HMOs and PPOs. Indemnity plans offer a greater choice of health care providers. You pay up front and the insurer pays its share when it receives the bill. A Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plan operates through a network of doctors, hospitals, other providers. You can choose one doctor as a primary care physician (PCP), who refers you to a HMO-approved specialist if needed. A Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan offers greater freedom to choose from a preferred provider network of health care providers. With a PPO, you do not need a referral from a PCP to see other providers in the network.

Choose from Various Affordable Kentucky Health Insurance Options

Leading health insurance companies offering comprehensive and affordable Kentucky health insurance include Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana One, United Health One and Aetna. The following is a brief overview of their options:

• Kentucky Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield’s
popular health insurance plans include Premier Plus, Lumenos HSA, and Smart Sense Plus. Premier Plus offers an unlimited number of doctor office visits with co-payment before the deductible and prescription drug coverage options. Lumenos HSA Plus is a health savings account with a tax advantage plan and offers preventive care services without deductibles or coinsurance. Smart Sense Plus covers essentials like office visits at low monthly rates and offers a choice of prescription drug coverage options.

Humana one’s HSA is an attractive plan for big families and comes with a high deductible and low premium. It covers doctor office visits and prescription drugs. Autograph Total and Portrait Share are among Humana One’s best-selling plans.

United Health One offers affordable individual and family HSA plans like Copay Select, HSA 100, Plan 100, Plan 80 and Saver 80. Saver 80 offers great coverage with a low deductible and is suitable for people in the 50-60 age groups who are looking for just hospital coverage.

Aetna’s Open Choice Plan has a low-priced option that allows you to see any network doctor without a referral. Another option allows you to visit even a specialist without a referral, though your out-of-pocket costs would be higher.

Rely on Professional Assistance


Most plans can be customized to suit your specific needs. To get information on the various health insurance options in Kentucky, contact a reliable insurance agent. You get expert assistance in comparing plan benefits and rates, instant personalized quotes and the facility to apply online.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Kentucky Medical Insurance – Make an Informed Decision

Leading insurance companies offer various kinds of Kentucky medical insurance plans. All health insurance in the state is monitored by the Kentucky Department of Insurance. The health insurance offered include indemnity and managed health care plans. The best way to buy a suitable plan is to look at the various options available, compare them, get quotes and apply online.

There is a greater choice of health care providers with indemnity plans. The insurance company fixes the amount that it will pay for medical services that you are provided. You have to pay up front and your health insurance company will pay their share of the cost on receiving the bill.

With managed care, the insurance company contracts with a network of doctors and hospitals to offer you services at fixed rates. You choose a suitable primary care physician who is responsible for your health care.

Make an Informed Decision

To make an informed decision on Kentucky medical insurance, consider the following:

  • Your priorities

  • Your medical condition

  • Future healthcare needs

  • Your budget

  • Services paid for by the plan

  • Your primary care physician and whether he is nearby

  • How much you have to pay as premium and other costs


To make an informed decision on health insurance, it is important to look at various kinds of plans. You need to select a plan that is within your budget and offers the maximum benefits for the amount you pay.

Seek Professional Assistance


Browsing the Internet takes you to the websites of various insurance companies offering different kinds of Kentucky medical insurance plans for individuals, families, businesses, students and much more. Looking at these plans and making the right choice can be quite confusing with professional help. You have to understand the various terms, guidelines on premiums, out-of-pocket costs, and more, compare plans and select a suitable one. An ideal way to go about all this is to get help from a reliable insurance agent. You can get free instant quotes from leading insurance companies from the websites of these agents. They can answer all your queries on Kentucky health insurance plans, help you choose one to suit your needs, and guide you through the whole application process.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Kentucky Medical Insurance – Understand your Options

Kentucky medical insurance fall under various categories such as family and individual insurance, group, short-term medical insurance, student health insurance, and Medicare. Understanding all these categories and the benefits they offer is the key to getting affordable health insurance.

Kentucky Medical Insurance – Various Categories

Individual: Individual Kentucky health insurance plans are for the self-employed, or those without employer-sponsored health insurance. Individual health insurance is underwritten. Medical insurance underwriting is a process through which medical insurance companies consider factors such as age, health status and history, occupation, hobbies, personal habits, and lifestyle to evaluate their risk in issuing the policy.

Group: With group health plans, the insurance company has to cover all qualified applicants. New employees may have to wait for health coverage.
Medical insurance company can refuse coverage for those with preexisting conditions only the first 12 months. By 2014, most employees will be able to buy individual policies at much lower prices than employer group coverage.

COBRA: If you lose your job, COBRA (The Congressional Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) ensures that you can stay on the employer-sponsored plans for a certain period.

Student medical insurance: Kentucky schools and colleges offer student medical insurance policies that usually cover x-rays, lab work and minor emergencies. School health center visits are free and many other services come
at low cost. Students need to check the extent of plan coverage and conditions.
New law permits children to stay on their parents’ medical insurance plan till
age 26, which could mean that fewer students may opt for student medical insurance.

Medicare: This is government-administered medical care available to
persons aged 65 and over. New reform aims to strengthen Medicare. Check with the Kentucky Department of Medicaid Services to understand eligibility criteria, plans and benefits.

High-risk pools: New reform ensures that Americans denied coverage because of a preexisting medical condition are covered in high-risk pools until 2014. After this, they will have access to coverage through health insurance exchanges. In KY, 45% of the total cost of plans purchased through the high-risk pool is paid by premiums.

Rely on Expert Assistance


Kentucky health insurance companies
offer different kinds of plans covering many categories. Getting a quote and applying for a policy is now a relatively easy process, though it is advisable to rely on professional help to understand your options and choose a suitable health insurance plan.