Packed Insurance

If you have a chronic condition such as hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, or COPD, the potential expenses can be even higher. Taking out a policy on just yourself or your family, without the benefit of large group rates like employers get can be expensive. As a self-employed individual, healthcare insurance can seem like a huge, unbearable expense. That means not only do you pay more for insurance than your time clock-punching counterparts, but you also have to shoulder the expense of your condition on your own. Unfortunately, not only do certain conditions make your premiums higher, but can also be eliminated from coverage for the first year as a pre-existing condition.

Health insurance is something that everyone needs but no one really wants to deal with. It isn’t that they don’t want insurance but rather there is an over abundance of options. There are literally hundreds of health insurance providers out there who are ready to sell you thousands of different plans. It can be a challenge sifting through them all and finding the best insurance company and health care plan for you and your family. If you are trying to cut through the confusion and get the right coverage for you, here are a few tips for choosing a good health insurance company.

Unfortunately, those with chronic conditions are the people who often most need major medical coverage. The irony of needing insurance to cover a chronic condition but being unable to afford the expense due to no coverage for the first year because of a chronic condition is seldom lost on these individuals. In fact, it is this irony that motivates many to push for healthcare reform. For many self-employed people the fact that they must deal with pre-existing condition limitations for their hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, COPD, or similar chronic illnesses is reason enough to forego buying a health insurance policy. For others, the sheer cost of an individual policy is participation prohibitive.

This is evident by the number of prescription assistance programs available today that were unheard of just 10 or 15 years ago. While there are many programs and companies that offer assistance not only to self-employed sufferers of Crohn’s disease, COPD, hepatitis C, diabetes and other conditions, but also to other uninsured or underinsured households, there is still much to be done in terms of assistance. While many debate the validity of this type of reform or that, millions of chronic disease sufferers are left to pick up the pieces of their broken financial futures.

Combining healthcare savings with available discount prescription programs can lessen the burden of having no insurance or while waiting for the first year pre-existing condition limitations to pass. While no replacement for adequate health insurance coverage, these savings accounts can reduce a self-employed person’s tax liability while making funds available for routine medical care and treatment for their condition. Individuals may opt to set aside pre-tax income into these savings plans to help pay for medical care throughout the year. For the self-employed, healthcare savings accounts are a good option, especially when chronic conditions like diabetes, COPD, Crohn’s disease, or hepatitis C are a factor.

Sean L Johnson is a journalist for Health Insurance Buyer a referral service that connects consumers to the insurance carriers that can best fit their wants or special needs. click on link to obtain your free rate comparison from top Rated PPOs in your state for self employed