Short Term Insurance...the Most Affordable, Lesser Known Health Insurance

When this product first came out, many thought it would flop because it didn't have all the moving parts of a major medical policy.  Short Term health insurance is no joke.  If you have just been hired, just been fired or not even employed, this is a great policy to check out. 

When one gets hired, normally there is at least a 90 day waiting period before the benefits kick in and that can be an anxious 90 days.  You might find yourself walking on eggshells or at least thinking of them until that health insurance policy kicks in. You might drive a little safer and take a few less chances until you get that insurance policy in your hands... right. 

 Well now you have a policy that can fill the gap.  it's called a Short Term Medical Policy.  This is a great policy that is so cheap.  I'm talking less than a hundred bucks a month.  There are some short falls and I will cover that shortly but I want to emphasize keeping creditable coverage until getting full benefits from the bossman.

The other reason to have Short Term medical coverage, is when leaving that job.  I speak with so many folks who say the only reason they stay at a job is because of the benefits.  Well don't!  I've always followed my heart when it comes to work and if you are not happy with what you are doing your performance will show.  Now you can quit that sucky job and keep creditable coverage until you find another job.  Granted its not gonna be the same quality but again, it fills the gap. 

And you don't have to pay those ridiculous premiums of COBRA.  These are outrageous costs to anyone who has left an employer and needs to maintain coverage.  Well look no further your fairy godmother is here and she is in the form of Short Term medical coverage... haha.

I want you to picture starting up your own business.  Now keep in mind you are doing what you love and you feel motivated and passionately inspired by your work but now you have responsibility that you've never had to think of before and that's benefits for your company.  Well to start you'd only have to insure yourself and that can easily be a short term policy becasue we all know that starting a busines there won't be a whole lot of extra cash laying around.  Then once business picks up you can move onto an individual or group policy.

Now most Short term products do not carry co-pays or drug coverage, but there are built in features that discount those services and you still have the major medical aspect if there were a major event that required emergency care or hospitalization.  We can even combine coverages to coordinate policies that pay only co-pays and drug coverage. They are also considered short term because they do not normally cover more than 2 years.

Its not that hard determining your options as long as you have a dedicated insurance agent who can advise you on you benefits.  Short Term policies aren't new, but they have sure come up a lot in the past couple of years especially when considering today prices.  So pick up the phone, or shoot an email to your local agent.  You'll be glad you did.

Benefits of a Local Agent – How to Find Them and What to Ask

Choosing individual health insurance from a local independent health insurance agent allows you to settle a deal face to face. This human aspect of purchasing insurance is quickly depleting, but you can still make use of a personable agent who can literally sit down with you and find the coverage you need. There are a number of benefits of working with a local independent health insurance agent.

Filing an insurance claim when you have a local agent is much easier as well. Even though no one imagines they will need to file a claim, it’s always a possibility. With an agent on your side, you have someone to defend your rights instead of going up against the insurance company all on your own.

Insurance coverage can be expensive, and with a local agent, you can save money. Ironically, the opposite—that working with a local agent is more expensive—is often assumed. If you find the right agent, this assumption is absolutely false, especially when you consider the personal attention you receive to secure the perfect coverage.

How to find them

• A local independent insurance agent is what you will be seeking for the best insurance buying experience possible. Ask friends and family members who they have worked with on a local level and what their experience was like.
• Outside your social circle, you can conduct your own research online. Check out the Alpine Agency and what they have to offer in terms of individual health insurance, guaranteed issue health insurance, Medicare supplement plans, and life insurance. Getting started with a local agent here is easy.

What to ask

• Before you settle with one agent or another, inquire about their experience and training. If you get a negative feeling from anyone you talk to over the phone, continue your research until you find the perfect local agent for you.
• Along with assessing the agent’s credentials, you need to find out more about the coverage you can receive when choosing individual health insurance plans. Ask about your right to choose your own doctor or hospital, how specialist referrals work, what the exclusions are, specific benefits of one plan over another, and of course what the premiums, deductibles, and co-payments will be.

Health Insurers Need to Improve Customer Relationships to Compete

Nearly 50 percent of health customers are willing to pay more for quality customer service -- a factor U.S. health insurers need to address to effectively compete for new clients -- according to a new survey from Accenture.

Accenture conducted a survey of 1,000 insured individuals to assess the impact of customer service on consumer preferences and found that nearly 80 percent expect customer services to be easier, more convenient.

Read Full Story Here...

New Baby... Buy Insurance

You’ve just had your first baby boy. Or maybe it was a little girl. Either way, congratulations. You don’t need us to tell you that life is going to change, and change quickly. You’ve no doubt already become accustomed to the idea of sleepless nights, midnight feedings, dirty diapers, and all of that kind of stuff. But what you may not have thought about with the birth of your baby is term life insurance.

But, you should. After all, there’s someone depending on you and your income now. If you haven’t already scheduled an appointment with your insurance agent, do so. You’ll want to adjust the amount of your term life insurance. And if you don’t have any life insurance yet, you’ll want to invest in some immediately.

Think about it. That little guy is totally dependant on your income. If you were to die today, what would happen? Who would pay for:

• Diapers
• Food (18-20 some years’ worth of groceries is a lot)
• Health Insurance
• College Tuition

Of course, there are a lot more expenses that junior will have growing up, but our purpose here is just to get you thinking about it. Even if your spouse has an income as well, chances are that it won’t be enough to cover your child’s expenses. These days, the average in state tuition is almost $8,000. And if, by chance, your little guy grows up to be a scholar, Harvard and Yale are much, much more expensive.

We know, your little guy is probably going to get a football scholarship anyway. You can already see that killer instinct in his eyes when he screams and reaches for that rattle. But on the off chance that he might need a little help paying for college, you might want to consider putting aside some savings for him and investing in term life insurance, just in case the unthinkable happens.

And while you’re at it, consider taking out some life insurance on your baby. We know, no one wants to think about their baby dying, but in the unlikely event it happens, you definitely don’t want to worry about where the money for final expenses is coming from. Besides, buying life insurance on him now guarantees that he’ll be able to get life insurance himself later, even if he has health issues.

Health Insurance Gang

Here are the newest photos of the associates of the Alpine Agency. These were taken at Samos greek restaurant last week. They turned out pretty good. We should be using these to spice up our up and coming website.

Mt Pleasant Health Insurance

Here is Judy, Madeline, me, Julie and Crawford

Mt Pleasant Health Insurance

The image quality of this one didn't transfer too well.  It looks a lot better on our Facebook page.

Mt Pleasant Health Insurance

Same with this one.

Mt Pleasant Health Insurance

As you can see we color coordinated and we didn't even plan that.

Mt Pleasant Health Insurance

My lovely wife, my baby Zoe and myself.  She just happened to be there and I might use this as a bio on the website.

Mt Pleasant Health Insurance

The whole gang!

Check out all the photos in better quality at our Facebook page.  We should also be updating our website with these photos here.