If you need to purchase private health insurance and you have a pre-existing medical condition, there are just two words for you – comparison shopping.
Pre-existing conditions are important in the process of underwriting insurance, as this is how an insurance company determines how much risk an individual poses. Each policy or group of policies can only accommodate so much risk. Too much risk, and there’s the possibility that too many claims could be filed that it would bankrupt the reserves for that policy. Lower risk means that premiums can be lower and the cost savings can be passed along to the customers. However, as someone who’s shopping for private insurance, expect to pay more overall for your policy.
If you’re shopping for private insurance and you have a pre-existing condition, you’ll find that some insurers will cover you and others won’t. Again, this depends primarily on the underwriting guidelines for each company and policy. An independent agent who represents a number of companies may have an easier time helping you find some options than an agent who works with a single company. You should plan to talk with several companies and agencies to find the best deal for you.
But first, a word of caution. You may be tempted to avoid telling a prospective insurer about any pre-existing conditions you have. This is a very bad idea. Lying on an insurance application is insurance fraud. Furthermore, if it’s determined that you lied on your insurance application, your coverage will be canceled and you may have to pay back any amounts that have been paid out on your behalf. When it comes to insurance applications, honest isn’t merely the best policy – it’s the only one you should follow.
If you have a pre-existing condition and you’re switching to private insurance from a plan you’ve had through work, obtain insurance as quickly as you can. If there’s no gap in your coverage, your pre-existing condition may be covered. You also have the option to extend the coverage you had through work under the COBRA program. This can be expensive – less so than it used to be – but may be a good choice for you until you can secure other insurance. And currently, if you were fired or laid off from your job, you may qualify for a government subsidy that will pay 65% of your COBRA premiums.
Unless a medical condition is an absolute bar to coverage, you may find a policy that will cover you for all conditions except the pre-existing condition, but will provide coverage for the pre-existing condition after a certain period of time has elapsed. If you find more than one such policy, compare them carefully to see which is the better deal.
In addition, if you have a pre-existing condition, you may have better luck finding private insurance if you belong to a group. The more insured people that the risk is spread across, the lower your premiums will be and the greater the likelihood that you may be accepted.
If you’ve worked with a number of agencies and insurance companies and haven’t been able to find any insurance coverage, you aren’t completely without options. Some companies offer discount plans that can get you reduced rates for doctor’s visits and medications when you choose providers within a specific network. Although this isn’t full insurance, it can mean a substantial savings over having to pay for these things out of your own pocket.
When you’re looking to travel to Brazil, you should know that although any vacation can be expensive, there are plenty of ways to have the vacation of your dreams while sticking with your budget. For example, Brazil has its own currency – the Real – so it’s important to make sure that you figure the actual costs of the things you buy in respect to the exchange value. Often, in Brazil, you’ll see a price, and not take the time to do the math to see how much it actually costs in US dollars – you’ll just hand over the money in your pocket without taking the time to think about how this impacts your travel budget.
Another thing that you can do to help save money is to get some of your currency changed over before you leave for Brazil. Exchange rates are often better at your personal banking institution than they are in the country you’re visiting, so get a small amount of money changed ahead of time. Another thing to remember is that, if you use your credit card during your visit, the conversion is automatically charged to your bill, so you won’t have to worry about paying exchange fees separately.
In addition, if you want to make sure that you’re able to do everything you want to do while you’re on vacation in Brazil without blowing your budget, you’ll need to plan ahead and book everything as early as possible. This may sound somewhat odd, but many times, if you book tickets to events online in advance, you’ll find that you qualify for a reduced rate. Promoters of the events and museums that you’ll be going to will give out a discount to those who commit to going in advance, just so that they can make sure they have some money in the bank.
This reduction in costs for planning ahead is especially true for those who are looking to go during off-season travel periods. Since the down season for tourists is the time when vendors and event promoters aren’t guaranteed an income, they’re more likely to offer price reductions just so that to be sure they’ll have some type of business during these slow periods. Along these same lines, when you’re in Brazil, try to avoid the heavily tourist areas. The shops and eateries in these areas will charge you much more than vendors in other areas. If you venture just a little off of the beaten path, you can usually find much better deals where you’ll be able to get more for your money.
So, if you’re thinking about taking a vacation in Brazil but are worried that you won’t be able to afford to stay on your budget, take a few of these suggestions into account and you’ll find that your money will stretch further than you ever imagined possible. It really is possible to have the vacation that you dreamed of, without stretching your wallet to the maximum in exchange.
For more info about Brazil, check out SpanishCountryTravel.com, which has some good articles about Brazilian food.