Consumer health Insurance Plans by State
Insurance News
Getting auto insurance quotes when you have a few points can be frustrating,
so be patient as you fill out the quoting forms. Prices may vary by
several hundred dollars from company to company.
We will help you locate the appropriate insurance that you need regardless of what state that you live in.
Small Business Health Insurance Quotes
Find an HSA plan that's right for you.
Assigned Risk Insurance Credit Solutions
for improving financial well being.
Starting October 2, American consumers denied health, life or disability
insurance will have the right to know when confidential information about
them was disclosed to insurers by the nation's largest insurance reporting
agency, the Medical Information Bureau (MIB). Under an agreement with Federal
Trade Commission staff that affects 99 percent of individual life insurance
policies and 80 percent of all health and disability policies issued in
the United States and Canada, members of MIB will comply with the Fair Credit
Reporting Act requirement that an individual be informed when a consumer
report played any part in an insurer's decision to deny coverage or to charge
a higher rate. Insurance companies will be required to provide the name
and address of the consumer reporting agency that provided the information
(MIB) and consumers will be entitled to receive a free copy of their report
to verify that all information is correct.
This new consumer right is the result of an MIB rule approved by the FTC
staff and agreed to by the reporting agency, MIB, and its 750 insurance
company members, in June. MIB collects information on consumers and furnishes
it to MIB members for use in the insurance underwriting process. In addition
to an individual's credit history, data collected and reported by MIB may
include medical conditions, driving records, criminal activity, participation
in hazardous sports and other data.
Are you paying too much for health insurance? Join the thousands of
consumers who have said
goodbye to expensive premiums
and hello to affordable health insurance in your area!
When considering your options, know what you’re getting — medical insurance
or a medical discount plan. If you’re not sure, check with your state insurance
commissioner to see if the company offering the plan is registered to sell
insurance in your state. If the company is not registered to sell health
insurance and you want to buy health insurance, consider shopping elsewhere.
Remember that if you buy a health insurance plan, it generally covers a
broad array of services, and pays you or your health care provider for your
medical bills. If you buy a medical discount plan, you generally are paying
for a list of providers and sellers who may be willing to offer “discounts”
on some of their services, products or procedures. If you’re interested
in buying a medical discount plan, you should investigate the details before
you pay any money. For example,
Look for a telephone number or website of the company you’re considering
doing business with so you can get more information.
Before you pay any money, ask the company for a list of providers who participate
in its plan. Call the providers and ask about the services and discounts
they’re offering.
If the plan doesn’t provide a list of providers promptly, consider taking
your business elsewhere.
Investigate the details of any plan carefully. Read the fine print, paying
special attention to the refund policy. If a plan doesn’t readily provide
information and answers before you buy, it isn’t likely to be responsive
once they have your money.
If your usual medical or dental providers don’t participate, see whether
other doctors in your area accept the plan and will give you the discount
the plan promoters promise. Some legitimate plans offer a “get acquainted”
or “initial consultation” visit so you can meet a practitioner who participates
in the plan before you commit to becoming a member.
Do the math. Try to calculate what your total payment for a discount plan
will be for a given amount of time. You could be responsible for paying
a substantial amount up front, in addition to monthly fees and other costs.
The costs of the program may total more than the savings you anticipate.
Indeed, you may be able to negotiate a similar discount directly with your
provider, without having to join a medical discount program.
Call your local consumer protection office, state Attorney General, or Better
Business Bureau to find out whether there are complaints about the business
offering the discount plan.
HRSA's Consumer Education Program provides health-related information which will help you and your family live healthier lives. Whether you are a mom, dad, teen, grandparent or young adult, HRSA has information and resources that can improve your health and make a difference. HRSA also has information to assist care givers and health care providers. Living healthy really is an educated choice!
Health Literacy
HRSA's health literacy activities strive to educate and increase awareness
about the need to improve health literacy among health care providers and
patients. Understanding health information and communicating well with your
health care providers will help assure a healthier tomorrow. Please visit
HRSA's Health Literacy
Web for more information.
Finding Health
Care
For information about your state's program offering free or low-cost health
insurance for your child or teen go to
Insure Kids Now.
HRSA’s Health Center Locator can help you find a health center in your community. These health centers serve all who walk through their doors, regardless of ability to pay.
Free or reduced health care is also available at some facilities nationwide through HRSA’s Hill-Burton program.
Staying Healthy
On the Agency for Health
Care Research and Quality's Consumers & Patients page, the publication
entitled The Pocket
Guide to Staying Healthy at 50+ has information on checkups, immunizations
and adopting healthy habits for people over 50. HRSA's publication
Nutrition and Your
Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides information for families
and children about how to stay healthy and active.
Promoting Organ Donation
You can give the Gift of Life by becoming an organ donor. More than 75,000
Americans are waiting for an organ transplant because too few of us are
willing to be organ and tissue donors. HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has
launched an Organ Donor initiative
to promote organ donation and encourage people to make an informed decision
about organ donation.
Promoting Health
Careers
If you are interested in a health profession, HRSA's publication entitled
The Allied
Health Professions: Opportunities for Minority Students -- A Career Guidebook,
2000 may be helpful to you. This guidebook introduces students to allied
health careers and provides information for those interested in pursuing
such a career.
HRSA's Kids Into Health Careers campaign has information about encouraging children and young adults to pursue a rewarding career in the health care field. Financial aid information is also included.
Caring for People with
HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS continues to be a major health problem facing us all. HRSA provides
HIV/AIDS information for clinicians who care for people living with HIV/AIDS.
HRSA's Ryan White CARE Act program developed
A Guide to the
Clinical Care of Women with HIV.
Raising Healthy
Children
To help parents raise healthy children, the HRSA-supported
Bright Futures initiative provides
expert advice and guidelines on practical ways to supervise the health of
infants, children and adolescents ages 0-21. Bright Futures includes information
on nutrition, oral health, mental health, physical activity and healthy
families.
Preventing School
Violence
Violence in our schools is a serious problem and bullying behavior is part
of the problem. HRSA has created a "Lend A Hand - Stop Bullying Now" campaign
with a Web site specifically designed for children to help educate them,
their parents, and teachers about recognizing and understanding what bullying
is and how to stop it. Visit our Web site at
www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov
and meet all the great Webisode cartoon characters and learn how to stop
bullying.
Improving Mental Health
Information on improving the mental health of children, young people and
their families is available from the HRSA funded
Center for School Mental Health Assistance
at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the
Center for Mental Health in Schools
at the University of California in Los Angeles.
Prenatal and
Newborn Care
Order your free
Health Diary: Myself,
My Baby from HRSA Information Center. It contains information on fetal
and child development, prenatal and newborn care and an immunization table.
There is also a section where you can record and track your prenatal and
pediatric appointments.
Diabetes
HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care has developed the Lower Extremity Amputation
Prevention Program also known as the
LEAP Program. Learn more about the steps you can take to reduce your
risk of lower extremity amputation.
Government Sites:
FirstGov
FirstGov is the official government gateway to Federal, state, local,
and tribal information, programs, funding, news releases, phone directories
and more.
Health Information
Healthfinder is a free guide to
reliable health information where you can select online publications, clearinghouses,
databases, web sites, support and self-help groups, as well as other government
agencies and not-for-profit organizations.
AIDS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the
National Prevention Information Network
which provides information and resources on HIV disease and treatment. They
can be reached toll free at 1-800-458-5231. The
HIV/AIDS Treatment Information Service
which is sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, provides up
to date HIV/AIDS treatment information and referrals including clinical
trials. They can be reached toll free at 1-800-448-0440.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health,
REACH (Resources for Enhancing
Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health) develops and tests new ways to help families
manage the daily activities and stress of caring for people with Alzheimer’s
disease.
Closing the Health Gap
HHS's national campaign Closing
the Health Gap offers information about bringing the best health information
to African American communities.
Drug Abuse
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, produced a very informative
web page, Mind Over
Matter Index, which explains to children in grades 5-9 the effects of
drug abuse on the body and brain.
Elderly
The Administration on Aging provides
health information, elder care service locator, resource directory, safety
tips, hotline for legal advice and much more for older people.
Food Safety
The Food and Drug Administration has good advice and information on
a variety of consumer issues including food safety, foodborne illness, dietary
supplements, cosmetics, and more. Visit the
FDA Consumer Advice
web page.
Medicare and Medicaid
Visit HHS’s Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services to learn about how these programs work and the
services they provide.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Should you need or want information or assistance for a mental health
or substance abuse problem, HHS’s Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) can help.
Safer Health Care
Each year its estimated that between 44,000 and 98,000 people die in U.S.
hospitals because of lapses in patient safety. A Task Force, led by the
Agency for Health Care Quality and Research, has developed
Five Steps to Safer Health
Care to help patients avoid medical errors and misunderstandings. They
are:
Speak up if you have questions.
Keep a list of all medicines you take.
Make sure you get the results of any test or procedure.
Talk with your doctor and health care team about your options if you need hospital care.
Make sure you understand what will happen if you need surgery.
Non-Government Sites:
Alcohol Addiction
The Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters,
Inc is an international organization dedicated to the support and recovery
of families and friends of alcoholics. This self-help program is based on
12 steps towards personal growth and change. You can locate the nearest
support group through this site’s locator service.
Birth Defects
The March of Dimes has resources
for reducing infant mortality, birth defects, prenatal care, and more.
Cancer
The American Cancer Society provides
information, support, and resources to answer your cancer related questions.
Diabetes
The American Diabetes Association
can explain the difference between juvenile and adult diabetes, the warning
signs, and the important role your diet and exercise play in avoiding and
improving this diagnosis.
Heart Disease and Stroke
The American Heart Association
has information on how to fight heart disease and stroke and even get lessons
on CPR.
Mental Health
The National Mental Health Association
provides helpful information on a variety of mental health topics. Find
a local mental health association or health facility or browse news and
events.
Poison Control 1-800-222-1222
Administered by the American Association
of Poison Control Centers, this public service will instantly connect
you to the nearest poison control center.
Suicide Prevention
The
Suicide and Mental Health Association International (SMHAI) provides
valuable information and guidance on suicidal behavior, awareness and treatment.
Health Insurance Quotes from National Carriers by zip code and state.