There are many myths and half-truths going around about health insurance: who can afford it, where you can get it and what type of coverage you can receive. Our job is to wade through the noise and find you the truths, helping you ensure that you can get coverage for you and your family.
Myth: Health insurance is only for those who are employed.
Truth: Even those who are self employed have the right and the privilege to health insurance. While health insurance can be easier to get through a company, many companies provide health insurance for self employed workers. Enter in your ZIP code in the box above to find health insurance rates in your area.
Myth: What you eat does not affect your insurance rate.
Truth: That is only partially true. What you eat does not directly impact your insurance rate. What you eat does, however, directly impact your health. Your overall health can affect your insurance rate. Think about it this way: buying insurance is all about assessing risk. The insurance company assesses how much risk your health is, i.e. how many doctors visits you will need to attend each year, and other health factors such as smoking, drinking and other lifestyle affects. Once they assess your risk number, they will offer you a health insurance rate. The less ‘risky’ you are, the cheaper your insurance rate will be. Health insurance companies may have to pay out big if you are diagnosed with some big disease and it is covered under your plan. They have to find a balance so they are not always paying money, because let’s face it, the health insurance industry is a business.
What you eat directly affects your overall health, and that is what health insurance companies look at to determine your rate.
Myth: My lifestyle does not affect my insurance rates.
Truth: This is just like the answer above. Your lifestyle does affect your insurance rates. I’m not talking about what you read and who your friends are. But if you smoke, drink, live in an area with a lot of pollution, or live a sedentary life, it will start to affect your health insurance rates. Take smoking for example. Besides the fact that smokers are slowly killing themselves with each puff of the cigarette (can you tell I am not a smoking fan?), health insurance companies look at that lifestyle to adjust your rate. A smoker has more potential to incur medical expenses due to doctors appointments and potential dangers like lung or mouth cancer, including many other diseases associated with the disease. Health insurance agencies will weigh that risk and not want to risk having to pay for your lung transplant or oxygen tank when a smoker starts to bend from the effects of smoking. Therefore, smokers will have a much higher health insurance premium than a non smoker to help absorb that risk. With health insurance, it is all a numbers game, and your lifestyle greatly increases that number.