Health Insurance. Don’t leave home without it
One may ask, of what importance is it to get a health insurance? And to answer that, I am reminded of the Scouts’ motto, “be prepared”. As such, I feel it is important that one adopts it even when it comes to life-preparedness for unknown eventualities should rattle you out of your comfort zone and cause you to take action. Consider the option of a good medical cover. Even for those who see themselves as having financial leverage, one may not know of future happenings. Therefore, being prepared is key.
You may be fortunate enough to have a job where a health insurance cover is provided. But what if you don’t have a medical cover? Well this shouldn’t dampen your moods as there is the option of private firms which offer these services and they are quite diverse. All you have to do is do a proper comparison and decide what best suits your needs and if you have a family, the needs of your family. The Government also offers cover through the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) which offers low rates to accommodate even the most minimum of wages.
To delve into my key issue, why invest in your baby?
What is the importance of health insurance for your young one? For all those who have been mothers before you all know the needs of a child don’t come singly. They vary from hospital visits to baby formulas. But the health of your baby should rank high in your hierarchy of needs. So ensuring your child is well catered for goes hand in hand with good parenting. It is a well known fact that hospital bills can often be challenging.
For expectant mothers, the arrival of a new baby comes with medical bills. The baby will require regular check ups and vaccinations to remain healthy, not to mention cases of emergencies. This means that medical care can become costly if you have to pay the bills yourself. A good health insurance ensures that all these are catered for.
You will realise that in most cases, health insurance is tailored to also cover dependants. These are persons under your care, who are minors. Therefore finding the right policy to match your needs and those of your family members will result in the best possible health insurance benefits for your baby. If you as a mother are already covered and you are expecting a new baby, you should contact your insurance company and give them information so that you can have the baby added to your health insurance policy. For those who are covered at work, adding your baby to your job-related health insurance plan or your own individual plan is usually not a problem. You can ask your employer or insurer what you need to do to make sure your baby is covered from birth. A job-related health insurance plan is often best because these plans usually provide quality coverage at a lower cost. You may expect your increased premiums and costs (such as co-payments) that you will need to pay after adding your baby to any health insurance plan.
Choosing the right cover
If you do not have health insurance as yet, how do you go about choosing the right one? When you are looking for permanent health insurance plan for you and your baby, you should study the product you are buying and know it in all its minutest details since it is a very important decision in each person’s life. And we’re talking not only about safety issues, but also about economy of your money. One should ask oneself; how affordable is it? Am I getting value for my money?
What benefits does it confer to me and more importantly my baby?
Bearing that in mind, here are some guidelines that you can follow through while choosing the right insurance.
Health insurance dos
■ First and foremost, be familiar with your initial needs. What is it that you want out of the health insurance that will suit your needs and your baby’s?
■ Do a thorough research of the market. There is great variety of insurance proposition out there. Insurance rates differ a lot for the very same plan in different insurance companies. So, which one will afford you the best rates?
■ Do find out if the health insurance company provides coverage of services from your doctor. If the answer is negative, look for the insurance company, which has him in the network list.
■ Find out if the list of specialists, you will have to turn to, are quite large. Also find out what hospitals are included in the health insurance and if they are conveniently located.
■ Get the contacts of your insurance company in case you have questions.
Health insurance don’ts
■ Don’t buy the plan before you understand all points of it. Ask questions where necessary and if anything is not well understood ask for clarification.
■ Don’t stop comparing. Compare the coverage, payments, the list of hospitals and practitioners in your neighborhoods.
■ Don’t be afraid to waste your time and meet a couple of insurance agents. This will help you to compare their propositions and make the right choice. Ask you friends and relatives about their positive or negative experience with insurance companies.
■ Don’t forget to check if the health insurance offers additional benefits such as dental and eyesight and at what additional cost.
■ If you follow the above piece of advice, then you may well be on the right path to ensuring your child is well insured for the future. Only you know your needs and those of the child, look for the best insurance to suit both of you. Remember your health is also important to ensure you’re always at your best to be able to take care of your little one.
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