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Follow These Tips To Make Sure You Are Getting The Most Out Of Your Health Insurance Plan
Few things will make you feel more like the "little guy" than trying to find affordable health insurance. You practically need an advanced medical and legal degree just to begin to understand it! This article is designed to empower you with valuable information you can use to make the best possible decisions regarding the very confusing world of health insurance!
If you are a college student, check if your university offers a health insurance plan. University health insurance plans can be a great option if a student is no longer listed as a "dependent" under their parents' plan. Students who are still listed as "dependent" under their parents should check to make sure they are not automatically charged for a university health plan. Doing research into these plans can help you save money on health insurance.
One of the most basic tips about insurance is quite simple: never, ever put yourself in a situation where you have no insurance at all. Even if it means paying extra to your former employer to stay on COBRA, you never want to be without health insurance. Too many contingencies could come up that would very quickly put you in a precarious situation. The same is true for auto insurance: never drive uninsured. It's against the law in many states, so it isn't just a bad idea; in many places it is actually a crime.
Depending on the demographic makeup of your office, employer based insurance may not be the best for you. Insurance plans are built upon spreading out the risk. If you are the youngest person in an office, working with a group of people nearing retirement, you will pay more for your insurance to cover for them. Always check with outside insurance before choosing to go with your employers.
To more info find the most cost-effective health insurance policy for you and your family, think long distance. Look at how much your health coverage cost for the last year in total, including co-pays, dental, vision, prescriptions, and deductibles. Use these numbers as a base for figuring out what the best policy would be.
Group health insurance is generally much less expensive than purchasing coverage on your own. If you are self-employed, search around and see if there are any group plans you could fall under. Check with alumni associations, unions, and trade groups to see if they offer group plans under their umbrella.
Let's spend a minute talking about the differences between an HMO and a PPO. HMOs are wellness-focused: they cover almost all preventive exams, their premiums are generally far lower, and your doctor will likely be chosen for you. PPOs, on the other hand, allow you to choose doctors from a PPO network; they do cost more; but on the other hand, they are more focused on treating and covering you when things go wrong, if that makes sense. So if you want to keep costs down and are very healthy, an HMO is your best bet. If you want to be sure your coverage is as high as possible no matter what the contingency, and are willing to pay more for it, a PPO is the right choice for you.
Some states offer lower cost health insurance options if you meet certain income requirements. They are worth checking out if you're on a budget. These plans can be especially helpful for independent contractors who need to insure their family. Contact your local insurance agent, or even your local Social Services office, to find out more.
Think twice before purchasing a supplemental policy, such as cancer insurance. Often the benefits from your cancer policy will go unused because your primary insurance policy already has you covered. In addition, most supplemental policies have very strict guidelines and limitations with regards to how they can be used.
With a good group health insurance plan in place, you will surely have happy and well-motivated employees. Even though purchasing group health insurance may seem like an extravagant expense, you will surely see excellent returns on your investment when you eliminate the problem of frequent employee turnover and employee dissatisfaction. Additionally, by taking care of your employees, you will be creating a work environment that you and everyone in your office will look forward to being a part of.
Hoag's Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute Selected to Participate in Study of Pioneering Surgical Epilepsy Treatment
For nearly 50 years, there were few options for patients who suffer from medication-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy. The most effective procedure was temporal lobectomy, a highly invasive surgery that involves removing a large section of the brain and can result in loss of vision, speech, memory and neurocognitive abilities.
The SLATE clinical trial will study the effectiveness of minimally invasive laser surgery using the Medtronic Visualase system. This approach uses an MRI-guided laser probe, approximately the width of a guitar string, to target and destroy the scar, tumor, or malformation that causes seizures. The procedure is revolutionizing the surgical treatment of epilepsy, previously a large and invasive surgery with numerous potential side effects, which may now be performed in a minimally invasive procedure requiring an overnight hospital stay.
"We are privileged to be on the forefront of offering minimally invasive, safer options for patients who wish to avoid large, open surgery," said Chief of Epilepsy Surgery and Hoag neurosurgeon Vik Mehta, M.D., who is the principal investigator of the trial. "In order to meet the needs of people with epilepsy, we need to modernize approaches that are more patient-friendly. This is one of the promising options to replace an invasive approach that had a lot of side effects, and we are excited by the data so far."
Hoag is the only site in the national study to employ Surgical Theater, which combines the use of virtual reality and augmented reality to "rehearse" surgery. This ensures the safest and most effective approach during the procedure.