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Individual Insurance Facts!                                   

Think health insurance is too expensive for you?  You may be right, but individual insurance might be the right option for you if:

	you are a small business owner
	self-employed
	want to retire prior to age 65 and need coverage
	recently came off your parent's plan
	recently divorced
	your employer no longer offers health insurance
	need coverage for you and your family

According to Kaiser Family Foundation/eHealthinsurance, Update on Individual Health Insurance, August 2004, individual health insurance is sometimes a more cost-effective option than group insurance.  The average cost for a family plan is around $334 and single coverage is about $173.  That means you may be paying more at your employer for monthly premiums than you could pay on your own. 

Top 5 myths about individual health insurance:

1. Employers are not allowed to pay for individual health insurance.  Not true, employers have the ability to pay for health premiums (individual or group) through tax laws in the internal revenue service code.  Check with your local accountant or tax advisor about the details of this tax code.  Our professionals can advise you on how to make this option work for you, especially if you are a small business owner.
    
2. Individual insurance is just for single people.  Wrong again.  You can buy an individual health insurance for a family, dependents only, husband & wife, and yourself plus child and/or children.  Most folks do not know that individual policies can be purchased this way.  Don't be fooled.
    
3. Individual insurance isn't credible coverage.   According to a wonderful law that was put into effect in 1996 called HIPAA better known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, it protect your rights to health coverage during events such as changing or losing jobs, pregnancy, moving, or divorce. It also provides rights and protections for employers when getting and renewing health coverage for their employees. HIPAA is NOT an insurance policy.  This law includes protections for individual insurance as credible coverage. 
    
4. I'll get too many bills at our office.  Many insurance carriers offer "list billing" as a way to combine billing for small or large employers.  This option makes it very convenient to implement individual health insurance at your company.
    
5. Drug coverage is not available on individual policies.  Untrue.  Most individual health insurance carriers offer drugs as an option, but exclusion of this coverage is rare.  Individual health policies offer other such options as maternity, condition exclusion policies and preferred ratings based on health status.

Now that you have the facts on individual insurance, contact our office about how it might work for you.