Protection during the Golden Years: Health Insurance and Retirement

Health insurance for retirees or senior citizens can be confusing, especially with so many options and requirements. However, health insurance is crucial for retirees. As you grow older, your health obviously becomes more of an issue; you may visit the doctor more, need to fill more prescriptions, or even receive in-home care. Before you retire, prepare for health insurance to ensure that you receive the best benefits.




The first step in planning your health insurance coverage in your retirement is to see if your employer offers insurance coverage after you retire. If the company does, you should certainly consider it. Look at the plan, the deductible, and the coverage. Many near-retirees believe that Medicare will cover their medical payments, but this is not always the case. With this sort of coverage, you will most likely receive better health care but at a more expensive cost. As a retiree, you will certainly have a health insurance budget to maintain, and you will have to decide if the cost of your employer's insurance is too expensive.




If your employer does not offer coverage, Medicare will be an important and integral part of your health insurance if you are 65 years of age or older. Medicare works like traditional health insurance plans in that you have been contributing a small portion of every paycheck you earn into this plan. Once Medicare begins, you will make co-payments for office visits or treatment. Medicare will also cover the expense of certain medical equipment or needs.




However, Medicare did not cover a number of items that are typical of health insurance. The government recently updated Medicare and divided it into three parts: Part A, B, and C. Part A covers hospital care, such as home health care, hospital stays, and hospice care. This part does not require a premium. Part B covers the more routine medical expenses, such as office visits and laboratory tests, while Part C enrolls you into a fee-for-service or managed care plan that reduces your out-of-pocket costs. Despite these different options, Medicare restricts your coverage by not covering certain kinds of care or illnesses and diseases. Thus, there is also Medigap coverage, which helps fill in the gaps in health insurance that Medicare leaves. Medigap coverage differs from state to state and has different payments.




Beyond Medicare and Medigap, there are also long-term care insurance plans that you can buy. You often see these plans advertised on the television at very low prices. These plans can help cover the costs of a nursing home or home health care. With so many different options and limitations, if you are retiring soon, you should take a look at your budget and what you can afford as well as what sort of coverage you feel you will need.

Tips For Healthy Eating

Healthy eating is a way of balancing the food you


eat to keep your body in great health. With healthy


eating, you'll have energy all day, get the vitamins


and minerals you need, stay strong for activities


you enjoy, and maintain a healthy weight.




Below, you'll find tips designed to help you with


healthy eating.




1. Don't skip any meals


Eating 3 meals with snacks in between is the ideal


way to maintain both energy and a healthy weight.


When you skip meals and get hungry, you're more


than likely to choose foods that aren't very good


for you.




If you are eating away from home, take food with


you or know where you can buy healthy food from.




2. Learn about how to prepare foods


Instead of deep frying, try grilling, stir frying,


microwaving, baking, and even boiling. You should


also try fresh or even dried herbs and spices to


add flavor to your food. Before you eat any type


of meat, be sure to trim the fat and skin off of


it.




3. Avoid a lot of sugar


Drinks that contain sugar are a major source of


empty energy. What this means, is that the drinks


contain a lot of energy that your body may not


need, and it doesn't contain any vitamins or


minerals. If you plan to drink sugary drinks,


don't go overboard - limit yourself to 1 a day.




4. Avoid thinking about diets


There are no good food nor any bad foods. All


food can be a part of a healthy diet, when eaten


in moderation. You don't need to buy any low


carb, fat free, or even diet foods, as these foods


normally have lots of other added ingredients


to replaces the carbohydrates or fat.

Becoming A Healthy Eater

Being a healthy eater requires you to become both


educated and smart about what healthy eating


actually is. Being food smart isn't about


learning to calculate grams or fat, or is it


about studying labels and counting calories.




Healthy eating is all about balanced and moderate


eating, consisting of healthy meals at least


three times per day. Healthy eaters eat many


different types of foods, not limiting themselves


to one specific food type or food group.




Eating healthy requires quite a bit of leeway. You


might eat too much or not enough, consume


foods that are sometimes more or less nutritious.


However, you should always fuel your body and


your brain regularly with enough food to keep


both your mind and body strong and alert.




A healthy eater is a good problem solver. Healthy


eaters have learned to take care of themselves


and their eating with sound judgement and making


wise decisions. Healthy eaters are always aware


of what they eat, and know the effect that it


will have on their bodies.




When someone is unable to take control of their


eating, they are also likely to get out of control


with other aspects of life as well. They could


end up spending too much, talking too much, even


going to bed later and later.




You should always remember that restricting food


in any way is always a bad thing. Healthy eating


is a way of life, something that you can do to


enhance your body or your lifestyle. If you've


thought about making your life better, healthy


eating is just the place to start. You'll make


life easier for yourself, those around you, and

What You Don't Know Can Kill You: Health Insurance Limitations

Health insurance often requires a mountain of paperwork that has a lot of fine print. Unfortunately, this means that few people read their plans thoroughly nor do they fully understand what their plan covers or does not cover. Here are some common limitations in health insurance coverage that you should know.




Some of the most shocking health insurance limitations are found in the the fine print holes in the insurance policy. For instance, many people have found that their health insurance did not cover a routine or necessary medical procedure because they did not receive an authorization code prior to the procedure or the hospital did not correctly fill out the paperwork. Your medical claim can be denied simply because the hospital used odd codes for your treatment. While any claims denied by the insurance company can be disputed, this process is not only tedious, but time-consuming and draining, especially for someone who is already ill. There is also little success in winning disputed claims, which makes this option rather limiting.




Another surprising health insurance limitation happens more often than people realize. Imagine this situation: you are diagnosed with a medical condition and need an operation. You research surgeons and hospitals within your plan. You understand your plan's coverage of hospital care. You have your operation and then you find a massive medical bill in the mail. Apparently your health insurance did not cover the anesthesiologist or other specialists that may have consulted in your operation. Thus, you have to pay these specialists for their services, even though you were under the impression that your plan would cover these costs associated with the surgery. Such a bill can be in the thousands of dollars, and there is little you can do to dispute the charges. The only way to avoid these charges is to make sure that you ask before the operation who will be involved and ensure that they are covered in your health insurance plans.




Other limitations are put on a number of treatments. For instance, you may need physical therapy or visits to a psychiatrist. Many health insurance plans will put a limit on the number of covered visits for such medical treatment. Without realizing it, you may surpass the maximum visits allowed by your health insurance and end up racking up huge bills.




Many people think that buying health insurance will cover them medically, but this is only correct to a point. When securing insurance, you should read through your health insurance package carefully, and when you are about to undergo any expensive medical procedure, be sure to consult your health insurance plan first.

Shop 'Till you Drop: Shopping for Health Insurance

Shopping for health insurance can be a frustrating hassle. There are so many companies with so many rates to compare. However, it is important to take your time and find the best company for your money. Although it may be frustrating, health insurance is a necessity. In any area, there are usually quite a few health care providers that can supply you with a quote over the phone. You could also use the Internet as a resource. By using these tools, you can make the shopping process go more smoothly.




The first step is going to be deciding which type of insurance you should be shopping for. If you have a family, it would be in your best interest to find a company that will give you one decided premium and co-payment plan no matter how many children you add to the plan at any time. Without a family, you would be shopping for individual health insurance but will need to decide if you are in need of short-term insurance or insurance for an extended period. Short-term insurance is for people who are in-between jobs and expect to enroll in whichever health insurance plan their future employer sponsors.




Once you have established what type of insurance you need, it is time to make some calls. Go through your local phone book and start calling down the line. After answering a few simple questions, you can get a quote and move on to the next company. Cost is one of the most important factors. If you find two or more of them with very similar premiums and a low co-payment amount, you should compare the benefits. Can you add immediate family at no charge? Will this health insurance include dental, emergencies, prescriptions, or doctor visits? This may help you find one that appeals more to your needs and is within your budget. Using the services of the Internet to find a company will be a very similar process. Some reputable web sites out there will ask you to fill in a few blanks and then give unbiased quotes from many different health insurance companies.




Whether you are going to be doing your shopping over the phone or on the Internet, you should use your best judgment of the information that you get on each company to decide on one that makes you comfortable. The Better Business Bureau can also help you be sure that you are not being scammed. Health insurance is a cost that is necessary to save you money in the long run on prescriptions, doctor visits, and unforeseen emergencies. Don't get left with bills that you have no way of paying because you didn't have insurance.

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

A lot of studies and research has shown that kids


who eat breakfast perform better in school and


have a healthier diet. Eating breakfast will help


promote the proper growth and maximize school


performance as well.




Breakfast is often times a victim of the morning


time crunch. Even though you may be tempted to


skip breakfast, you can simplify your morning


routine by following these 8 tips:




1. Finish homework and pack school bags


at night.


2. Decide on what your children will


wear to school before you go to bed and locate


lost shoes for the following day.


3. In the morning, get up 15 minutes


earlier.


4. Give up computer games and morning


television.


5. Have healthy foods on hand. You


should also shop for breakfast foods with your kids


and take into account their personal preferences.


6. Set the cereal out the night before.


For younger children, fill a zippered plastic bag


with her portion, then add the milk in the


morning.


7. Allow your children to use the


microwave often, as most breakfast foods can be


prepared in under 5 minutes.


8. Allow your kids to eat in the car or


on the way to school.




There are several foods that you can eat for


breakfast, even leftovers from supper if they


are sufficient. You can eat bagels, pizza with


fruit juice, pretzels, or the normal bacon and


eggs that breakfast is known for. Most foods are


a snap to prepare, and won't take you but a


few minutes.




The next time you are in a hurry in the morning,


remember that you are probably about to skip the


most important meal of the day. If you follow the


tips above, you'll find that you have plenty of

Disability Insurance

We all know how important typical health insurance is, but did you know that disability insurance is just as important? In the event that you are hurt on the job, and cannot work, disability insurance will give you peace of mind-you will still able to provide for your family. While we would like to think that we always work safely, accidents do happen and you need to be sure that you have every angle covered in the event of an accident. If you become ill or injured on the job and as a result you are unable to return to work, there are a couple of options that will replace lost income. These types of disability insurance are not going to fully replace your income because they want you to have an incentive for returning back to work once you get well.




Social Security benefits are paid to you when your disability is expected to last for at least 12 months. Most of the time this is when no gainful employment can occur and you must remain out of work for the entire duration of your leave. Employer-paid disability is required by almost every state in the United States. This type of disability insurance is deducted from your paycheck, and is there for you in the event of an accident. When you are looking at disability insurance policies, it is important to understand what they mean. While the two available policies are both for disability, they both cover a different amount of time you will be covered, and when you will start receiving your compensation.




A short-term disability policy means that you will be covered for no longer than 2 years. With this policy you may have to wait up to 14 days before you start receiving compensation. A long-term disability policy is a little different. The disability compensation will not kick in for several weeks, sometimes a couple of months. However, long-term disability will cover you for a longer period of time, and sometimes for the rest of your life.




Along with having the two different types of insurance policies, there are also two different protection features. Protection is offered to you to ensure that you are not going to be treated unfairly due to your inability to work. Non-cancelable means that for no reason other than not paying your premiums can your policy be canceled. With this type of policy you will lock in your premium and will not risk a decrease in the benefits. On the other hand, a guaranteed renewable policy means that the same benefits will be available every year. The only way that your premium will be increased is if every policyholder within the same rating class as yourself increases also.




While there are many options when choosing disability insurance as well, these are the most popular selections. It is important to discuss all available options when choosing a disability insurance policy to ensure that you know what you will receive in the event of an accident or illness. Research your options to find the best choice for you and your family.