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Posts Tagged ‘family healthcare plus’

The Self-Employed and HSA Accounts

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Due to the burdens of the governmental laws and regulation, it had made several medical insurance expensive and somewhat difficult to obtain. As a self-employed entrepreneur living in New York, you have some options and maybe owe it to yourself to explore each and every one of them.

Recent changes in our health care system will aid a variety of Americans, especially the self-employed and small business sole operator to acquire affordable medical insurance. New York had achieved available plans to reach out to the entrepreneur. Many new medical insurance plans introduced into the community are high deductible health plans and combine with the already existing Health Savings Account or HSA.

This affords the self-employed and small business entrepreneur to have access to more affordable health insurance with annual premium rates to conform to any budget. The Health Savings Account is a type of medical plan with a high deductible, but you still receive complete coverage at a monthly premium rate that will remain relatively low.

  1. Money deposited into the HSA account is tax deductible.
  2. Money deposited into the HSA account is there to pay for insurance deductibles when you need it most.
  3. The individual receives 100% coverage at a very little to no out-of-pocket cost once the annual deductible meets the requirement.
  4. The deductible that you decided upon can vary from 0.00 to $10,000.00.

At Vista Health Solutions, they give a complete and very comprehensive explanation of what is covered and how the HSA or Health Savings Account functions to the benefit of the individual. In the long run, this can be a very helpful tool for the self-employed and the small business owner. For a variety of personal packages offered through this plan, any self-employed individual will have the ability to view these various health insurance quotes that are offered.

The self-employed have the ability, under this plan, to adjust the amount of the monthly premium by raising or lowering the deductible.  This in itself is an asset, as the self-employed know there is no steady income and this would help to keep the self-employed afloat during times of less available ready cash.

Benefits from the small business and the self-employed equal that of any group plan. By utilizing the in-network system, you can get the most benefit of a low-cost health insurance, and the providers who are involved to keeping the individual healthy. In-network providers work diligently with the various insurance companies to offer the best care possible.

Once the registration is complete by the self-employed entrepreneur, the coverage will then begin immediately and the individual can now relax and get back gto the business of operating their lifelong dream.

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Various Disability Insurance Types for the Self-Employed

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

Basically there are two types of disability insurance that a self-employed individual would consider in his or her overall health care package.  The first type of disability is short-term disability and the second is long-term disability. The waiting period to start is either different.  With short-term disability a self-employed individual would be able to get on the policy no later than 14 days, however, with long-term insurance the waiting period is from a few weeks to several months. Purchasing long-term disability health insurance makes much more business sense, because a self-employed individual will come across times in their life when they may be out of work due to a serious accident which may render them disabled or they come down with a debilitating illness.  It is important for self-employed individuals to prepare for the future for not only their job is affected their family income potential is affected as well.

There are two important standard features in long-term disability policies.  The first feature is called Non-Cancelable. The only condition that would allow a company to cancel the policy would be non-payment.

The second feature is called Guaranteed Renewable, which means that a policyholder can renew every year regardless of how many times that policyholder would have to use benefits.  This function of the disability policy is so important for general health care and so crucial for protecting the business from folding in case the self-employed individual is out too long.

There are other options available which would be beneficial for a self-employed individual.For example, there is the option to purchase more disability health insurance at a later date. Don’t overlook this option, because even though you may be young and healthy there will come a day when your health may fail. You want to make sure you have the extra cushion to purchase more disability insurance to prepare for that possibility.

The feature of Coordination of Benefits will specify a total sum amount and so when all income from other avenues for disability relief is calculated what those benefits would not cover, the disability insurance plan will.

Cost of living adjustment (COLA) adjusts benefits that is based with the cost of living however, premiums will be adjusted as well.

The residual or partial disability rider feature is extremely useful for a self-employed individual because the policy allows for policyholder to return to work part-time and collect a partial salary and a partial disability payment.

Return of premium, which is another great benefit also, mandates that if a claim has not been made within a certain time period, the insurance company will refund some premium. This is great for a self-employed individual who is interested in maximum health care protection.

Finally the waiver of premium provision stipulates that if a policyholder has been disabled for more than 90 days he or she is no longer required to pay the premiums.

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Self-Employed and Liability

Friday, September 4th, 2009

Thinking about taking the next step and becoming self employed while living within the borders of New York State. In an economy that is sliding downward, this is no easy task to accomplish. Will the business that you are interested in requires hiring a few extra hands or will you be working solo? It is not easy to make the transition when the economy is doing good. Are you prepared to start while there are so many others becoming unemployed?

Liability insurance alone will be costly for a start up operation. Adding affordable health insurance and automobile insurance, you could have an unforeseen problem on your hands before you even get started. Do a little research before hand to find that there are a few simple steps that will guide you through. Check out www.self-employed-health.org who will guide you on your way to a successful business. They offer a simple, yet structured program listing five specific ways to reduce the cost of medical care premiums while still receiving adequate coverage.

  1. Know your plan. Take note which doctors and hospitals in your area accept your individual health insurance provider. Try to stick to your plans or strategies because it could cost you more if you stray.
  2. Negotiate your options. Learn the details of your prospective health care policy and see if you can eliminate some of the coverage that is not essential to you.
  3. Choose generic drugs if possible. If you have added a prescription drug clause, ask your pharmacist for the generic version first to keep the expense down.
  4. Consider the possibility of an HSA or Health Savings Account.This will help you set aside neccessary funds for out of pocket expenses like deductibles and co-payments.
  5. Remember to research how much you can claim as a write off on taxes. This is the money you can take out from your IRS Form 1040. Following the guidelines from the government, you will have the ability to write off medical health insurance expenditures of up to 7.5% of your yearly adjusted gross income.

It may seem overwhelming at first, but in time it will become easier. Beginning a new business is never easy, but it can be very rewarding. One thing that is great about this is the opportunity to be your own boss and setting not only the rules of operation, but the amount of time devoted into it. Whether a business in the field of sales, landscaping, construction, painting, roofing and so many other countless opportunities, there are so many things to consider.

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