Texas Health
Insurance
Disability
Options
Disability
Alternative Action Facts
By:
Michael Oliphant
In my opinion, there are many
pitfalls with disability or debilitating events
that take place today. The pitfalls being
lack of "know how" of what to do if it should
happen. However, there are good programs in
the market but those are difficult to find on your
own. Unfortunately, these products that
perform the way they should don't offer much
incentive to the broker community to market and
sale within their insurance portfolio products.
I would like to address some basic concepts and
resolutions to "disability or debilitating events"
available. They are frequently overlooked.
It is important to understand what exactly
disability means first so please click this link (disability).
Now that you have a clear
understanding of what "disability" means in
insurance language, let me offer suggestions for
resolution by posing you with a question.
#1 What if you were disabled to the point of not
being able to work and therefore could not afford
to pay for your health insurance policy?
Lets assume for the moment that
you are in this situation. Lets also assume
you are laid up in the hospital in a body cast,
coma or paraplegic. You or a loved one could
go to the hospital administration office and they
would gladly pay your insurance premium for you.
Why? well think about it...it is a smart
business move for them because your policy stays
in force (active) to pay their medical charges for
your care. This is how you get the high
dollar bills paid.
Lets assume now that you get out
of the hospital and its not likely you will be
going back for further treatments. In other
words...you were released from care. Now
more than likely you will have major follow up
with some type of physician. Say it is with
a physical therapist. Now....at this point
the hospital does not have a continual reason to
pay your health insurance premiums because you
were released. Right? So assuming you
cannot afford to pay your insurance premiums you
can approach your physician for assistance.
This is tougher to do in most cases because their
cost of providing you care could equal what they
would pay out in premium. The hospital would
pay a small premium to get paid several thousands
of dollars for your care.
Point I need to make at this juncture of
understanding
I certainly
don't want to appear to be instructing people how
to abuse this system. If you can HONESTLY
afford to pay your insurance premiums due to
defined "disability" than that is the right thing
to do. In addition, the hospital and or
doctors will need evidence of your inability to
pay your premiums.
All too
often I read in the paper or hear about really sad
incidents where people are totally disabled.
Their insurance policy lapses during the most
critically needed period to pay claims because of
inability to pay premium. Believe it or not these
same people can't seem to get financial assistance
from immediate or extended family. So what
do they do? What can they do?
Generally they are dealing with emotional trauma
and the financial things tend to fall to the way
side. They
ignore the fact that if you don't pay your premium
the health insurance coverage cancels.
Period! The insurance carrier will hold fast.
So if you or someone you
know falls victim to an unfortunate "disability or
debilitating event" please rush to their
aid and do the right thing. All too often,
serious injuries that are debilitating go on for
several months during which time their policy
could lapse or the victims loved one doesn't know
what to do with mounting bills. Please help
yourself and help them.
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