There are a great many things about Tennessee Health Insurance that you will need to take into account before you finally settle on a policy, because like all the other states, health insurance in Tennessee is a mishmash of various government schemes and political intrigue and it can sometimes be difficult to separate the fact from the fiction.
One fact that is clear is that the number of uninsured in Tennessee in 2011 was fast approaching a million people (933,700) and that 15% of the populations of the state were as a result not well protected against downturns in their health.
There is no doubt that health insurance is expensive, with average state premiums for Individual Tennessee Health Insurance being $204 a month for a single person in 2010, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the average costs for a family of four in the United States in 2011 according to the Millman Medical Index being $8,004 a year.
However, the average cost of an inpatient stay in a hospital in Tennessee is equally as dramatic, with the average cost of a day spent in a Tennessee hospital being $1,464; so if you do have any health problems that require hospital treatment, and you don’t have any cover, then you will most likely find yourself in a world of financial pain.
There are various initiatives and laws that are being introduced to attempt to counteract the high rates of uninsured throughout the US, such as the Affordable Care Act which aims to eliminate medical exclusions due to pre-existing medical conditions, and stop rules that create limits on the amount of yearly and lifetime benefits that can be paid to claimants.
But even without the assistance of legislation there are things that you can do to get insurance:
1/ Get on a Group Tennessee Health Insurance Plan through Work
Even if you find that you have problems getting Individual Tennessee Health Insurance, you will often find that you can get covered just fine through a work based group policy.
The reason for this is that work based group policies do not have the same rules for signing up as individual policies, and are not subject to the same underwriting procedures that often scupper many people’s chances of getting cover.
You won’t be forced to have a medical, and you also cannot be rejected as long as other people in the firm are being accepted.
The reasoning behind this seeming disparity is that whilst, by definition, you are on your own in an individual policy. That with a group policy there is a certain level of risk balancing that takes place, because whilst you may be a higher risk, there are other people in the same firm who are buying the policy who are lower risk than the average, and so you balance each other out in the eyes of the insurance company.
So, if you do work and your company offers a Tennessee Group Health Insurance Plan then make sure to check out the details of what its terms and conditions are, and see if you can apply.
2/ Apply to a number of different companies
Just because one insurance company rejects you, does not mean that they all will!
Be persistent, get a variety of quotes, and make sure that you are always considering an array of options, so that if something does go wrong with one application, then another may give you the cover you need.
Also, don’t feel like you have to settle for a policy.
If the cover is too expensive then often there are government schemes available that can help redress the balance, and help to bring the costs of excessive charges on health insurance down.
3/ Get covered on your spouse’s Work Policy
Even if you are currently unemployed or self-employed and having problems getting cover, then one option that is open to you is to get covered on your spouse’s policy.
This can often have the advantage of being cheaper than arranging your own individual Tennessee Health Insurance, and also that you will find it easier to be accepted.
The truth is that usually you can find a way to get covered for health insurance in Tennessee, and it is well worth doing so, because it not only provides peace of mind, but also protection against the huge financial burdens that a bout of illness can bring.
