The term discount, in discount health insurance, is a bit confusing to consumers. There are discount health companies, which instead of offering insurance to customers offer a discount on health services from participating providers, in exchange for low monthly fees. These discounts can be small or large and might be offered by doctors, pharmacists, dentists and others. The companies that offer these plans aren’t insuring people though; its more comparable to a Costco® membership. When people join Costco® they get access to its pricing, but still have to pay a certain amount to buy goods at the warehouse store.
People will find many discount health plans online. Any site should claim it is not insurance, and people should be extremely suspicious if a discount plan is marketed as discount health insurance. Also, any plan should allow people to look at lists of health providers in their area that honor the plan, to determine if enough people offer a discount to make the plan worthwhile.
Alternately, people may truly mean they want discount health insurance or low price medical insurance. This might also mean they want access to a health maintenance organization for a low price. There are several potential methods for achieving this and the first is to begin by investigating any plan offered by an employer. In most cases group health insurance will be cheaper than any other form; private insurance is usually more expensive by a significant amount and carries fewer protections for the insured. If a person’s company does not offer health insurance, it may be wise to start shopping around for an employer who does.
Some employers do offer discount health insurance or lower price insurance but employees may still not be able to afford it. Making minimum wage while trying to support a family can be difficult, and people might qualify for other assistance to get health care. In many states, children may qualify for discount health insurance through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which usually costs a small fee per month and then some very small copayments when kids need medical care. This is available only through income qualification, but if people are making fairly low wages, they may definitely qualify.
Those who make even lower wages may qualify in the US for Medicaid. This program is completely free and may prove an excellent help to those who meet income qualifications. Those with low income who are currently receiving Medicare might also get assistance from Medicaid to pay for their Medicare costs.
Those looking for discount health insurance through programs like Medicare may have a lot of choices too. One of the best places to look for these is on US Health and Human Services Department website. Another resource people may find useful is the American Association of Retired Persons, which may offer counseling on the type of insurance available to those receiving Medicare.
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