Facts About Health Insurance in Utah
- Unemployed people in Utah can stay protected with special health insurance plans.
- Utah’s Premium Partnership for Health Insurance (UPP) works with COBRA to help you pay your monthly insurance premiums.
- Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is special health insurance for your children.
What is Health Insurance?
Health insurance provides medical coverage and long-term financial protection for you and your family. Most people have insurance through their employer, but many people opt for and individual or family health insurance plan.
Health insurance in Utah is taken very seriously, with recently enacted Bills intended to make sure no resident of Utah goes without some kind of health insurance. Utah’s health network is designed so that residents of Utah can make informed decisions about their health insurance benefits.
The Utah Health Exchange (http://www.exchange.utah.gov) has a network of nearly 200 participating health groups, covering more than 4,500 lives with health insurance. They are currently working to cover more residents of Utah.
DID YOU KNOW??? Health care reform has been the Utah State Government’s top priority since 2005!
How Do I Get Health Insurance if I am Unemployed?
The national unemployment rate is at 8.5% and many families are living on tighter budgets. Many are struggling to make payments on their monthly health insurance premiums.
The Utah State Government and the Utah Health Department offers health insurance for all Utah residents in a number of ways.
Consider joining your spouse’s health insurance plan. This is typically the most affordable option, if you act quickly. Typically, there is a 30 days grace period between losing your health insurance and signing up for your spouse’s health insurance.
Consider COBRA. The federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) allows for individuals to retain health insurance coverage for 18 months after they have left their job. Most health insurance companies in Utah have joined forces with COBRA and can help you pay your monthly premiums. In most cases, you have 60 days to elect for COBRA coverage.
Research state-sponsored programs such as Medicare or Medicaid. You may be eligible for state-sponsored health insurance in Utah.
Purchase a private health insurance plan. This is by far the best way for you to have total control over your monthly premiums and overall coverage. You can go online to find cheap quotes and ask the health insurance companies to match the quote. Keep hunting until you get the cheapest health insurance premiums for the best coverage.
How Can I Keep My Monthly Rates Low?
Health insurance rates cause the most people the most amount of problems. People struggle to make their monthly premium payments, only to discover that they don’t have the coverage they need right when they need it the most. Here are a few ways for you to find the coverage you need:
- Find cheap insurance quotes online. This way, you can show your health insurance company that another company will give you a better deal. They might match it, or offer you some type of discount. Find cheap insurance quotes online as often as you can to stay up-to-date.
- Schedule and annual check-up. If your health insurance company sees that you are taking care of yourself, your premiums will most likely decrease.
- Stay in-network. You can avoid nullifying your health insurance by staying within the health network and accepting your doctor’s referrals. Deviating from Utah’s health network will void health insurance and you will have to pay out of pocket. Visiting a private clinic, going overseas for treatment, etc. are examples of what health insurance in Utah will not cover.
