You’ll often find in antenatal classes that the teacher will be very confident in telling you that “the role of the birthing partner is very important”. And that’s where they often stop; no tips, no advice, just the statement that you are very important! So if you are so important, how do you know if you’re doing your ‘job’ correctly or if there is in fact a ‘job’ for you to do as your partner breathes deeply and focuses on her contractions?

It is true that a birthing partner’s role is very important, but not essential. A woman can safely give birth without a ‘team’ around her and would often be much safer to give birth alone in privacy. If a woman decides to have you with her for the birth of her baby it is essential for the health of both mother and child that you understand and carry out your role effectively.

The three main things to remember about your role as a birthing partner is to

stay relaxed

become invisible and

keep the space safe

I will explain each one of these in turn.

Staying relaxed during the birth of the baby is as much the role of the birthing partner as it is for the woman in labour. If you are feeling anxious, irritable, restless, worried or aggitated, excited or even hungry you will increase your levels of adrenaline (the fight or flight hormone that raises your blood pressure and gives you a boost of energy). Adrenaline is a very contagious hormone, the effects can produce responses in those around you. During labour, if anyone has adrenaline pumping through them it can mean, for the mother, that it is not safe for her to give birth and so labour may slow down or even go backwards. Oxytocin, the hormone responsible for labour contractions, will decrease or not be released if adrenaline is in the body. It is possible for a womans’ cervix to contract from fully dilated to 7, maybe even 6cm if the situation is not safe for her and baby. Sometimes the baby will not come down the birth canal and labour suddenly stops if there’s too much tension and adrenalin in the room.

So how do you relax when you’re about to become a father, grandfather, grandmother, aunt or uncle? Read a book, try and sleep or practise meditating are all great ways to relax during childbirth. Leaving the room if you’re feeling anxious is the best way to unwind and relax. You’ll greatly benefit your partner if you are not present at times when you’re not coping with the situation so you can regain perspective and come back feeling refreshed and calm. Try and stay away from tea and coffee during the labour (especially because the smell of coffee can be very strong) as these drinks increase your adrenalin.

The first stage of labour, where the woman’s body is opening and stretching to allow the baby to come down far enough for her to start pushing, is very boring for those who are not feeling the contractions. The contractions will come and go at five to three or less minute intervals which can go on healthily for over 24 hours. If you cannot find a way to relax through this phase of labour you’re going to have a very uncomfortable wait! Childbirth is about being patient and relaxing into whatever unfolds for however long it takes. Practise relaxation and being still on a regular basis for at least four weeks before the baby is due.

Becoming invisible during the whole of the labour is essential for the birth of any mammal. Farmers and vet’s know full well that openly watching a sheep, horse or cow during the birth of their infant will cause major problems to the health and bonding of the mother and the baby both during and after the birth. The same is true for humans. All mamals need privacy during birth because an animal that is being watched during such a vulnerable time means that there is a predator around and will increase adrenaline levels in the mother allowing her to stop or slow down the labour so as to fight or run.

When in the birthing room with the labouring woman try and find a discrete corner to sit in out of the way. She will often hide her face or close her eyes which is great. Try not to interupt her or get her attention while she is doing this. Do not openly watch your partner or tell her how she looks/ sounds/ appears as this will get her brain thinking and cause her to come out of her ‘animal’, meditative state. However much you want to talk to your partner about how things are going try and refrain from doing so. The only reason you’ll be doing this is for your own good and will not help her. If she wants to talk try not to encourage her by getting into conversation with each other. Conversation will get her out of the relaxed and meditative state her body will naturally put her in to. Answer any questions with very simple positive language and a kind smile.

Sometimes during labour, a woman who’s in her ‘animal’ mind (the best way to increase the hormones and have a great and easier labour) will say and do some strange things. Talking gibberish and making strange noises and movements are great and you can rest and relax knowing that she’s labouring really well. Remember to stay invisible and do not comment on any of this behaviour.

Keeping the space safe during the labour and birth means a lot more than making sure cables are out of the way and the birthing pool water is the right temperature. Keeping the space safe means ensuring that the birth process is respected and kept uninterrupted. By being invisible and relaxed you are keeping the space safe. By ensuring the rest of the people in the birthing room are doing likewise is also keeping the space safe. Many midwives and doctors either don’t know or don’t understand the true birth process or don’t see the importance of keeping it in tact.

Interrupting the simple process of birth by watching the labouring woman, trying to get her thinking and answering questions, making comments that will make her feel self conscious, self pitying or fearful, keeping the lights bright or trying to get her to change positions and coaching her to breathe or push will all have a negative impact on the ease of the birth. Having a foetal monitor strapped to the labouring woman is also a source of observation and acts in the same way as someone sitting infront of her staring. Ask if it is possible for the midwife to use a dopler (a hand held instrument that listens to the baby’s heart beat) as this can be much less intrusive. The baby knows when it is being observed and may become distressed with a constant machine monitoring him/her.

It is your job, as the birthing partner, to ensure that there are only the essential people in the birthing room; the woman in labour, a midwife (not necessarily all the time) and yourself (also not necessarily all the time). Obstetrician’s sometimes like to come in to introduce themselves. You are allowed to ask them to leave or request that they do not enter the room if everything is going fine as the more people in the room the less privacy there is and the birthing woman should be left to relax and focus on herself and the baby. The more a woman in labour is able to focus purely on herself and the baby, the quicker and easier the birth. Your role is to create the space for that to happen.

As an add on to your role, the birthing partner acts as a voice for the labouring woman. It is therefore important that you know your birthing woman’s details (e.g. postcode, date of birth, national security/health insurance details), her medical history, allergies, time difference between the contractions, her birthing wishes (natural birth or types of medication or intervention she does/doesn’t want).

So, make sure that you are well fed, well rested, calm and happy to be in the birthing room. That is your job, nothing more and nothing less. By understanding the true importance of doing very little during the whole of the birth process you will be the best partner you can be and will know that the birthing woman is having the best possible chance for a natural and enjoyable birth.



By: Samantha Thurlby-Brooks

If you have any permanent health problems, such as type 1 diabetes, or have had cancer at one time in your family history, your monthly health insurance cost could easily be more than the house and car payment combined. If you have always had a health insurance benefit where you work and especially if you were a state or federal employee and now need to buy your own, you may not be able to afford the level of coverage you used to have. You want to know what to look for in a good but low cost health insurance.

There are many different plans available today in the US. And low cost health insurance is definitely available – if you know where and how to find it. Health insurance is simply the coverage of medical claims of an individual, against the medical costs.

Many people don’t realize that people without health insurance have bad teeth because, if you’re paying for everything out of your own pocket, going to the dentist for an exam seems like a luxury. It’s important to know what you need to look for in a good plan, so when you’re looking for cheaper insurance, you want the lowest cost per year that will fit into your budget of course.

Buying insurance online is one way to save money because the insurance company saves money because they don’t have to pay an agent a commission; this could mean as much as 10% to 15% savings for you. You can charge your payments to a credit card for online insurance which means you probably aren’t going to forget about a payment and ever be without insurance and still gives you another 30 days before you actually need to pay. Although it increases your risk, one way to lower your costs is to ask for a higher deductible; if you’re in good health you’ll more than likely come out ahead, barring the unforeseen accident etc.

One big advantage of buying health insurance online is you can easily change your coverage, deductibles, or payment options with just a few clicks of the mouse rather than going through any paperwork delay with a local agent. In case your doctor decides that something is a medical necessity and it’s not covered under your current plan, the insurance company may exercise its discretion in paying for it, but don’t hold your breath. And heart-attack victims who don’t have insurance are less likely to receive angioplasty. You want to avoid having to face a $100,000 open heart surgery without any health insurance at all.

Your local agents may only be able to offer what they have available to them and not be able to offer you what’s best for you both financially and health-wise. And, of course, every other country in the industrialized world insures its citizens; despite the extra hundreds of billions of dollars we spend each year, we leave forty-five million people without any insurance at all.

Also there are several providers that offer cheap health insurance with low cost premiums for single people. People who have pneumonia and don’t have insurance are less likely to receive x-rays or consultations. One of the most important things to remember is that finding low cost health insurance is realizing that the main purpose of any insurance policy is to protect you from major medical financial losses, not to protect you from spending small amounts of money on doctor visits.

Online agents can help you submit any insurance claims necessary; you don’t need a local agent. Another way to lower your cost is to eliminate any coverage that you’ll not likely need such as maternity coverage.

Another way you might look for low cost insurance is to ask your doctor for suggestions. Cheap or low cost health insurance does mean a lower price and in some cases a lower quality, but the price may be more important to some people than the quality of the health plan.

To sum up: for people without pre-existing conditions or other complicating factors, a simple health insurance plan with a high deductible may be appropriate. There are many options online. Finding the best plan does not simply mean looking for the lowest premium but it means fully understanding all of the costs that are involved in your policy. So taking out insurance with higher deductibles and spending a little time online comparing quotes from at least five or more companies, will help you find the best low cost health insurance.



By: Helen Hecker

With so many people considering switching themselves, or some, or all family members from their employer sponsored group health insurance plans to personal individual and family medical plans, there are some things that first need to be considered.

Understand that there are major advantages and disadvantages, even some risks inherent to both options the decision to take a family member off of group coverage should not be taken lightly.

The advantages are immediately obvious. The savings on premiums are often significant. The average monthly insurance cost (varies by Zip code – and has probably already increased before the metaphoric ink on this page dries) for a healthy Californian single person is $139/mo. Family premium is, on average, $357.

Typically, employers charge their workers hundreds of dollars more than that for their contributory share

Another advantage of leaving your group plan and choosing individual or family health insurance is that with the latter you have choices. You can opt to cover only what you choose, while saving money on options you consider unnecessary. With private insurance you can choose the deductible, the copay and eliminate anything anything from the plan which you consider superfluous, thus saving a good deal of money.

One other factor in favor of opting for a private plan is that your coverage is not dependent on where you work, or even if you have a job. The coverage is yours. A dissatisfied employee can leave his job any time and not worry about the loss of coverage for himself, or his family. Your employer can move his whole company over to a third world nation and you’ll still be covered, as long as the premium is paid on time. This is not the case with employer sponsored group coverage. There, when you leave an employer, you also leave your insurance behind.

If private, individual, or family health insurance sounds appealing, there are some major issues you need to be made aware of before making the decision. First and foremost, not everyone is accepted in private plans. Preexisting conditions may excluded from coverage and many conditions render a person “uninsurable” altogether to private companies.

Private companies also “rate” their coverage based on age. While coverage may be affordable when the policy is first issued, the age-based increases can render it beyond a persons means. You should review the costs annually.

Private health insurance may be less comprehensive than group health insurance. You are likely to find that some conditions and treatments (such as maternity) once covered are no longer and copays you had taken for granted with group are no where near the value of your group plan. Dollar for dollar your group plan may go farther, but you need to decide how far you need to go, what is important to you and what you can afford.

No matter what your priorities, your decision should not be made alone. You should enlist the help of a trained professional who can spotlight the advantages, disadvantages and potential risks of each path.



By: Richard Bronstein

do you know about your health insurance policy? If your company provides your health insurance then you probably know just about as much as most people. You know the doctors to use and how much you have to pay before the insurance begins. For those that purchase their own health insurance policy, then you have very different situation.

The cost is the first difference that most people notice if they switch from a group plan. When your employer offers health insurance, the cost is usually a lot lower if the group is large. One for the reasons is that they spread the risk the risk among a large group of people. The second includes the fact the cost of billing is lower because the company does the collection of premiums. The biggest reason for the price difference is that the employer pays part of the premium or all of it in very rare instances.

Frequently the coverage is broader in a group plan. The individual health plan seldom contains dental, prescription and eye care. The deductibles are often higher in an individual health insurance plan and coverage more limited. Often well baby care, wellness care, including physicals and smoking cessation and maternity are not part of the policy. Many employers discovered long ago how to keep costs down and increase coverage and you can do the same thing when you buy your health insurance policy.

Health insurance policies vary widely so you have to make some decisions about the type of coverage that you want. Do you want one that just covers major medical, the services of a hospital and outpatient surgery, or do you wand coverage that picks up the expense of doctors and routine physicals covered? When you include additional options and get a more comprehensive health insurance policy, the price goes up. Insurance company calculates the premium by presumed expense. They expect to pay more, because more people use the doctor and wellness care, so they increase the price accordingly.

Another way that companies keep the cost of the health insurance policy low is to use Health Maintenance Organizations, HMO’s. The doctors and hospitals in the group agree to a discounted charge, so the insurance company reduces the amount they charge the company. These types of plans are also available to the individual and create a cost savings without cutting corners. Often there is a co-pay for doctor’s visits and hospitalization and a few extra perks are in the package.

A final way to reduce the cost of a health insurance policy is to increase the deductible. The higher the deductible, the lower the cost. Many companies use a partial self-insure to reduce the cost. The insurance plan covers everything but has a huge deductible, about $5000 per individual. The company then starts a side fund that covers those smaller claims so the employee only pays a small deductible. This type of plan is also available for the individual. It is a combination plan where some of the monthly payment goes into a savings account used for upfront expenses. This account belongs to the individual and receives tax-free growth as long as you use it for medical expenses. The payment for up-front bills comes from the savings. Once you reach the chosen limit, a much lower cost health insurance policy takes over. These plans are great for healthy individuals.

When you compare health coverage, look for a plan that suits your needs and budget. Check the reduction of premium as you increase the deductible and, even if you don’t have a MSA, set the savings aside to cover the additional out of pocket. Study your health insurance policy as the corporations do and you save on one of your biggest monthly expenses.

By: Jon Arnold

In choosing the best insurance for you and your family, you will need to take into consideration some things. Each insurance company offers different things. If you can answer a few questions, you will be able to make a great decision about which insurance coverage is better for you. Take the time to research each insurance company and it will pay off for you.

The first thing to do before looking into insurance coverage options is to sit down and make a list. This list should contain all the things you want covered by the health insurance you choose. You need to understand that the most coverage for your money is best. If you wear glasses or contacts, think of how much you can save by including this in your insurance. Make sure that not only are doctors visits and fees are covered but you will need to ensure that hospital stays, room and board, and anything associated with surgery is covered. You never know when you may need these.

Also, if you plan on having a family, you need to make sure that your health insurance covers maternity. This can get costly with each baby. The final thing you need to add to the list will be for prescription drug coverage. You can really pay a lot of out of pocket expenses for medication. Since you are paying for health insurance, why not have it pay for medication as well. Once your list is finished, the task of looking for a health insurance provider will be narrowed down significantly by the fact that if a health insurance provider doesn’t offer what you want, you can move on to the next coverage. It’s that easy!

If you already have a favorite doctor, you will also need to make sure that he or she can be covered by any health insurance you choose. Some insurance will tell you who you can see and who you can not see. Make sure that if you want to choose your providers, you get health insurance coverage that lets you do that.

The final thing to look at with health insurance companies will be the price. You need to carefully consider what you are getting for what you are paying. You want to get everything on your list for the best price possible. Do you want low payments but maybe a higher deductible? Do you want a low deductible but consider higher monthly payments? Once you have considered all the factors here — the list, the provider choices and the price — then you should be able to cover you family with the best coverage for you.



By: Quamrul Polash

Buying a private healthcare policy can be a stressful experience for those who have always been insured by their company’s health plan. I’ve specialized in helping my clients locate quality health insurance for well over ten years now and have been an insurance broker since 1985. I’ve outlined the process we use to help our clients find the right plan for their needs.

The 3 areas we focus on are affordability, quality of coverage and the strength of the insurance carrier.

Insurance carrier- Your health insurance company should be stable financially and have a history for paying claims.

Quality of coverage – The medical coverage must meet your needs. It should cover doctors, hospitals, labs and prescriptions. It should also have doctors and hospitals in their networks that are close to your home.

Price- Your medical plan must be priced competitively relative to the benefits provided.

The basic process we use is to:

Determine which private medical companies are worthy of being considered.

Determine which choices offered by those health care companies offer proper coverages

Determine which insurance plans have the lowest overall cost relative to the health insurance benefits provided

Health Insurance Companies

An individual healthcare provider should have good financial ratings and be in good standing with your state’s insurance department. You may also want to do a web search for complaints.

You might search for “Mega Health complaints” before buying a policy from that or any other company. All healthcare company has some unhappy customers just by virtue of the volume of clients they have. However, a red flag should go up in your mind if there are too many complaints.

Another thing to be concerned with is how much they pay in benefits as a percentage of the premium they take in. A good company will write checks for about 80% of the money they take in to cover their clients’ healthcare procedures.

Level of Protection – What does your health insurance plan cover?

There are 2 aspects of coverage. One is the treatments that are covered. The other is the network’s list of physicians that the insurance policy includes.

Covered Medical Procedures

You should read through your insurance plan’s outline of coverage or official brochure to see how doctors, hospitals and prescriptions are covered. Your healthcare policy should cover you in both the doctor’s office and the hospital and should have a good lifetime maximum benefit. I suggest at least five million in coverage.

Healthcare Insurance Exclusions and Limitations

Most if not all health care coverage policies will have a list of procedures and services that they won’t pay for. Most of the items in this section are reasonable and are included in the plans of most carriers also. Policies usually won’t cover a nose job for example. There are are often exclusions that you may find in one insurance policy but not in others. Pregnancy coverage is one example of this. Generally plans will not cover the costs of a the birth of a child. The ones that do usually cost more when compared to otherwise similar plans that don’t cover maternity. The exclusions and limitations section of your policy or its brochure should be read carefully before you make your decision about purchase.

Health Insurance Provider Lists

Knowing which doctors are in your health insurance company’s network is crucial. You might be able to find a list of doctor’s who accept a given insurance plan on the Internet or by calling your health care insurance broker.

Cost – Finding the best low cost medical policy

It is easy to compare individual health insurance costs, but its much harder to ensure that you are getting good coverage for your money.

Comparing Health Insurance Plans

After you have ruled out the companies with poor coverage and/or networks, it is time to look at price as a factor.

The Best Health Insurance Coverage for the Money

The best medical insurance coverage, may not be the best plan for you. Often the best policy is overpriced and does not offer coverage that justifies the extra that it costs. Make sure that any plan you purchase is:

Provided by a good healthcare insurance carrier

Will cover your medical needs well

Fits your budget



By: Alston Ballkcom

The biggest concern for pregnant women who are not working is how to obtain health coverage. What are the solutions for them to get themselves protected financially during pregnancy? In fact, there are a few types of medical assistance they can get through the government as well as the private insurance providers.

First of all, let’s take a look at the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It is the federal law that prevents insurance providers to take pregnancy as a pre-existing exclusion for the health insurance. This applies especially to women who are switching to new jobs or new health plans. This law also forbids the employers’ group health plans from imposing a pre-existing exclusion for new staff who are pregnant.

Medicaid is a federal funded program for low income women and families. It provides health coverage for women who are currently pregnant. On the other hand, Maternity Advantage is a discounted health program that helps individuals and families to save health care costs up to 60%. This program is offered by a National Provider Maternity Network which covers doctor visits, lab work, sonograms, hospitalization fee, etc. AmeriPlan is another type of discounted program which enables the individuals and families to get 50% discount on the cost for hospital stays, lab work, physician services and other types of ancillary services. All the pregnant women are allowed to enjoy the benefits.

Caring for the mothers and babies during pregnancy is essential. If you can’t afford for an expensive health care plan, don’t be upset. There are many affordable medical plans waiting for you.



By: Jeslyn Jessy

Affordable health insurance – it seems, particularly today, those words just don’t belong together in the same sentence. Health insurance monthly premiums are becoming the biggest single expense in our lives – surpassing even mortgage payments. In fact, if you have any permanent health problems, such as diabetes, or have had cancer at one time in your family history, your monthly cost could easily be more than the house and car payment combined.

Shopping for affordable health insurance can certainly be an eye-opener. If you have always had a health insurance benefit where you work – especially a state or federal employee – and now have to buy your own, you may not be able to afford the level of health insurance coverage you have become used to.

Affordable health insurance, however, is definitely available -if you know how and where to look.

When you are looking for affordable health insurance, you want the lowest cost per year that will fit your budget, of course. But, even more importantly, you want a company that has a good record for paying without fighting with you on every detail. Just as there is a car for just about any budget, there is also affordable health insurance. You may not be able to afford a “Cadillac” policy – but then you probably don’t need all the frills anyway.

Shopping for health insurance on the internet is the easiest and best way to find affordable health insurance. Here are five reasons why.

1. You don’t need a local agent to help you submit the claims for health insurance. The medical provider does it for you. You save money because the health insurance company saves money by not paying the agent commission. This could amount to an 8% to 12% savings to you. 2. All the top health insurance companies are at your fingertips on the internet. Most local agents can only quote you from the few companies that they represent. They may not offer you what is best for you financially or health-wise but only what they happen to have available. 3. Health insurance companies have to be extremely competitive because it is so quick and easy to compare them with their competitors on the internet today. In the past you would have had to visit physically eight to ten agents to do a similar comparison. Most folks just didn’t have the time or desire for that. 4. You can change your coverage, deductibles, and payment options with just a few clicks rather than going through the paperwork delay with a local agent (and then finding out he/she made a mistake – more delay). 5. Charging to a credit card means you aren’t going to forget a payment and be without insurance. Also, it gives you another 30 days before you actually have to pay. Also, many companies today give an additional discount for “auto-pay”.

The key, however, to finding affordable health insurance is realizing that the purpose of any health insurance is to protect you from a major financial loss – not to protect you from spending small money on clinic visits and sliver removal. These small expenses may be cumbersome but they generally will not hurt you. It’s the $100,000 heart operation that will break you. That’s the financial disaster health insurance was originally designed to prevent.

Also, keep this in mind. Health insurance, as with any insurance, is a gamble. You are gambling that you will draw out more than you pay in. Your health insurance company is gambling they will pay out less. The odds are in their favor for two reasons. They have all the facts for millions of families to average out, so they know the risk in advance. Also, they get to set the rules and the prices. The higher you set your deductible, the more risk you take. This is not a bad thing at all. You will most likely be the winner in the long run.

Yes, finding affordable health insurance is much easier than most people think.

By adding more of the risk with higher deductibles, spending a little time on the internet comparing eight to ten different companies, and deleting coverage that you will not likely need (such as maternity for many people) will make it likely for you to find your own affordable health insurance.



By: Daniel Lesser

It is common knowledge that health insurance coverage is becoming increasingly costly and identifying the best and affordable health care insurance policy is proving to be a daunting task. If you choose to be without health insurance coverage, it could be financial ruin for you if you become seriously ill or meet with an accident. If you or your family members become seriously ill, you will need medical attention. Doctors and especially hospitals are very expensive to pay out of pocket and therefore the only alternative is to avail health insurance plans.

The health insurance plans of most companies generally cover annual physical check up, immunizations, maternity, routine office visits, specialist office visits, medications, in and out patient hospital visits including surgery, ambulance services, pediatric care, X-ray, blood and other laboratory tests and yearly testing services, such as, pap smears, mammograms, etc

Here are some of the pertinent questions that you need to ask yourself before you finally select the right health insurance coverage policy:

* How much can I afford as monthly premium?

* Will my employer pay totally or part of the health care insurance premium?

* Will there be a deductible to pay before full health insurance coverage begins?

* Will my doctor, lab and hospital offer service under the medical plan chosen?

* How much will I have to pay for out-of-network medical expenses?

* In case of a severe illness, what will be the total out-of-pocket expense?

Comparing the pricing structure of various health insurance covers is rather confusing with so many variables. Your employer may offer you a choice of insurance plans and it important to carefully consider your options before finally deciding which plan to opt for. It is important to find a plan that works well for you in all respects.

Learn to narrow down the choices and keep the costs for premiums, co-pays and prescriptions from straining your finances. The ideal way is to do a little research on your state’s insurance Web site to ascertain how to save money on health insurance and still obtain the coverage you need. A good web site will list all the health insurance companies available in your area, prices for both individual and family plans, and the cost-effective options your state offers. A pragmatic approach for you will be to make out a list of your top five priorities and show it to the broker or insurance company. This way you can quicken the process of selecting the right insurance company.

Finally calculate how much you will end up paying from each plan if the worse thing were to happen to you. If you have poor health, you will want to choose the plan that will cost you the least out of pocket expenses for the entire year. If you are in reasonably good health you may choose to go with the plan with the lowest premiums or you may opt to go the middle path.

It certainly is advisable to engage an insurance broker as his professional expertise can be a huge help. He will be able to readily identify a best-suited insurance company, negotiate favorable terms and select the plan to meet all your requirements. To find a reputable broker, check credentials with the National Association of Insurance Underwriters.



By: CharlesPeter

Despite access to the NHS, there are still many reasons for investing in private health insurance for you and your family.

Perhaps the most powerful reason is that when someone you love needs medical treatment, you do not want to be hindered by NHS waiting lists and bureaucracy. You may also end up incurring additional expenses by taking time off from work or having to arrange childcare with little notice when your appointment is confirmed.

A good family health insurance policy can put you back in control of your family healthcare. With good PMI, your family has access to quality care when it is needed. With the right policy in place, you will be able choose the time and place that most convenient for you.

Choosing the right PMI for your family requires some thought and exploration. Among the factors to consider are costs, benefits, coverage and your family needs. If you are looking for quality health insurance for your family, the following advice can help you find the best fit for your needs at the lowest possible cost.

1. Consider how much excess you can pay.

One of the most obvious ways to lower your health insurance premiums is to accept a higher excess amount. Rather than reducing benefits, you can reduce your premium by agreeing to pay more for your share of any medical expenses. If you can afford to pay the first of necessary care for your family, it can lower your premiums by as much as a year. Consider your family overall health when deciding on how much excess you can afford.

Most policies count your excess per person in your family. That means that if your son breaks his leg, you will pay the first , and insurance will cover the rest. If your daughter trips and falls downstairs a few weeks later, you will pay another for her care.

2. Consider your family needs.

Limiting options is another way to cut the cost of health insurance. Some companies offer plans that allow you to build a custom plan that is affordable for you. For instance, why pay for maternity cover if you do not plan on having more children? If your family is generally healthy, you can also opt for cover for accidents and emergencies, but choose to pay out of pocket for other treatments.

3. Limit your options.

Limiting certain options and treatments can also reduce your costs. Many insurers offer a restricted hospitaltion that is less expensive than typical PMI. By agreeing to use the hospital specified by the plan, you will save the company money and they will pass the savings to you.

4. Combining PMI with NHS care can save you money.

One unique plan offered by Norwich Union pays you if you choose to use the NHS. When you choose NU Fair and Square plan, you have the choice of getting eligible treatment on the NHS. If you do, you will be paid for your first night in hospital and for subsequent nights up to a maximum per annum.

Another option is the six week paln which enables you to agree to take treatment on the NHS if you can get it within six weeks. If you cannot, then your private health insurance will kick in. Choosing the six week option can cut your premiums in half.



By: Gareth Owen