Is Discount Health Plan Good?

Many discount health plan or discount card sellers claim that they can save members a lot of money and provide great convenience for health care. It is confusing in a way that discount health plan looks like a new kind of health insurance plan and it can provide better medical services at a lower price. In fact, a discount health plan is not a health insurance plan. It is completely different from a medical insurance plan. It is true that discount health plan members don't have to pay insurance premium. But they have to pay member fees. Members will get some discount in return if they show their member cars at plan providers. It is said that members can save a lot of money while they still get good services without buying a health insurance plan. But it is not true in most cases. Let us do some comparison:

Monthly Payment - Discount plan is much less than insurance plan. That only make sense if one doesn't use it at all.

Doctor visit - Discount card holder will get some discount. But the payment after discount for a doctor visit is probably still much more than a insurance policy holder's copayment. Also payments for Office visit vary from doctor to doctor. One can still get a good discount from some doctors even if he or she doesn't have any health plan.

Deductible - There is no deductible for discount health plan. Some medical insurance have deductible. But a discount card holder has to pay most of the bill from the beginning. A insurance policy holder doesn't have to pay anything after deductible.

Limit - A insurance program has limit which is the total amount that a insurance program can pay annually. Usually the amount is enough to cover all medical expenses. A discount health plan doesn't have any limit. This sometimes sounds good but actually not. Foe example, one operation costs $50,000. The discount plan saves 50% discount which is $25,000. The patient has to pay the rest $25,000 while he only need to pay e.g. $5,000 deductible if he has a insurance plan. It is obvious that a insurance holder pays much less. The bigger the bill, the more a discount card holder need to pay.

So it doesn't make sense to buy a discount dental or health plan to save money. I would rather buy a cheap insurance policy to save money and to cover most of my medical needs. There is an easy way to find a good health insurance policy. Just go online to use a good insurance search tool. It is easy and quick. Folowing are some good online tools:

Insureme
eHealthInsurance

What you need to do is just typing in your personal infomation, your basic reqirement like primium payment, deductible, copy etc. Then the tool will find best insurance plan for you with a lot of options. All participating insurance companies are big and trusted insurance carriers.

For auto, home, life insurance, following are  the best search tools which are free to use:

US auto insurance online
US home insurance online
US life insurance online

Is Discount Dental Plan Good?

There are many websites that sell discount dental plans. A discount dental plan is not a dental insurance. Members don't have to pay premium. But they have to pay member fees. Members will get great discount in return if they show their member cars at plan providers. It is said that members can save a lot of money while they still get good services without buying a dental insurance. There are a lot of other advantages according to some online promoters. Following is a comparison between discount dental plan and traditional dental insurance:


DISCOUNT DENTAL PLAN Characteristics Include:
No limits - plan members have discounts on most dental care services all the time.
Quick activation - activate within a few days
Less paperwork - members just need to show their discount dental plan card at a participating dentist office
No health restrictions
Select plans include discounts on dental specialties, including cosmetic dentistry and orthodontics
Available directly to individuals, families, businesses and groups

DENTAL INSURANCE Characteristics Include:
Limitations, deductibles and annual maximums
Waiting for major dental procedures
Time-consuming claims process
Certain dental services are rarely covered
Consumers pay expensive premiums

Looks like there are a lot of benefits. But the key question is: Does the money worth it? My personal experience and my common sense tell me no. My family used to buy some similar discount health plan. It was not expensive, only a few hundred dollars a year. But it doesn't save our money at all. Some doctors or dentists usually give some discount to one who doesn't have a insurance. And they couldn't give additional discount any more even if you are a member of a discount plan.

The money for a doctor visit varies a lot depending on doctors. Some doctor visits cost much less money than others even one doesn't have any discount dental plan membership. So it doesn't make sense to buy a discount dental or health plan to save money for me. If you really wants to save money, try to find a good doctor or try to find a good insurance plan online. You don't need a agent. It is easy, quick and free. Following are some reliable health insurance tools from my personal experience:

Insureme
eHealthInsurance

What you need to do is just typing in your personal infomation, your basic reqirement like primium payment, deductible, copy etc. Then the tool will find best insurance plan for you with a lot of options. All participating insurance companies are big and trusted insurance carriers.

Best Insurance Company Review

How to find a good insurance plan quickly? Just go online to compare. It is simple and easy to find best deal. Following are the best free health insurance tools from my personal experience:

insureme
eHealthInsurance

What you need to do is just typing in your personal infomation, your basic reqirement like primium payment, deductible, copy etc. Then the tool will find best insurance plan for you with a lot of options. All participating insurance companies are big and trusted insurance carriers.