How to get low income health insurance in Virginia
It happens with majority of low income families—they usually try to avoid having a health insurance policy or miss making premium payments and therefore have their policies lapse. Even if a member of a low income family is employed, he/she stands lower chances of getting group health insurance provided by the employer because mostly high-paying employees are offered health insurance.
The condition of a low income family is very confusing—if they are not employed,
they get benefits offered by the government of Virginia. However, if they get some employment, which however does not allow them to pay premiums, they are not even provided public benefits. In such a case, it becomes utterly important to know how to get low income health insurance in Virginia, as there are some options available that can suffice.
To start with, a consumer should get in touch with an insurance agent and ask to find a suitable health insurance policy that has lower premium rates that are affordable. At the same time, contacting the insurance department of Virginia is also an option. The department does maintain a list of cheap premium health insurance policy providers.
Apart from this, some options that would be useful to low income families are:
1. Medicare or Medicaid Policy: This is a type of insurance provided by the government. The policy itself is financed equally by the federal and the state governments, but the policies are maintained by the state governments. These policies cover low income group individuals, children and senior citizens, especially citizens above the age of 65. However, there are some eligibility conditions to get insured under these policies, like if a consumer does not have American citizenship, he/she can’t avail this policy; the assets along with the income would also be considered while reviewing the low income status of an individual. But overall, these policies make one of the best choices for low income health insurance plans in Virginia.
2. Health Savings Account (HSA): HSA is like a saving account where money is deposited and can be used in case of healthcare needs. It works in tandem with High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). The savings from that account is used for over-the-counter medicines, prescription, visit to the physician, etc.
3. Mini Medical Insurance: This is a low income insurance plan and is quite suitable for families having low income status in Virginia.
4. Low Income Health Insurance Companies: As mentioned in the beginning of this article, there are some low income health insurance companies in Virginia, which are listed with the insurance department of the state. The plans offered by these companies offer packages that do not pay for regular checkups but provide care in case of an accident or major illness.
5. State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP): If a low income family has children below the age of 19 years, S-CHIP plans would be a very good option. The simple eligibility for qualifying for this plan is the gross family income, which should be less than $40,000.
