There are many options when it comes to life insurance. Let our qualified professionals at Page help you choose the right plan for you.

Your Independent Agent is an advocate for finding health insurance that meets your specific needs. Here are a few things to consider as you prepare for the discussion:

What kinds of health insurance are there?

There are essentially two kinds of heath insurance: Fee-for-Service and Managed Care. Although these plans differ, they both cover an array of medical, surgical, and hospital expenses. Most cover prescription drugs and some also offer dental coverage.

1. Fee-for-Service
These plans generally assume that the medical professional will be paid a fee for each service provided to the patient. A doctor sees patients of their choice and the claim is filed by either the medical provider or the patient.

2. Managed Care
More than half of all Americans have some kind of managed-care plan. Various plans work differently and can include: health maintenance organizations (HM0s), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and point-of-service (POS) plans. These plans provide important health services to their members and offer financial incentives to patients who use the providers in the plan.

What is long-term care?

Because of old age, mental or physical illness, or injury, some people find themselves in need of help with eating, bathing, dressing, toileting or continence, and/or transferring (e.g., getting out of a chair or out of bed). These six actions are called Activities of Daily Living sometimes referred to as ADLs. In general, if you can't do two or more of these activities, or if you have a cognitive impairment, you are said to need long-term care.

Long-term care isn't a very helpful name for this type of situation because, for one thing, it might not last for a long time. Some people who need ADL services might need them only for a few months or less.

Many people think that long-term care is provided exclusively in a nursing home. It can be, but it can also be provided in an adult day care center, an assisted living facility, or at home.

Assistance with ADLs, called custodial care, may be provided in the same place as (and therefore is sometimes confused with) skilled care. Skilled care means medical, nursing, or rehabilitative services, including help taking medicine, undergoing testing (e.g. blood pressure), or other similar services. This distinction is important because generally Medicare and most private health insurance pay only for skilled carenot custodial care.