Understanding How Health Insurance Companies Determine Premium Rates
Monday, July 19th, 2010 by adminWhat determines the premium rates of health insurance quotes? A number of things determine this. Examples include your age, sex, location, occupation, pre-existing conditions, and lifestyle choices. Remember, the health insurance industry follows a business model. Their goal is to increase profit. To do this, they charge premiums based on statistical information.
Age is an important factor in determining how much a person will pay for health insurance premiums. Older people are more prone to illness and injury. Insurance companies consider this and charge a higher premium in these cases.
As mentioned, sex is important in determining premiums as well. Over a lifetime, women generally need to receive more treatment than men do. Imagine how much it would cost insurance companies for a woman to give birth multiple times. Men generally pay a lower premium as a result.
Pre-existing conditions are another factor in determining premiums. If you had an illness before, an insurance company may determine it's likely you'll get it again. The possible cost of treating you in the future drives up the cost of your premium.
Lifestyle choices are another issue when it comes to determining premiums. Smoking or overeating to the point of being extremely unhealthy is a bad idea if you want to save money. These things will bring up the cost of your premiums. This is because the cost of treating these types of people are very high.
Your occupation determines the cost of your premiums as well. If you're in a dangerous profession, you should prepare to pay higher premiums. This is because they'll have to cover the cost of treating you if you're injured. This is why police officers generally pay more for their premiums than people who work in the office.
The type of insurance you have also determines premium costs. Group health insurance usually has lower premium rates than individual plans. This is because if insurance companies cover an individual that is ill, the cost is higher than that of a group. Groups are more likely to contain at least some members that require little health care. This will bring down the cost of premiums. Also, managed care plans have lower premiums than traditional health insurance plans. This is because traditional health insurance plans have more doctors and services available.
Keep in mind that health insurance premiums are among the biggest source of revenue for health insurance companies. Also, beware of the business model that insurance companies follow. Like many businesses, they profit-driven. They want to make more money through premiums than they pay out in benefits. In order to make profit, insurance companies will use statistical information to determine your premium. Remember this when searching for health insurance quotes.

