Maternity Insurance|Maternity Care|Postpartum Care

A tubal reversal or tubal ligation is a procedure that surgically corrects and reconstructs the fallopian tubes of the female reproductive system for purpose of conceiving. The procedure is performed by a credentialed surgeon who is considered an accomplished specialist in his or her field with proficiency to restore functional capacity of fertility. There are basically three standard operations utilized in the medical community to accomplish this reconstruction which are displayed prominently in media including implantation, anastomosis, and a salpingostomy. All variations of correcting the problem are operationally invasive, inherent in risk, relatively expensive, and elective thus not usually covered under normal circumstance by health insurance, or is it?

Why Is Tubal Reversal Usually Or Normally Not Covered By Insurance?

A medically underwritten plan for an individual would require an exclusionary benefit period for a prolonged duration of time while reinvesting the monthly premium at regular intervals to earn sufficient return on invested capital hence funding the operation. The median average claim expenditure for Tubal Reversal Ligation surgery can run anywhere from $4,500.00 to $10,000.00 depending on several factors such as history of female complications, age, height, or weight and with just one person to pool this risk the cost of covering exceeds the insurers return on investment by a wide margin. The second reason is the fact that very speculative complications can occur during the course of operating such as excessive bleeding, infection, anesthetic casualty, damage to nearby organs, and risk of ectopic pregnancy all which would only exacerbate the claim cost expenditures and cause negative asymmetries in the medical loss ratio costing a fortune for the insurance company.

Exceptions To The Rule.

Group insurance benefits are unsurpassed in the arena of coverage and most often commercial insurance carriers write experienced rated policies instead of medically underwritten benefits to cover these procedures which are offset by factoring the premiums of the business enterprise as a whole. Simply put, with many employees paying monthly premiums there is financial leverage to provide this as a covered expense. Some states are required by federal mandated law to honor payment for Tubal Reversal Ligation if they do in fact cover maternity regardless of the provisions stipulated within its contractual arrangements with the insured. As a matter of fact, The National Infertility Association has addressed them by state including Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Texas. The caveat is there are certain loopholes in regards to evading or meeting such requirements such as not all carriers being required to offer maternity related coverage's.

Applying for Tubal Reversal Insurance.

Our company Health Insurance Buyer will assist you in locating such coverage from carriers like Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana, and Aetna to name a few insurance companies as well as help you locate reputable providers that perform the aforementioned services such as Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center, Center for Fertility and Gynecology, or Atchafalaya Obstetrics and Gynecology as an example. Once our health insurance agency has identified a carrier for you in your respective geographical area which provides coverage for these special infertility treatments and helps you apply for these benefits, there are some steps you need to take. We will need to make sure you request and obtain your operative notes and pathology report from the original physician or hospital where the sterilization was performed validated by date of service. Also needed are birth date, current address, height, weight, and maiden name along with any other names or information that may have been used at the time. Recent evaluation for testing of Pap smear, Cervical Culture, Blood Count, and Obstetrical Panel will have to be up to date for clearance. Last but not least, upon remitted claim submittal special attention has to be made to make sure the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) diagnosis code for bilateral tubal occlusion is billed as 628.2 and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) procedure code for tubal anastomosis is billed accordingly as 58750 for maximum allowable reimbursement.

Are you seeking an infertility cure or get pregnant quick and naturally guide?

For those who have been planning to have a baby for a couple of months or years without results, you may well be serious about reading an infertility cure ebook. This is a far less expensive choice, than say, proceeding straight to a fertility consultant.

The issue with fertility doctors is that they can be extremely expensive, and their fee isn't often covered by insurance. They may suggest medicinal drugs which have awful adverse reactions, or you could possibly choose to undertake invasive IVF operations. In any event, you can actually throw away lots of useful time and cash, and have completely nothing to point out for it.

Fortunately, there exist an infertility cure e-book which DOES guarantee success. It is referred to as Pregnancy Miracle, and it is part of a total package of ebooks that centers on everything connected to fertility and pregnancy. You will understand the most effective ways to become pregnant - that is, what time of the month, what positions you should utilize, and many others.

Moreover, this eBook clearly shows why your daily diet may be adding to your infertility. As you will get to know, the over-processed, fast foods that are well-known these days have excessive preservatives and chemicals to be digested adequately. In contrast, raw, natural fruit and veggies will boost your metabolic rate and enhance your energy.

More often than not, changing to an organic eating plan can have remarkable effects on your chance to become pregnant. So how can this infertility cure book guarantee a pregnancy? Easy! If you don't become pregnant within twelve months of purchase, you can actually return the Pregnancy Miracle and obtain a full refund. This risk-free guarantee is something you'll never see made available by fertility professionals.

So in addition to the book's awesome low-cost, it is also almost risk-free. This makes the Pregnancy Miracle the best guide now available in the fertility industry. As infertility cure books go, it is the most in-depth and holistic guide to fertility on the market.

Lastly, in addition to the Pregnancy Miracle, you will obtain various free added ebooks in the series. A baby name guidebook is included, which consists of a large number of names, meanings, and origins from just about every country on earth.

Additionally, you'll get a pregnancy guide that will assist you to prepare once you are expecting your baby. And because exercising is indeed essential, the package also contains a comprehensive guide to yoga, which is possibly the best activities for women that are pregnant, due to it's less impact nature along with stress-relieving tactics. Could it be that Pregnancy Miracle is the best infertility cure book on the market?

Madrid is the capital of Spain and could very well be considered the financial capital of Southern Europe. The city has many tourist attractions such as several world famous art museums, some Catholic churches and numerous historic buildings. Madrid has many world-class hospitals in both public and private sectors. These well-equipped health care facilities offer the service of English speaking staff and accept all major health insurances. The following is a summary of some famous hospitals in Madrid.

Hospital de Madrid situated at Plaza Conde del Valle de Suchil 16, 28015 is one of the leading hospitals in Madrid offering high quality health care service. This modern private hospital is operated by the Hospital de Madrid Group - a renowned health care service provider of Madrid. It has a spacious outpatient section featuring well-equipped departments in all medical specialties. It also has specialized units for digestive diseases, pain management and various types of surgery. The surgery section is equipped with modern devices and facilities. The emergency department is well equipped with a defibrillator, blood banks and easy access to laboratory. The Intensive Care Unit and Coronary Care Unit have specialized doctors and nurses. The analysis laboratory is capable of performing every hematological, microbiological and biochemical test due to its automated equipment. The pathology and cytology laboratories are also well equipped. Telephone: 34 914 47 66 00

Hospital Universitario La Paz is the most popular public health care facility in the city. The hospital is located in the north of Madrid at Paseo de la Castellana, no. 261, 28046. This large hospital has an area of 180,000 square meters and is made up of a general hospital, a maternity hospital, a children's hospital and a hospital of traumatology and rehabilitation. Hospital Universitario La Paz offers quality medical service to more than a million patients each and every year by employing 7,000 staff members. Hospital La Paz offers a very large number of health services as well. This sustainable hospital has implemented many environmental management policies according to the international guidelines of ISO 14001. Hospital La Paz has units in all specialties of medicine including dental care.

As we mentioned in previous articles, infertility is defined as inability of a couple to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. It effects over 5 millions couple alone in the U. S. and many times more in the world. Because of unawareness of treatments, only 10% seeks help from professional specialist. We have spent most of the time in this series discussing the conventional and Chinese medicine in treating fertility. I believe, it is the best time to change the subject by discussing how to treat infertility with Chinese herbs--dodder seed.

I. Definition
Dodder also known as tu si zi in traditional Chinese medicine, is a genus parasite plant belongings to the family Cuscutaceae. It has been used in strengthening the kidney and liver function.

II. How dodder seed effects fertility
1. Kidney yin deficiency
Kidney yin is vital to balance the kidney yang caused by prolong period of time in taking hot, spicy food as well as sexual stimulating herbs or medication. deficiency of kidney yin causes qi imbalance, resulting in lessening the chance of quality sperm production.

2. Liver
It is said that dodder seed also helps to improve liver function in fat and protein metabolism, resulting in strengthening the cells of the nervous tension, thereby reducing the symptoms of fatigue, dizziness and emotional and physical stress.

3. Spleen
Spleen is vital in regulating insulin production as well as assisting liver in carbohydrate synthesis, thus decreasing the risk of fluctuation of blood sugar, leading to symptoms of diabetes, causing thickening of the blood and effecting sperm count.

4. Water retention
It is also helps to improve the kidney function in urinary extraction, hereby decreasing the risk of water and fluid retention.

5. Blood stagnation
Beside helping to strengthen the liver in carbohydrate metabolism, it also increases blood flow to the reproductive organs, thereby, reducing the risk of blood stagnation in the abdomen and increasing the chance of fertility.

III. Side effects
There is no known side effect if not overdose.

If you are searching for work, it is likely that you will, at some point, consider some form of temporary work. It is, therefore, important to know the different kinds of temporary employment.

Contract Jobs

Contract jobs are positions that meet some specific purpose and usually for a specific time. For example, a company may need additional computer people to install and test a new software program. When the new installation is complete, the need is fulfilled and the job ends.

In general, contract workers have some specific skill the company needs so contract jobs generally pay fairly well and may even pay somewhat better than comparable full time positions. On the downside, contract workers are not eligible for company benefits. You have to cover your own costs including health insurance.

Finding contract jobs is not a problem. In fact, many of the positions offered are contract jobs and many companies indicate that they are using contract positions both to meet temporary needs and to "try out" potential employees to determine if they are a good match.

At least some of the contract jobs you locate are offered by staffing companies. Some staffing companies specialize in some area such as accounting or computer services. If you take a position through a staffing company, you actually work for them and they pay your salary. If you work through an agency, you may be eligible for health insurance and a 401K through the agency at group rates.

Some contractors are independent. In general, it takes a good bit of experience and a marketable skill to be an independent contractor. In addition, you are responsible for your own taxes as well as health insurance and retirement.

Temporary Jobs

The difference between contract jobs and temporary jobs is probably rather arbitrary, but, in general, temporary jobs require lower level skills. For example, a bank may hire several contract workers to process mortgage loans during an unusually busy season and hire a large number of temporary workers to scan mortgage documents into the computer system.

Temporary workers are generally screened by an agency and accepted by the company. Contract workers are often, but not always, individually interviewed by the company and several applicants may be considered for a position.

Finally, temporary work can be for as little as a few days or as long as several months. For example, a person with secretarial skills may be hired to replace a secretary who is on vacation for a week two or one who is on maternity leave for a few months.

Finding temporary jobs is fairly easy. You need to apply at two or three staffing agencies. You will be interviewed by the agency and screened for any skills they consider necessary. Remember, this is a job interview so make an appointment, show up on time and properly dressed, and bring your resume and any references you have.

If you are applying for temporary work, your schedule should be very flexible. You may be called for a job on short notice.

Freelance Jobs

Freelance work is only discussed here because it is often lumped in the contract work. The main difference between contract work and freelance is that the freelance worker is always independent and usually an independent business person.

That means that a freelancer provides their own workspace and all the necessary tools. In addition, they probably work for several clients at a time.

For example, a freelance writer may provide web content for one client, a printed newsletter for another, and ad copy for a third.

Freelancers are more commonly, but not always, associated with the arts. They are writers, graphic designers, web designers, etc. People who do things such as interior design may work in much the same way as freelancers but are not usually called freelancers.

Finding freelance jobs can be easy depending on your skills and background. While many freelancers work online and get jobs online, word-of-mouth is equally important. Freelancers, in addition to the basic skill they are selling, also need to learn marketing skills, time management, customer service, basic bookkeeping, and other basic business management skills.

Vitamins and supplements for pregnant women are essential to get extra amount of folate and other necessary nutrients for the healthy development of the fetus during the entire term. Due to the growing acceptance of herbal products, a lot of pregnant women are inclined to select these types of supplements. For one, they might have already been taking one type of herbal supplement for an existing condition while others might be taking it to alleviate the physical discomforts that come with pregnancy. However, not all herbal supplements should be taken as they might cause possible side effects on the baby.

Quinine. Quinine is present in a lot of drinks such as tonic water. This is commonly utilized because of its somewhat tart taste. It was discovered that a woman who took over a liter of water everyday when she was pregnant caused the baby to suffer from withdrawal symptoms upon birth. The baby demonstrated nervous quivers a day right after it was born which slowly dissipated after two months. For this reason Germany's BFR (Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) cautioned women against taking quinine drinks while pregnant and that quinine drink should be classified as a medicinal item.

Ginseng. In a recent study at the Chinese University of the Hong Kong Prince of Wales Hospital, over 20 active ingredients of the ginseng plant was discovered to be present in a number of supplements. On an experiment conducted on rats, they have confirmed that pregnant rats that were given the active ingredient had abnormal embryo growth and consequently caused some abnormalities on the development of the fetus.

Of course, the effect on rat embryo and human embryo may not be exactly the same. However, this study shows that ginseng has an active ingredient known as ginsenoside named Rb1. Ginseng contains more than 20 ginsenosides each of which causes dissimilar effects.

There are some encountered complexities when researching on active components of herbal medicines because the herbal extract as a whole may not have the same total effect compared to a single component. The main explanation for this is that the active ingredients simultaneously work with and against each other. This is also one of the reasons why the procedure was not tested on women and thus will not have a definitive conclusion on the real effect of ginseng on the development of a human embryo. Just for safety precaution ginseng should be avoided during the first three months of pregnancy or as the proponents of the study recommends, at best for the entire period of pregnancy. We are not saying that ginseng is a hazardous substance as the findings were very based only on initial studies and more research and studies has to be conducted to get a solid conclusion.

Ginkgo Biloba. This is another supplement that is recommended not to be taken by pregnant women. Studies done at Wayne State University in Detroit discovered that one of the components of ginkgo biloba which is an alkaloid called colchicines in the placenta of a woman who has been taking the supplement. While Colchicines has medical value as an anti-inflammatory, taken in large doses can cause death. Still other studies found out that colchicines can negatively affect fetal development. The complication that can happen when taking ginkgo biloba is that colchicines is not expelled out of the body but rather stays and builds up in the womb just like taking in coffee excessively. The researchers made it clear that the study did not solidly established that ginkgo causes problems in the pregnancy; rather, they only observed the concentration of colchicines in the womb.

Why do insurance policies pay for men to buy Viagra but won't pay for birth control for women?

This is a very common question that touches on what seems to be  sexual discrimination on the part of health insurance companies.

It helps to understand that not all policies follow the same rules. Mostly, it's a matter of the kind of coverage you have.

Group health insurance plans, the kind a business buys as a benefit for employees, are likely to pay for the birth control. Individual plans, that people buy directly from the insurance company, are not.

Group plans will cover maternity, so preventing pregnancy is helpful in keeping costs down.

Individual plans only offer maternity coverage if you choose the maternity rider and pay extra. If you don't pay the extra premium, the delivery costs won't be paid by the insurance company anyway, so they don't save money by paying for birth control.

In addition, individual plans are medically underwritten, meaning that not all applicants are accepted and the pricing for those who are accepted varies from one person to the next.

Rates for underwritten policies are affected by an applicant's status regarding factors such as age, weight and whether the applicant takes medication. The insurance company charges more for people who take medications because the costs of paying for that person's medical expenses will obviously be higher than for someone who does not take medication.

So, even if the individual plan did cover birth control pills, the policyholder would probably end up paying more than the birth control pills are worth.

It is also true that insurance companies commonly will only pay for services that are "medically necessary". While some may argue about whether Viagra or Cialis are medically necessary, erectile dysfunction is, by definition, a condition where a normal biological function is not working properly. Ovulation, on the other hand, is totally natural. Not a dysfunction at all.

So, while gender discrimination is still all too common in the world, it is not the real the reason for this  apparent unfairness in health insurance.

Making Decisions about Maternity Insurance Plans

Personal health care insurance policies that cover maternity expenses including OB/GYN and the high expenses for new baby ward tend to be much more expensive than similar policies that do not don't consider pregnancy expenses a covered expense. Some of our policy holders pay as much as four hundred extra every month for coverage for pregnancy costs.

Maternity Insurance: When should you add or drop coverage?

In a perfect world, you should be able to add maternity coverage just before you conceive and drop it the day after your final visit with your post pardum visit. However the issue of pre existing conditions and unplanned pregnancy can make your choice of when to change to another health insurance plan more difficult.

Pre-existing Conditions and Pregnancy Coverage

Pregnancy insurance cannot necessarily be added or dropped at any time. If you want to save money by eliminating your maternity coverage and buying a health insurance coverage that does not cover the medical expenses you incur because you are pregnant, you may have a tough time if you have a medical condition. This is also the case when you want to move to an insurance plan that covers maternity. A current pregnancy is considered a preexisting health condition Therefore, if you are pregnant when you apply for your policy or on your policy's effective date, you will be turned down by most private ,medical insurance companies.

A Maternity Insurance Strategy

Many families will do better when they buy with separate policies. Often a plan that will cover maternity will have other coverage which they will find unnecessary. Often the wife should get separate health insurance plan than her husband and the rest of the family.

This works well for most families. However, larger families will usually do better when they purchase one healthcare. Other factors sometimes make a difference. A good personal health insurance broker should be able to help you decide which option is best for you and your family.

Should you buy Maternity Insurance Now?

Not knowing when or if you might have an unplanned pregnancy and when or if you will develop a medical issue which thereby makes it impossible to get an underwritten medical insurance plan makes that a difficult question to answer. I hope that the the article you are reading makes it easier to make an informed decision. Without the ability to know the future, making a perfect decision is not possible.

It is almost foolish to go abroad and not have a visitors' medical insurance. The reason is simple. The costs of the country you are visiting might be relatively higher than your home country. Your medical coverage doesn't extend to foreign countries which means you are practically without a medical insurance when you are abroad.

With higher chances of falling sick in a new country, one is adding lot of unpredictability to their budget by not taking up a visitors medical insurance which is available from a small time period of about 5 days to a long duration of up to 1 year.

If you are a student studying abroad, especially in a more expensive country, you might find it hard to get financial air and private loans for your studies itself. Adding your medical costs will be a huge burden.

An international student health insurance plan has many benefits at very low premium. Different types of students like research scholars, exchange program members and full time and part time students have different discounts.

An international student health insurance plan offers coverage with monthly payments and more than suffices for all the requirements of school and government.

The student plan enables coverage as huge as $300000. Besides this, students also get coverage for prescription medication which means they do not have to worry about going to doctors for preventive measures and suspecting illnesses.

Coverage for Sports and Pre-existing conditions - Two major benefits

The international student health insurance is valuable because it provides coverage for pre-existing conditions as well which is usually not available for most other policies. Similarly sports benefits and accidental injuries while playing sports are also covered which is a huge plus for the students.

This plan has other benefits too. That includes the ability to renew the plan and also manage the plan online. The application process is very simple and hence the policy is available very soon. There is a waiting period of 12 months on pre existing conditions, though which might differ from the rules of the school.

Other Benefits

If you have an international student health insurance plan you need to pay a deductible of only $100 which gets halved in the health center for students. The student also gets around $350 for every injury or illness in case of hospitalization. Else the student receives a sum of $100 for injury.

Students also get 50% of actual charge for medication through prescription. The international student health insurance plan also includes maternity and newborn care if conception of the child is one a date after the coverage's effective date. This also includes costs due to pregnancy complications or miscarriage expenses.

The insurance plan is very good for students especially because it covers sports and also minor health problems involving dental issues or mental issues.

These considerations e.g. pregnancy and complications during that period make the insurance plans suitable for students and are very beneficial for a minor cost of around $30 per month which most students can afford.

Every penny counts in this day and age, and getting the most out of your earnings as a contractor is now more important than ever. Joining an umbrella rather than an agency payroll can offer a number of benefits and help you save money in the long run.

Tax efficiency.

Administrative assistance in dealing with taxation issues can save a lot worry for the contractor. An Umbrella Company can give you the assistance you need, leaving you free to pursue your professional talents, and help to avoid some late nights too.

Joining an umbrella payroll can also help you make the most out of reclaiming on-the-job expenses which may be difficult or even impossible if you are engaged as an agency employee instead.

As contractor accountants Umbrella Companies can make sure that you are meeting all the right tax obligations and will arrange for tax contributions to be taken out of your pay and handed straight over to HMRC.

Moving on to an umbrella payroll can give you the benefits of acting as part of a limited company without the responsibilities, administration costs or extra hassle. As specialist contractor accountants Umbrella companies can also help you to deal with smoothing out any problems with IR35 legislation.

If you choose to operate under an umbrella you will still need to pay income tax, Employee and Employers National Insurance contributions, under the PAYE system. However your Umbrella Company should be able to help you get tax relief on some of your expenses and legally save money on your taxes in the long run.

There are other benefits of working for an Umbrella Company too, such as holiday, maternity, paternity and sick pay based on your rate of earning, helping you to deal with both the planned and the unexpected. However, you will not always qualify for these payments, so you should check with the company of your choice.

To join an Umbrella Company you will usually have to pay a small regular fee through periods of work. Costs will very from company to company.

Working as a contractor can be very rewarding, giving you more autonomy to choose when you work and who you work for, as well as offering more flexible working hours. An Umbrella Company can give you the assistance and support that you need to help you through some of the more difficult issues of self-employment and allow you to focus on what you do best as a contractor.

It has been the tradition for contractors to refuse efforts to make them into regular PAYE employees. Contractors enjoy additional earnings and a more flexible working schedule (should they choose of course) However, they haven't had the same benefits given to full time, permanent employees. That is where an Employee Benefit Trust (EBT) steps in. Umbrella companies offer statutory benefits to contractors, which include:

• Holiday pay


• Maternity and paternity leave benefits


• Statutory sick pay commensurate with regular employees


• Guaranteed minimum wage or above and minimum weekly hours


• Redundancy payments


• Contractors may have no employee rights with their clients, but an umbrella company (EBT) that genuinely employs its contractors provides the full range of employee's rights.

All umbrella companies are not the same. The Pay As You Earn (PAYE) model sees the worker as an employee for income tax purposes. The agency deducts National Insurance Contributions and income taxes before payment to the contractor, even though the contractor isn't an actual employee. Other companies claiming to be umbrella companies provide the contractors an employee benefit trust paid into an offshore account. Neither offshore accounts nor agency PAYE models may give contractors employment rights. Many companies offering EBT style solutions claim to save contractors money.

Legitimate umbrella companies such as Parasol, Equity Incentives, Streets LLP, etc., which do provide an "actual" employment model for their contractors, follow all employment benefits specified by statute. They are usually members of recognized trade bodies and regularly pass vigorous membership compliance requirements. Those companies under trade body membership, provide contractors ongoing holiday pay.

Legitimate umbrella companies act as a "regular" employer. Now when a contractor needs a mortgage reference, he has a company that can give one, and an HR department to process the request. Support for grievances and disciplinary procedures are also provided if questions come up between the contractor and the client.

Quality employee benefit trust companies have stringent requirements for their contractors. This ensures that the contractor hasn't gone beyond expense limits with past clients or left tax bills unpaid. After working with an umbrella company for a period of time, that company will increase minimum payments to the contractor at times when they aren't in statutory redundancy pay or in a contract.

Reputable umbrella companies make benefits available, provide stability, and support for the contractor that regular contracting doesn't. This arrangement still offers higher earnings and a more flexible schedule than a permanent, full-time job. The contractors needn't worry about office politics, or fighting for the next promotion.

California has the nation's richest pregnancy and maternity benefits. Four separate laws combine to provide up to seven months of partially paid, job protected leave should the need arise. But the partial pay of 55% means a 45% pay cut during this time. You can better survive a seven-month job hiatus by purchasing supplemental disability insurance before getting pregnant.

Four separate California laws combine to create up to seven months of job protected, partially paid leave. The California pregnancy disability protects your job for up to four months before your delivery should you experience complications. The CA Family Rights Act provides a fresh set of twelve weeks (nearly three months) of job protected leave after your delivery. The California State Disability Insurance (SDI) and Paid Family Leave provide partial income replacement during your pregnancy disability, and maternity leave.

Both the state disability and paid family leave provides a maximum of 55% income replacement up to a hard dollar cap of $987 per week in 2010. At minimum you will be facing at least a 45% pay cut during this time. If your income exceeds $93,316 annually, you will hit the hard dollar cap and your pay cut will exceed 45%.

Seven months at a 45% pay cut can severely damage a family finances, especially when the additional expenses of feeding, clothing, and raising a newborn get added into the picture. Purchase supplemental short term disability insurance before getting pregnant. Your normal labor and delivery will be a covered benefit, and you will close the gap on your big pay cut should the need arise for seven months of missed work.

If you have ever applied for health insurance while pregnant then you have likely had to ask your insurance agent, "Why is my pregnancy a pre existing condition?" Read on to get some guidance on what you need to know about pre existing conditions, pregnancy, and finding health insurance while pregnant.

Can You Get Health Insurance While Pregnant?

Usually if one becomes pregnant without medical insurance then they are not eligible for insurance coverage until after the pregnancy. There are some situations where someone who is pregnant can buy health insurance after they are pregnant but generally speaking if one chooses to get pregnant without maternity insurance or even regular medical insurance then they will stay without insurance until they have the baby.

Why Can't Someone Get Health Insurance During Pregnancy?

The reason why expectant mothers cannot purchase maternity insurance (and why even when one does purchase maternity before being pregnant and there are waiting periods) should be pretty clear when you consider the analogy of car insurance. Just like someone cannot go without car insurance coverage and then total their car in an accident and purchase comprehensive collision coverage after the fact to pay for the already totaled car one cannot wait until they are pregnant and then decide to get pregnancy insurance. The responsible thing to do is of course to buy a maternity medical plan before getting pregnant just like the responsible thing to do is to buy car coverage before getting in an accident and not after the fact.

What Options are Available for Those Who are Expecting?

While pregnancy is considered a pre existing medical condition just like other things that will will in all likelihood require medical attention there are still some options available for those who are already pregnant and without insurance. Discount plans, community medical care, and prepaid hospital plans are all things to consider.

If you are not yet pregnant then be sure that you find great maternity medical insurance ahead of time so that you can be covered. If you are already pregnant and without coverage then don't despair because although you are not in an ideal situation there are still options available to you.

Infertility is an expensive condition. Precisely because finding the right infertility treatment and infertility tests for you and your partner entail long and numerous procedures. Before infertility can be diagnosed, one will be required do undergo a fertility work up, which includes physical exams, medical history review, and laboratory examinations. These procedures are often complicated and are too specific that they would require specialized care. Understandably, the costs of these examinations and procedures will amount to a lot of money.

Most couples who have been diagnosed with infertility would choose not to pursue treatment due to the ballooning costs. A typical IVF procedure will cost about 4,000 USD, excluding IVF drug fees. As both partners will require a unique fertility assessment and fertility plan, fertility clinics would offer individualized treatments and procedures. These fertility packages are designed to address specific requests and meet specific budgets.

Speak with your fertility specialist regarding packages to help you maximize your insurance coverage. Don't hesitate to ask your employer if infertility is covered by your insurance plan.

FINDING THE RIGHT INFERTILITY INSURANCE

A medical insurance on your infertility treatments will prove to be a huge help, should you decide to pursue the treatments. However, Infertility Insurance is quite limited and its availability is even dependent on the state you live in. There are some states that mandate infertility insurance coverage. Under this mandate, your state requires insurance providers to provide infertility coverage as part of their plan. Other insurance companies will provide this option at a very reasonable price.

Infertility insurance ideally covers for fertility diagnosis and treatments including IUIs, IVFs, and artificial insemination and assisted reproductive technological procedures. As insurance providers vary their coverage, some would cover for diagnosis and treatments, some for diagnosis alone and others for both but with restrictions.

In some states, like California, it is mandatory that both are covered, with the exception of IVF. In Illinois, a more comprehensive insurance coverage is available, covering your consultation trips to specialists, diagnosis tests and treatments up to four (4) IVF procedures.

Most employers include infertility in their choice for medical insurance policies and would be able to tell you the exact coverage and the limitations of your particular plan.

If you are still looking for an insurance company to cover for your medical needs, make sure that you keep the following tips in mind:

• Read about your state's laws and requirements about infertility insurance coverage. This way, you would be armed with enough legal knowledge whether specific treatments are to be included in your policy.
  
  
  
  


• Make sure the insurance plan you are looking into will cover consultations, diagnosis procedures and some treatments, if not most treatments.
  
  
  
  


• The insurance premiums that you would be required to pay would not be too costly.
  
  
  
  


• Check if the insurance will cover directly for the costs or if they have provisions for refunds.

Infertility treatment may be a long and expensive process, but if you find the right insurance coverage for you and your partner, you would certainly be better able to fight it out.

Your fertility centers will help you find the right treatment packages that will suit your needs and your budgets. Most fertility centers will provide you with free counseling and advice for these.

Today, studying is not just about reading through books and scanning your notes for possible answers to possible questions. Although each students have their own techniques on how to study, they usually end up on the wrong end of the stick and would rather study at the last hour before the exam. To correct such routine, these tips will help you study better.

Always study when you are at your sharpest time of the day. If you are a morning person then study in the morning when you wake up or at least have had your breakfast. If you are able to concentrate more during mid-day then do study during the mid-day.

In studying, there are certain aspects that need for you to get by. One such is comfort. Always choose the right chair and the right table. An uncomfortable chair will distract you from your learning process.

While you are busy jotting down notes for you to study, keep everything that is not connected to your studies away from the table. They will only distract you from studying and would most likely cause you to skip studying and straight to leisure.

The mind can only take so much information in a single hour so at the very least try to take some break every hour or two while studying. It will help get off some steam inside your skull making room for more information to store.

Always study at the same time and at the same place. Our body is used to having routines that once it is out of its elements, it will have to adjust again to accommodate the comfort levels of our body. If you keep on switching places to study, the body will have difficulty coping up with different environments taking your focus off from studying.

Recite items as you study to give you a better idea of what you are talking and studying about. Reciting what you have just learned makes the brain more familiar with the concept and more likely to permanently remember it. Sure you can jot down notes to help you remember but the best way for your brain to store information is when you verbalize it.

Always get enough sleep when you are at your studying period. The more you let your mind and body rest the more you will be able to accommodate more information and the sharper your mind will get if it gets enough rest.

Buying health insurance as a family is like sitting around the coffee table putting a puzzle together. But instead of one possible outcome, the pieces can fit together to make an album of finished puzzle pictures. The strategy, however, is no different. The key to completing the puzzle is to find the corner pieces or flat-sided pieces so you can fill in the middle accordingly.

The corner pieces to your health insurance puzzle represent the make-up of your family. How many members are there and what is your budget? A Family Health Insurance plan can start with just two people. It is very common for a party of two or more to purchase a "Family" health insurance policy assuming their will be value-added benefits in terms of cost and coverage. In fact, the opposite is usually true. The overall benefits might be greater when you split the plan up if your family has three or less members.

Often times a family policy for two people can cost more in monthly premium than two separate policies combined. Plus, the deductibles and limits per person don't change. A family of three will be somewhat similar. A family can really start to save money on purchasing a plan together when there are four or more members because the monthly premium stays the same after three family members and the combined yearly deductible can decrease.

The flat-sided pieces to your puzzle represent the needs of each family member. Some health insurance plans are more appropriate for males and others are more appropriate for females. Plans that don't include maternity benefits can cost much less in monthly premium, often have low or NO deductibles, and can usually only be purchased by an individual. Some of these plans are even appropriate for women because they have an "escape clause" that allows the member to slide into a high-deductible maternity plan should she become pregnant.

How does your puzzle look now? It is time to fill in the middle and complete your puzzle. The final piece to this puzzle is your health insurance agent. Your puzzle's picture can change from year to year and your agent's job is to help you solve it.

By Erin Fish

Agent/President

EMF Insurance Agency, Inc.

erin@emfinsurance.com

www.EMFinsurance.com

EMF Insurance Blog

(866) 601-8790

In Vitro Fertilization or simply known as IVF is the medical process wherein healthy viable female egg cells are fertilized by male sperm outside of the female uterus. Because of some condition, such as infertility, non-viability of sperm or uterine conditions, the would-be parents cannot conceive a child in the normal manner.

The procedure involves control of the female hormonal processes and harvesting the ova from the female from the woman's ovaries. Then, the male sperm is also harvested. These two essential building blocks are introduced in a fluid medium under idealized conditions in order to foster fertilization. Once an egg is fertilized, the zygote or fertilized egg is reinserted into the woman's uterus to begin and foster a successful pregnancy.

Though the process may seem simple enough, the costs of idealizing conditions outside of the uterus to induce fertilization is quite steep. The average cost of one IVF cycle is between US$12,000 and US$20,000. Lower prices may remove some of the hormonal treatment designed to ensure better chances of successful fertilization.

While this cost for one IVF procedure may already seem steep, there are other additional IVF procedure options available at an additional cost. These include direct injection of the sperm unto the egg, which is an additional cost of at least $1,000. The genetic testing of the embryo once fertilization is successful costs an additional $3,000. If the uterus is considered as uninhabitable for the proper development of a fetus, then this is where the greatest cost for an IVF procedure can be made.

If the sought pregnancy were to be outsourced, then aside from the actual IVF procedure would add more costs. Egg donors would cost anywhere from $25,000 to $30,000 per cycle. Sperm donors are less expensive, costing anywhere from $200 to $3,0000 or anywhere between $13,000 and $17,000 per IVF procedure cycle.

As can be seen, IVF procedure seems to be simply putting an egg cell and a sperm cell in a Petri dish but there is more than that. There are the dollars cost which can easily reach the tens of thousands of dollars for each try to fertilize an egg and then return it into the uterus. This is not just the actual cost for the would-be parents. Other costs include drug therapy, stress and other intangible costs that are experienced in chasing the hope of having a child of their own. Despite the dollars and cents cost, undergoing IVF procedure in order to have a child would be well worth it once you see your bundle of joy develop inside the womb.

When you hear that one of your admin staff is pregnant, your first thought is usually one of joy and congratulations, shortly followed by a realisation that you'll have to cover their maternity leave - which can be anything up to 52 weeks. You could just as easily be faced with covering a father's paternity leave, although at 2 weeks, it's no worse than a vacation. Maternity leave is much more of a problem.

If the job you have to cover is important, then you will need a solution that maintains the quality of work. Hiring a replacement on a short term contract often takes too long - hiring period, notice period and training period included - and Agency Temps are expensive and not always satisfactory. Temps have a reputation for inconsistency, being disinterested and not delivering. You need someone reliable and committed, who can slot into your business quickly and do a good job.

The third option is a Virtual Assistant. In recent years, many women have set themselves up as Virtual Assistants, a new breed of home worker equipped with Broadband, PC, Phone, and Printer/Copier/Fax. Many quickly find it too difficult, only to give up and go back to regular job, but others establish a credible business and offer an ideal solution for maternity cover.

If you are looking to cover an extended period of maternity leave, the following sections should help you to better understand the Virtual Assistant option, what questions to ask and what to expect.

What you stand to gain

Let's start with the benefits of hiring a VA. In addition to instant maternity leave cover you get:

• An experienced PA or Administrator


• A ready trained person


• New skills and ideas


• Holiday and sickness cover built-in


• Efficiency, you only pay for hours worked

What managers like most, is that an experienced VA is "ready to go". They have all the essential office and IT skills needed, and will pick up their work quickly and effortlessly. Better still, they need little supervision because they are self-motivated and take pride in the quality of their work. Managers find it refreshing that they simply give instructions and work gets done. It's how management ought to be.

An added benefit is that managers get to see what the true work content of a job really is. Because VAs time-record and only charge for the work they do, the manager instantly gets a picture of staff productivity (less the down-time, breaks and chatting). If anything, this tends to raise their expectations and the standards of permanent staff.

Selecting the right VA

Finding the right VA for maternity leave cover requires careful consideration, but once you've found her you have her for this and any other situation that arises in future - you'll be an important client, so she'll always be there when you need her.

Here are a few things to consider during the selection process:

Web Search:- Finding a VA is easy using Google - there are 100s of them - you find them in online Business Directories like Free Index, and specialist VA Directories.

Long List:- Qualify 5-10 possible VAs by assessing their credentials, based on the quality of their website, qualifications, clients and the strength of their online presence

Short List:- Aim for 3-5 good candidates, but first, start your assessment by speaking to them personally by phone, and look for hidden clues in the conversation;

• Are they confident and comfortably knowledgeable?


• Do they exhibit the telephone skills you'd expect?


• Do they listen and ask intelligent questions?


• Are they tuned-in to "clients" or "tasks"?


• Are they on-the-ball and organised?

Proposals:- Only if they tick all your boxes, ask for a proposal. Focus your evaluation on their understanding, approach, skills, IT support, team and capacity to deliver.

Charges:- Most VAs will charge around 瞿20-25 per hour pay-as-you-go, but you should look for a discounted Retainer Rate, if you can predict the workload.

When looking specifically for maternity leave cover, take a moment to think about where else they might fit when the employee returns to work. This may prompt you to look for a wider set of skills.

For more information on selecting a Virtual Assistant, I can recommend an online article about "Hiring Virtual Assistants" by Alex Shalman, Personal Development Coach.

If you would like to find out more about Office Lifeline cover for maternity leave and other long term absences, feel free to pitch a question at the author.

Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa and is the legislative capital of the nation. This harbor city is recognized as one of the 10 most beautiful cities in the world by Forbes. Cape Town is regarded as the most popular tourist destination in South Africa by virtue of its natural setting, architectural heritage, well-developed infrastructure and beautiful beaches.

South Africa has the most well developed health care sector among the African nations and some of the world class hospitals of the country are located in Cape Town city. These hospitals, especially private hospitals are offering facilities of international standard. For a visitor, it is better to have health insurance when seeking treatment in these hospitals.

Below given is a short note on some of the leading hospitals in Cape Town.

Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) is the most well known academic health centre in Cape Town and is situated on the slopes of Devil's Peak in the Cape Town city, South Africa. This world class, government aided tertiary care teaching hospital was established in 1938 and Dr.Christian Barnard conducted world's first human heart transplant in this institution. This is the major academic hospital of the University of Cape Town and provides high quality health care services in all branches of medicine and is particularly well known for its trauma unit, internal medicine, Neurosurgical centre and anesthesiology departments. Groote Schuur is an internationally-acclaimed research and teaching institution that attracts many foreign medical students and doctors every year. The hospital has separate infertility clinic with all modern facilities. The healthy and safe environment offered by the hospital is noteworthy. Phone: +27 (0)21 404 9111

Panorama Medi-Clinic situated at Rothschild Boulevard, Panorama, Cape Town, 7500 is another reliable hospital in South Africa. This 386-bed modern hospital is owned and operated by the Medi-Clinic Corporation, one of the largest private health care providers in the world. Medi-Clinic Corporation operates 43 private hospitals in South Africa and 2 in Namibia. Panorama Medi-Clinic Cape Town operates in a multidisciplinary fashion and employs eminent doctors and nurses in all major departments to provide world- class clinical and surgical service. This well equipped hospital was established in 1986 and later opened two special units of global standard, the Heart Unit and Oncology Unit in 1995 and then Endoscopy special Unit and neonatal critical care Unit in 1998. The hospital is well known for its carefully planned design, modern operation theaters and successful management. This is a favorite hospital among the foreign community and the hospital has special section for international patients where the visitors are provided with luxurious accommodation with all facilities like pharmacy, coffee shop, hair dressing, restaurant etc. Phone: +27 (0)21 938 2111

Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital is the most reputed children's hospital in the sub-Saharan Africa and is situated at Rondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. This 300 bedded modern hospital in public sector was founded in 1956 and has affiliation with the University of Cape Town's School of Child and Adolescent Health, University of the Western Cape dental school and the Stellenbosch University. This well equipped referral hospital offers world class medical service in pediatrics in a cost effective manner. This is also the most well known center for pediatric medical and surgical training. The hospital has many notable achievements like doing the first child heart transplant in 1990, the first double transplant of liver and kidney in 1997 and the first living related liver transplant in 2002.

Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital is another well known hospital in Cape Town that provides high quality medical service in accordance with the international standard. This 100 bed modern hospital in private sector is situated at Waterville Crescent, Sunningdale Blaauwberg.The hospital employs eminent doctors in all departments and provides the latest medical and surgical facilities including a maternity unit, neonatal intensive care, pediatrics, an emergency unit 3 operation theatres, a renal dialysis unit, an adult intensive care unit, radiology and trauma unit. Their accident and emergency service are well equipped to meet any unexpected situations and the helipad provided in the hospital serves easy access for all medical emergencies. This hospital was founded in 2007 and is particularly well known for its patient centric approach and warm and caring environment. The hospital is keen to keep a high nurse - patient ratio to assure maximum personal care and offers comfortable stay for the patients and their families. Phone: +27 (0)21 554 9015

Mystery shopping is a unique way for consumer-minded companies to receive useful feedback on products, services, and other aspects related to shopping from the perspective of an end customer. Companies use mystery shopping efforts to remain in touch with their key shopping demographics, and as a way to evaluate/determine the things that work and those that need improvement.

Through a variety of different avenues, companies can largely achieve the benefits of having mystery shoppers work for them at a negligible cost to their bottom line. That is, compared to the cost of hiring full-time, in-house personnel to perform mystery shopping duties or having other employees spend part of their valuable time carrying out that task.

Most mystery shoppers are targeted by companies as individuals in key demographic areas - for instance, a cosmetics provider might put out classified ads for females aged 18-30 for mystery shopping opportunities in various department stores with a large cosmetics section. Being that mystery shoppers are a unique mix of a type of focus group, and an 'undercover agent' of sorts, there is a certain amount of training involved for creating ideal mystery shoppers.

Depending on the data being observed by companies, mystery shoppers could be trained to focus on identifying ways to improve customer service, examine product quality, or evaluate marketing efforts. Above all else, though, mystery shoppers are valuable because of the 'real consumer' aspect they bring to such an effort, therefore training is generally as easy as a simple conversation detailing the things to notice while shopping.

Unfortunately due to an increasingly large amount of scam organizations using the 'mystery shopper' opportunity as a ploy, many companies are finding it harder to find qualified shoppers without making a significant investment towards displaying legitimacy. Most businesses use temp agencies to staff their mystery shopping needs, unless the project is particularly unique (i.e. shopping for maternity-related items).

In those rare cases where the project requires a specific shopper for the best results, companies generally turn to marketing research firms, private investigators, and even insurance companies who specialize in mystery shopping. This of course drastically increases the upfront price for services rendered, but ensures that a company will get the best quality while avoiding timely and expensive risks.

Today's mystery shopping rates wildly vary depending on how economically-stable a particular market has fared during the economic recession. Generally-speaking, shoppers expect to earn at least $25, and as much as $150 per shop without taking into consideration any extra benefits (i.e. free/reduced-cost meals and/or merchandise, length of assignment, amount of detail in evaluation, various expenses, etc.)