Why Dont Insurance Companies Reward Us for Being Healthy?


Insurance is always a gamble, a bet actually.

You are betting that you'll eventually get sick or hurt. And your insurance company is betting that you'll stay healthy.

If you stay healthy your whole life, but still pay into insurance, that's great for the insurance company. Actually, it's great for you too, because you got to be healthy for your whole life. But you still lost the bet.

So an insurance company is never going to reward you for being healthy. That's not the terms of the bet.

But here's a secret.

You can reward yourself.

Here's how. Open a Health Savings Account (HSA). Put as much money as you can into it. Tell your insurance company that you want to raise the deductible on your insurance policy as high as it will go. The deductible is the amount you have to pay before the insurance finally kicks in.

Now sit back and relax. You are completely covered for any healthcare crisis. You can use the HSA money for the small stuff and your insurance policy will kick in for the big stuff.

But?

If you don't get sick or hurt, the money will stay in the HSA. Then you'll put in the same amount next year, and it will sit there again. Earning interest, too.

After a while of being healthy, year-after-year, you'll have tens of thousands of dollars sitting there.

And when you retire, your HSA turns into an IRA ? individual retirement account. You can take the money out and live on it.

And guess what? It's your reward for staying healthy. You rewarded yourself for staying healthy, and simultaneously covered yourself just in case you did get sick along the way.

Happy retirement!

Daryl Kulak is the author of Health Insurance Off the Grid, a book that provides a simple, effective plan to reduce insurance costs for the self-employed, unemployed and underinsured. The book is available at the Website http://www.healthoffthegrid.com







Related News



Grange Insurance Welcomed As FHLBank Cincinnati Member - MarketWatch

Grange Insurance Welcomed As FHLBank Cincinnati Member
MarketWatch -10 hours ago
CINCINNATI, Oct 7, 2008 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Grange Insurance (Grange) has been approved for membership at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati ...

Group still owns Fortis Insurance - Malaysia Star

The Associated Press

Group still owns Fortis Insurance
Malaysia Star, Malaysia -Oct 6, 2008
PETALING JAYA: Fortis Group has confirmed its continued ownership of 100% participation in Fortis Insurance International NV, following the recent ...
Ping An to post huge losses due to investment in FortisPress Trust of India
China's Ping An Insurance to book 15.7 bln yuan loss from Fortis ...Forbes
Ping An may lose 2b yuan on Fortis investmentChina Daily
Financial Times - The Associated Press
all 200 news articles

FDIC approves bank fee increase for insurance fund - BusinessWeek

CBS News

FDIC approves bank fee increase for insurance fund
BusinessWeek -5 hours ago
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair made the proposal -- which will raise the average insurance premiums paid by banks and thrifts to 13.5 ...
FDIC Proposes Doubling Fees to Boost Insurance Fund (Update3)Bloomberg
FDIC chair seeks higher bank fees to boost deposit insurance fund ...International Herald Tribune
Ahead of the Bell: FDIC mulls bank insurance feesForbes
Los Angeles Times - Wall Street Journal Blogs
all 1,255 news articles

Crisis strengthens Manulife's hand in AIG bid - Globe and Mail

Boston Globe

Crisis strengthens Manulife's hand in AIG bid
Globe and Mail, Canada -16 hours ago
The American insurance giant is under pressure to sell businesses quickly to repay an $85-billion (US) Federal Reserve loan that spared it from bankruptcy ...
HSBC Life Launches Online Insurance Sales In TaiwanEasyBourse.com
Insurance giant granted lifelineThe Press Association
Expect Bermuda insurers to eye AIG targetsRoyal Gazette
Belfast Telegraph - Forbes
all 913 news articles

Insurance Exchange Is a Good Idea - New York Times

New York Times

Insurance Exchange Is a Good Idea
New York Times, United States -4 hours ago
By Ezekiel Emanuel In this installment of Health Care Watch, Stuart M. Butler and Ezekiel Emanuel talk about what the candidates are saying about insurance...
Editors: Healthy Line of AttackNational Review Online
National panelists debate health careBizjournals.com
Two Ways to Extend Health InsuranceKiplinger.com
Dallas Morning News - Wall Street Journal
all 1,452 news articles

SeaBright Insurance Holdings to Release 2008 Third Quarter Results ... - WELT ONLINE

SeaBright Insurance Holdings to Release 2008 Third Quarter Results ...
WELT ONLINE, Germany -2 hours ago
SeaBright Insurance Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:SEAB) announced today that it plans to release financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2008, ...

Insurance Professionals See Investor Confidence of Retirement ... - MarketWatch

Insurance Professionals See Investor Confidence of Retirement ...
MarketWatch -8 hours ago
The survey of more than 300 insurance industry professionals was conducted via instant electronic polling. Chief among the survey findings are: "A central ...

Narragansett Bay Insurance Company Succeeds to Adirondack ... - MarketWatch

Narragansett Bay Insurance Company Succeeds to Adirondack ...
MarketWatch -9 hours ago
PAWTUCKET, RI, Oct 07, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Narragansett Bay Insurance Company announced that it has entered into a renewal rights agreement with ...
Renewal Rights Agreement Bolsters Narragansett Bay in New YorkInsurance Journal
all 8 news articles

Singapore Insurance Report Q3 2008 Is Available Now - MarketWatch

Singapore Insurance Report Q3 2008 Is Available Now
MarketWatch -7 hours ago
Our Singapore Insurance Report provides independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on Singapore's insurance industry. In Q308, the key change is ...
Research and Markets: Slovenia Insurance Report Q3 2008 - In 2007 ...MarketWatch
all 36 news articles


Gina Russo Opens Trenchant Insurance in Las Vegas - MarketWatch

Gina Russo Opens Trenchant Insurance in Las Vegas
MarketWatch -9 hours ago
LAS VEGAS, Oct 07, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Gina Russo opened the Trenchant Insurance Company at 8778 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 105 in Las Vegas. ...