Medical Insurance

• Medical insurance covers you in the event of an illness or accident. Depending on the type of medical insurance policy you have, it may also cover your annual check-ups and other preventative care. Getting health insurance coverage prior to having an illness, accident or pregnancy is the best route to take since most insurance plans do not cover problems or circumstances that began or occurred prior to initiating coverage. If you have a condition prior to enrolling in an insurance policy, this is considered a "pre-existing" condition.
  
  

Dental Insurance

• Some medical insurance plans cover dental care; but if yours does not, you will have to purchase this coverage separately. The majority of dental plans cover preventative dental exams and offer varying levels of coverage for major dental work. Many of these plans have a waiting period before you are eligible to have services performed other than preventative exams.
  
  

Vision Insurance

• As the English proverb states, "The eyes are the windows to the soul." An eye exam can detect 80 percent of all diseases just by looking at your retina, according to Dr. Neil F. Notaroberto of EyeCare 20/20. Even if you do not have trouble with your eyesight, a routine vision exam is recommended to catch potentially debilitating eye conditions before any symptoms appear. Your vision insurance helps pay for a portion of your vision exam, usually with a patient co-pay or deductible.
  
  

Life Insurance

• You may not consider life insurance as a type of health coverage; however, most life insurance policies have what is called an accelerated death benefit. This is a clause within a life insurance policy that allows you to take a portion of the life insurance benefit if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness. According to FreeAdvice.com, "as much as 80 percent {of your life insurance benefit} is available at any time within the last year or two of the person's projected life." The money from your policy can be used for any reason, from paying medical bills and nursing home expenses to going on a trip.
  
  

Warning: Identity Theft and Health Insurance

• There is one downside to having health insurance: your risk for medical identity theft increases. You want to protect your health insurance cards just as you would your Social Security, bank account or credit card number. Individuals can have their medical identity stolen; the criminals then use your information to get reimbursed from your insurance provider or file other fictitious claims, such as for a prescription drug. According to BankRate.com, ways to protect yourself include, viewing your medical records, shredding your medical documents prior to throwing them away, protecting your mail and restricting access to your ID.