How to Compare Low Cost Health Insurance in Nevada

Generally speaking, health insurance is one of the more costly insurances for individuals or families to purchase and almost 25% of all Nevada residents are without health care coverage.

Fortunately, if you are a Nevada resident wanting to compare low cost health insurance plans there are things you can do to make your search a little easier. First, if you meet certain low-income requirements you may be eligible for some medical coverage from the state of Nevada through its Medicaid program. Secondly, if you have children 18 years of age or younger, they may be eligible for Nevada's Check Up program which provides low-cost health care to almost 30,000 Nevada children statewide.

But for the majority of Nevada residents, the search for low cost health care continues.

So how do you compare low cost health care insurance in Nevada? Before we get into ways to compare coverages, let's discuss ways each of can help bring down our health insurance costs to begin with.

I know you've heard this before, but it's true: if you smoke or use tobacco products, just stop. Quitting is tough, but continuing to smoke and use tobacco is simply making your life worse and worse. The same goes for being overweight. Join a program or a gym or do whatever it takes to lose weight – not only will you feel better about yourself but you'll save a small fortune on health insurance premiums.

Next, write down on a piece of paper the types of health care that you and your family need the most. Do you have a lot of doctor office visits? A lot of hospital stays? Do you need help with prescription drugs? In a moment you'll go online and design a plan which focuses on the medical needs that are most important to you and your family.

How much can you afford to pay for your own health care each year? The more you can pay out of your own pocket the larger of a deductible you can handle. The larger your deductible the lower your monthly insurance premium will be.

Now it's time for you to get online and find some of the multitude of sites that allow you to compare health insurance policies and prices side-by-side. Here is where you plug in the information you wrote down earlier about your family's health care needs – and then compare policies and prices.

Don't stop after looking at prices on just one site. Each site has a different base of programs that they compare – the only way for you to know for certain that you've compared and found the lowest cost health insurance in Nevada is to run your figures through at least 3 different websites.

It is a lot of work to compare low cost health insurance in Nevada, but the time you put into finding the best program for you family today can pay off in lower premiums for years to come.

Radiofrequency Neurolysis of Facet Joint

What is radiofrequency ablation (RFA)?

Radiofrequency is a means of interrupting pain signals. An electrical current produced by radio waves is used to heat up a small area of nerve tissue, thereby decreasing pain signals from that specific area supplied by that nerve. The nerve facet joint is the target for RFA. Clinical data shows that radiofrequency ablation can effectively provide lasting pain relief.

Contraindications to the procedure

Infection in the area to be injected, current use of blood thinners (anticoagulants)

Before the Radiofrequency Facet Joint Procedure

• You will be evaluated. The procedure should be explained in detail by the doctor, including possible complications and side effects and any questions you have will be answered at this time.


• Discontinue aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and blood thinners (anticoagulants) 3 days before the procedure.

The Day of the Radiofrequency Facet Joint Procedure

• Discontinue both clear liquids and food at least 6 hours before the procedure


• Continue to take all your medications (including pain medication) with only sips of water up until 4 hours before the procedure


• Bring all medication with you so you can take it after the procedure


• Do not discontinue any medication without first consulting with your primary or referring physician


• If you have diabetes and use insulin, you must adjust the dosage of the insulin the day of the procedure. Your primary care physician will help you with this adjustment. Bring your diabetes medication with you so you can take it after the procedure.


• An Intravenous (IV) line will be placed in a vein in your arm prior to the procedure so that you may receive sedative medication during the procedure.


• A responsible adult must be present to drive you home as you will be unable to yourself.

During the Radiofrequency Facet Joint Procedure

• The procedure takes about 10 – 45 minutes depending on the number of nerves that will be treated.


• You will be lying either on your stomach or back during the procedure.


• Both local anesthesia and a mild sedative may be used to reduce any discomfort during the procedure.


• You will be awake during the process to aid in properly locating the nerve.


• After local anesthesia has been administered, your doctor will insert a small needle into a general area where you are experiencing pain.


• Using X-ray, your doctor will guide the needle to the exact target area. A microelectrode is then inserted through the needle to begin the stimulation process


• During the process, you will be asked by your doctor if you are able to feel a tingling sensation.


• The object of the stimulation process is to help your doctor determine if the electrode is in the optimal position for treatment.


• Once the needle and electrode placement is verified, a small radiofrequency current is sent through the electrode into the surrounding tissue, causing the tissue to heat up.

After the Radiofrequency Facet Joint Procedure

• You will lie down in a recovery room for 30 – 60 minutes for observation.


• A nurse will check your blood pressure and pulse.


• A bandage may be placed over the injection site.


• The nurse will give you a beverage and review your discharge instructions.


• You will be given a pain diary to complete prior to your follow-up appointment.


• You may experience localized back and or leg pain for several days to weeks after the procedure


• Post-injection physical therapy may be required to stabilize the facet joint


• If there are any problems after the procedure call your Pain Specialist.

The information provided here varies depending on what pain doctor you go to. Also ask the performing physician what the procedure will entail. This is article is meant to be a guide for Radiofrequency and the exact procedure will vary from doctor to doctor.

Individual Health Insurance - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Individual health insurance coverage can be very costly and may not provide 100% of all of the benefits that you might need. However, it is a necessary expense in order to prevent a potential financial disaster in the event of serious injury or illness that requires long term hospitalization. Here are the two most common types of individual health insurance plans you'll find available.

#1. HMO - (Health Maintenance Organization)

Health Maintenance Organizations are specifically designed for preventive care. They want you to see a doctor on a regular basis to make certain you're needs are taken care of before any major problem arises. Some of the benefits of HMO's are that they'll pay for a wide range of medical care including doctor visits, hospital stays, emergency room visits, diagnostic procedures and much more. You'll pay a flat premium to participate. One of the drawbacks of HMO's is that you are restricted to using only the physicians and hospitals that reside within the HMO network. In other words, if you have a doctor that you've been seeing, but they're not a member of your organization, you'll be forced to change.

#2. PPO - Preferred Provider Organization

Preferred Provider Organizations contract a group of doctor's and hospitals to perform medical services at a discounted rate in return for immediate payment in full. This means that as a PPO member you'll get excellent rates for medical care. The only catch is that they must be paid in full at the time of the service. The whole idea here is for these people to get their money right away and not have to deal with a lot of paperwork or have to wait long periods in order to be paid. It's very simple. The doctor says something to the effect of "I'll see you today for 50% off of my normal fee, but you have to pay me in full when I'm finished." That's a great deal, if you can handle paying for the visit.

There are other options that can potentially lower your premium costs on an individual health insurance plan. You can have your deductible raised to a higher level, which means that you'll pay more out of pocket initially during the year to see your doctor, but you would still be protected against larger costs such as hospitalization. There are other coverages that you may be able to exclude from your policy that could lower your premiums too. This is something that you'll want to discuss with an agent. The best thing to do would be to grab a free individual health insurance quote and see how much your premiums would be, after which you will have the option to modify them according to your individual health care needs and budget.