9 Questions You Must Ask About Your Health Insurance
With the addition of the Affordable Care Act, many people have many questions about buying health insurance for themselves and their families. You want to make sure you have the right coverage and it’s actually affordable for you. Here are questions you should ask yourself and your insurance provider before purchasing a health insurance policy.
1. Does the package include my doctor?
Some doctors or hospitals do not accept certain insurances. If you have a particular doctor for you and/or a member of your family that you wish to continue seeing, then you should make sure that you are able to see all of the doctors and specialists you currently have under this plan.
2. Is it a managed indemnity or treatment plan?
The difference between the two is an important one. With an indemnity plan, you will pay a certain percentage of all your treatment. They are also known as charge-for-service plans. The advantage with this is that you will usually be allowed to choose your own doctor.
A managed maintenance plan, which can be either an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) or a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization), means minimal expenses. With an HMO, you or your employer pay a monthly premium, but you can only see the doctor on the plan. With a PPO, you or your employer get a discount for using a doctor that fits the plan. You can see a doctor outside the system, but it will cost you.
3. Will I have co-payments or deductions on top of my monthly premium?
Often you will have to pay a co-pay, which can be as little as $10. However, it can go up from there every time you see a doctor or have to get medicine from a pharmacy.
You may have certain deductions. This means you will pay yourself until you pay your deductible medical expenses before insurance will cover the rest of your medical expenses. If you and your family don’t get sick often and don’t have a lot of medication, then co-pay might be a better option for you.
4. What is included in the plan?
When it comes to health insurance, you would think all medical expenses should be covered. However, you may need to obtain separate policies for dental and vision care or other specialized services. Also, you’ll want to make sure regular exams are covered. Can you get the vaccine? Cervical Cancer Test? mammogram? Are there other preventive services with your policy?
5. What should I do to go to the hospital?
Some plans will require you to call your doctor before going to the emergency room. It’s good to know ahead of time so you don’t have to pay for that ER visit yourself.
6. What about pre-existing conditions?
The plan may limit to pre-existing conditions. They may not cover your treatment for the chronic condition for months, or forever. If you or someone in your family has a pre-existing condition, then you should make sure that it will be covered.
7. What happens when I am away from home?
Let’s face it, things happen when you’re on vacation. Sometimes you will get sick or injured and need to see a doctor. You should be sure that you will be covered even if you do not see your primary care doctor in such a case.
8. What is the history of the insurance company?
It’s not uncommon for insurance companies to go out of business, leaving your policy null and void. Sometimes if a deal is too good to be true, there may be a reason. Maybe you can only see the doctor during certain hours. Check the history of the insurance company and how long they have been in business before buying a policy.
9. What happens if I have a dispute?
The company must have procedures in place to dispute a claim or file an appeal if a claim is denied. You’ll want to know the procedure they’ll follow, and what the average turnaround time is.
Ensuring that you have adequate medical coverage can only help you. Even if you’re normally a healthy person, you never know what will happen – and you don’t want to be stuck with astronomical medical bills. Sponsored : https://www.dominioninsuranceoftexas.com
“9 Questions You Must Ask About Your Health Insurance”
