Before Choosing Health Insurance, Here is Critical Information You Should Know
Understanding Health Insurance
This article is written to assist consumers sift through multiple options, plans, exclusions and summaries of benefits and understand what Critical questions you should ask when researching health coverage. Finding the most beneficial health insurance plan to meet your unique and individual needs is difficult. This guide will help consumers understand the basics of health insurance and what to look for when comparing plans.
14 Costy Mistakes You’ll Want To Avoid
1-FREE – Do You Have a “30 Day FREE Look Period?” Can you get your $ back if you are not happy?
2- DEDUCTIBLES: How many deductibles do I have per year? Some plans will have more than 1 deductible per person per year!
3- NETWORK RATES: Prior to your cbdinflationcom being met, will your insurance company extend their discounted network rates to you? Example: Insurance Company A – 5 stitches to finger – Total cost $2000, patient responsibility, $800, or Insurance Company B – 5 stitches to finger – Total cost $2000, patient responsibility, $2000. (no network break).
4- NEGOTIATED RATE: What is the AVERAGE negotiated rate? (Sometimes referred to Network Rate – very very important!)
5- UNCLEAR TERMS Is your $100 “co-pay” for an Emergency Room visit REALLY $100? Some companies the $100 copay is more like a fee AFTER your deductible, and you’ll still pay the co-insurance and the $100.
6- LIMITS on benefits, for example: $500 limit or $250 limit on Emergency Room expenses. $50 limit on Dr. Visits. Once the Limit is reached, YOU pay everything else out of pocket. $500 limit on hospital expenses per day (quick way to bankruptcy!)
7- PREVENTATIVE – Will you have to meet your deductible, or do you have a 1 year waiting period for preventative? Do you want to wait 1 year before you can have your female exam, or a mammogram?
8- TRAVEL – If you are out of state, are you covered for illnesses? If you eat something that doesn’t agree with you and become very sick and need a doctor, will you be covered? (Not just life threatening emergencies.)
9- RATE INCREASES – I am buying a “fixed rate”. Ask yourself if it makes sense to pay extra over the next 2 – 3 years for a fixed rate? Make sure your rate is set for at least 12 months but does it make sense to pay in advance for a fixed rate? Sometimes plans will naturally go down in price, so does it make sense to pay extra to have a fixed rate?
10- SUPPORT – After I buy this plan, MAY I CALL MY AGENT’S DIRECT LINE with billing issues, or plan questions, or technical problems, or claims questions or concerns of any kind?