Do not approach health insurance with fear. It is true the field is complex and your options are many, but the more you learn, the safer you will feel. Health insurance is similar to healthcare itself. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By making smart choices when you select health insurance, you can avoid difficulties in the future.
Think about your family’s health needs, including your own, when deciding which employer-sponsored health insurance plan to sign up for. For example, if you’re basically healthy you may consider buying cheap insurance that doesn’t cover many services. While that may be cheaper upfront, it could be risky if problems start developing.
This is why understanding how insurance works is so important. Individual policies are usually more expensive than group policies. You might find yourself forced to compromise on both coverage and deductible. It is always a good idea to get quotes from several different companies, to ensure that you are receiving the best possible deal.
Vision Insurance
Vision insurance is wise if you’ve had a history of vision issues in the past, or it’s in your family history. Your coverage should include at least a percentage of the cost of your eye exams as well as a portion of the price of the corrective devices you buy. Vision insurance isn’t mandatory, so some people spend less cash by not having this kind of coverage.
Look into different health plans, and decide on the one that best fits your needs. There are PPO, POS and HMO plans to choose from. Each company has a variety of plan options you can compare before settling on one. Be sure you’ve got the option to keep seeing your current doctor.
Check your insurance coverage periodically to determine which medicines are paid for by your plan, and which ones are not. Reread the list of which drugs are covered every time you re-enroll in your health insurance plan. It’s far better to know in advance than to be embarrassed at the drug store by your sudden inability to pay for your prescriptions.
Ask your usual doctor if you can use the health insurance you are interested in to cover for visits. You can usually find this information on the insurance company’s website.
If you don’t see the doctor that much, you should most likely get a Health Savings Account, or HSA. All the money that is saved from paying deductibles and premiums can be added to this account and you can use this for medical expenses when they come up.
Don’t wait until you need your health insurance to find out what expenses your policy covers. Instead, learn as much as possible about the terms and limitations of your current insurance plan, and familiarize yourself with all of your options. Not having an ironclad policy is simply a bad choice. Luckily, it is a choice that can be easily corrected.
