Health insurance is a must-have in the event you have a serious medical emergency. You never know when disaster will strike in the form of illness, accident or injury. If you aren’t prepared with a good health insurance plan, you could stand to lose everything. If you have a good health plan in place, you can rest easy that your expenses will be taken care of. You have a couple of choices when it comes to purchasing health insurance. You can go with an individual plan, or if your employer offers group insurance, you can save money by choosing that plan.
Think about all the costs involved in purchasing a health insurance policy. It can be difficult to comprehend premiums, co-pays and deductibles but you need to understand them. These are all important fees that need to be included when you are figuring out what your insurance is going to cost you.
During open enrollment, assess your insurance needs. Although your current policy may have been effective thus far, that may no longer be the case because health situations for you or your dependents may have changed. You might also need a different policy in order to add new people to it. Open enrollment offers you the ability to change vision and dental coverage, too, if you have that option.
If you have a family history of needing vision correction, or if you have already been prescribed glasses or contacts, it’s important to include vision coverage in your health insurance plan. Some of your visits and eye care purchases, such as glasses or contacts, will be covered. You don’t have to carry vision insurance, so choosing not to get a policy may save some people money.
Before you sign up for another year of coverage, ensure your prescriptions are still on the reimbursement list. Health insurance companies tend to change the medications they cover, so see to it that you read the contract’s fine print each time you re-enroll. If you have daily medications that your current insurance stops covering, find a new provider.
Catastrophic Coverage
Look to catastrophic coverage instead of comprehensive coverage if you are looking for cost savings on your insurance. Catastrophic coverage is for emergency visits and hospitalization, while comprehensive coverage help pay the cost of doctors visits, prescriptions and mental health care.
Remember that insurance is regulated by the state, and so it cannot be carried over state lines. What this means is that you may not be covered for a hospital visit out-of-state. Insurance companies are very particular about this, so make sure that you understand your policy.
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are a great idea for someone who rarely visits the doctor. All of the money that you save from paying premiums and deductibles, can be put into this account and used for any medical expenses that you incur.
By comparing group and individual plans, you can tell that while one may cost less, the other can offer more choices. The most important take-away here is that you need to have some form of health insurance, even if it isn’t top-of-the-line. Being uninsured could cause severe financial hardship at a moment’s notice. You never know when something could happen that could wipe you out financially. Do your homework, research various options, and look into purchasing health insurance today.
