Without medical insurance, your costs can spiral out of control quickly. It can be daunting to select a policy which covers everything you need and yet is still affordable. You should be able to use the information provided to know what option is best for you.
Health Insurance
If you’ve recently finished college and are looking for health insurance, you should consider a few things before purchasing any policy. If you are employed, talk to your boss about employee-based health insurance. You can also consider your parents’ insurance if you are below 26 years of age. If nothing else works, there are a ton of personal plans available through insurance companies, too.
Many companies offer employee wellness programs that allow employers to save on health insurance. A number of employers offer incentives to those employees who have their lifestyle and health assessed. Then you might be eligible for a fitness program that will help your company save on its insurance, and in turn lower your premium.
Figure out what your needs are before open enrollment is offered. You may want to make changes to your current policy if something isn’t working, or maybe your health needs have changed or your family has grown. Open enrollment is also the time to make changes to dental and vision insurance coverage if your employer offers that.
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. A portion of eye doctor visits as well as corrective lenses are covered. Insurance for your vision is not required, and many people find they save money by not having a vision plan if they do not have any risk factors.
You should review your prescription coverage every year. Sometimes health insurers change the medications they will cover, so each year when you re-enroll, review the terms carefully. When your daily meds are dropped by your health insurer, then start the hunt for a new plan right away.
In order to reduce your health insurance premium, think about buying catastrophic rather than comprehensive coverage. Catastrophic coverage only covers major medical expenses, like hospitalization and emergency surgeries; in comparison, comprehensive covers that, plus most minor health care related costs like physicals and prescriptions.
Opting for generic, rather than name brand drugs, will save you money. Generics are available in most cases and contain the exact same ingredients as a brand name.
Determine which plan fits your needs best. There are many different plans to choose from, including PPO, POS and HMO. Each company has a variety of plan options you can compare before settling on one. Just be sure to go with one that lets you keep your current physician.
Check with physicians and medical care providers that you use routinely to be sure that they will accept whatever health insurance you may be purchasing. Your insurance company should have a website devoted to important benefit information.
If you do not make regular visits to the doctor consider getting an Health Savings Account. The money you save on not having to pay deductibles and high premiums can be funneled into your HSA and saved for future health needs.
It is cheaper to be on a group plan when you have insurance. Your rate will be lower if you are in a plan at work rather than an individual plan on your own. In order to take advantage of that fact, try to align yourself with a trade or affinity group that provides membership discounts.
There is probably no insurance that is more important than health insurance. With all the plans available and coverage options, though, it easy to get overwhelmed. Use the information provided in this article, and you can choose the right insurance for you.
