Consumer Tips-Purchasing Health Insurance
Whether you choose a fee-for-service plan or a form of managed care, you must examine benefits summary or an outline of your desired coverage, and check the description of policy benefits, exclusions, and provisions that makes it easier to understand a particular policy and compare it with others.
Compare Plan Benefits
Think about your health insurance needs and current situation and future outlook. For example: Do you need maternity coverage? Do you want coverage for your whole family or just yourself? Are you concerned with preventive care and checkups? Or are you better off with managing a plan that might restrict your choice somewhat but give you wider coverage and more convenience?
Here are some of the things to look at when choosing and comparing health insurance plans.
Your Insurance Checklist
Make an insurance checklist to compare and check for the following key health insurance items: general insurance plan features and benefits, agency services, and health coverage options of the health-care plans that you are thinking about buying.
- Covered medical service
- Inpatient hospital services
- Outpatient surgery
- Physician visits (in the hospital)
- Office visits
- Skilled nursing care
- Medical tests and X-rays
- Prescription drugs
- Mental health care
- Drug and alcohol abuse treatment
- Home health care visits
- Rehabilitation facility care
- Physical therapy
- Speech therapy
- Hospice care
- Maternity care
- Chiropractic treatment
- Preventative care and checkups
- Well-baby care
- Dental care
- Other covered services
- Are there any medical limits, or preexisting conditions that will affect
- What types of utilization review or pre authorization procedures are included?
- Costs of the plan, premium, deductible and maximum out of pocket
Selecting a plan can be confusing, especially considering all of the moving parts above. When you are ready to compare your insurance options, you can use an online Health Insurance brokerage firm www.quotebroker.com This is the simplest way to locate affordable health insurance in your state without any sales jibber. Shop, compare plan and apply online in minutes. (800) 783-0802
