There
are certain questions you need to ask yourself before choosing a health
plan. Researching and carefully weighing which plan is best for you
and your family can end up saving you both time and money in the long
run. Read the following questions to get you started.
Are there
any medical issues important to me?
Most plans have
limits on how much they will pay for certian services. Call your
plan and ask if you will have access to any special disease programs
such arthritis, mental health, HIV-AIDS, cancer, or diabetes treatment
to name a few.
.Is
it important to me to see my own specialists?
If you join
an HMO or a POS, your primary care physician must approve all specialty
care in advance. Most of the time, this approval is easy to get
and you’ll have some choices among the network specialists. It’s
important to consider though, that some doctors will only refer
patients to specialists in their own group. Another important factor
to think about is that some network doctors might not be taking
new patients. If choosing your own specialist is important to you
and you want to join an HMO, call the plan to ask about your ability
to choose a specialist.
What happens
when it’s cheaper to join an HMO but my doctor does not belong to
the HMO network?
You will have
to switch physicians to receive coverage because HMO's do not cover
out-of-network providers. Before you consider switching doctors
to one who belongs to the HMO network, check to see where the doctors
are located and if they are taking new patients. With the money
you save through your health plan you may end up spending in time
and travel expenses.
|
